This is a very simple chutney to go with all kinds of lentil based dosais. By lentil based dosais, I mean those with more proportion of lentils to rice. The basic dosai has rice and dehusked black gram in the ratio 4:1 – 4 cups of parboiled rice and 1 cup of dehusked black gram. Lentil Dosais would have more quantity of lentils to rice. (eg. Whole lentil dosa and many more to come). These chutneys are also good for basic dosais, no doubt.

Ingredients

• vengayam/onions – big -3 nos
• thakkali/tomatoes – big – 2 nos
• poondu/garlic – 6 cloves
• milagai vatral/dried red chillies – 3 nos
• salt – to taste
• oil – 1 tsp

Thaalippu – Tadka

• oil – 1 tsp
• mustard seeds – 1 tsp
• broken urad dal – 1 tsp
• curry leaves – a few

Method of preparation

1. Take 1 tsp oil in a chatti/deep pan
2. When oil is hot, add garlic cloves and fry till golden
3. Add onions and saute for 2 minutes
4. Add tomatoes and dried red chilles and fry till tomatoes becomes soft
5. Simmer stove accordingly. Due to less usage of oil, there are chances of onions getting burnt if stove is kept on high flame
6. When tomatoes are soft enough to be mashed with a spoon, turn off the stove
7. Let it cool
8. Add salt and grind it well in mixer grinder or blender till smooth
9. For tadka, heat oil in a small pan
10. Add mustard seeds
11. Let mustard seeds splutter, add urad dal
12. When urad dal becomes light reddish, add curry leaves
13. Pour this into the chutney
14. Red chillies can be adjusted according to required spice of the family