Podi (dry spice powder mixed with oil)
A South Indian dry chutney powder has many regional and household forms. This record follows one published gunpowder podi recipe, served with ghee or gingelly oil; it is not a single standard formula.
Onion-tomato chutney (South Indian cooked and tempered)
Onion tomato chutney · Onion-tomato pachadi · Tomato pachadi
A South Indian chutney of onion and tomato cooked soft with chillies, ginger, tamarind and coconut, cooled, blended and finished with a mustard and curry-leaf tempering, for idli and dosa.
What it is
Onion-tomato chutney is a cooked South Indian condiment: onion and tomato softened in oil, ground with chillies and sometimes tamarind or coconut, and finished with a hot-oil tempering. It is served with idli and dosa, and in some homes with rice and ghee. The name covers several different batches, so the page follows one documented formula and notes where others depart from it.
Sources for this section
The IIHS method
The Indian Institute for Human Settlements cookbook lists one onion, two tomatoes, an inch of ginger, tamarind, a quarter cup of coconut, four dried Byadagi chillies, urad dal, turmeric, salt and oil. The order is the point. The dal and chillies brown first, then the onion and ginger are sauteed and the tomato cooked until soft, then the tamarind and coconut go in. The mixture is cooled before blending, which keeps the blender safe and the colour fresh, and water is optional. A separate mustard, dal, chilli and curry-leaf tempering is poured on last. The booklet gives no yield, no water quantity and no timings.
Sources for this section
Other batches
A 2026 TV9 Telugu recipe uses more onion than tomato, ten cloves of garlic and a coarse grind. A Times of India recipe uses six tomatoes and four onions and fries its spices in two stages, dividing ten chillies between them. Each keeps its own quantities, and they are not reconciled into one formula. The authors also describe soft cooked vegetables and coarse or smooth grinding differently, so "onion-tomato chutney" does not imply a single texture.
Sources for this section
Serving
The IIHS cookbook offers it with idli or dosa and some rice preparations. TV9 names rice with ghee, idli, dosa and chapati; the Times of India lists dosa, idli, uttapam and vada.
Fresh cooking is not preservation
These methods soften vegetables, grind them and may add a hot-oil tempering. They do not describe fermentation, canning or a preservation endpoint. TV9 gives its author's 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator; the other two sources give no storage time. FDA's general guidance is to wash produce, keep it apart from raw meat and its utensils, and cook thoroughly, and it sets no shelf life for these chutneys. The three recipes establish current cooking examples, not the history or season of the family.
History
The three recipes are current cooking examples. None dates the chutney family or gives its origin or season.
Ingredients
Scaling: source batch only
OnionSauteed with the ginger.
1
TomatoesCooked until soft.
2
1 inch
Dried Byadagi chilliesBrowned with the dal.
4
Grated coconut
59 mL¼ cup as recorded
Tamarind
no quantity given
Urad dalBrowned in oil.
no quantity given
Turmeric
no quantity given
to taste
Oil
no quantity given
Mustard seeds, urad dal, dried chilli and curry leavesFor the tempering.
no quantities given
Method
Risks and precautions
Wash vegetables under running water and keep produce away from raw meat and its utensils; cook the vegetables thoroughly.
Control sourceOnly one of the three sources gives a storage statement: TV9 reports its author's 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator. That is an author's note, not a shelf-life study, and the other two sources give none.
Cooking the vegetables and adding a hot tempering is not canning, fermentation or a validated preservation step.
- Brown the urad dal and the dried chillies in oil.
- Saute the onion and ginger, then cook the tomato until soft.
- Add the tamarind and coconut and cook briefly. Let the mixture cool.
- Blend the cooled mixture, adding a little water only if wanted.
- Make a separate tempering of mustard seeds, dal, chilli and curry leaves in hot oil and pour it over the chutney.
Places
South India
Documented preparation · Region evidenceRelated
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Chutney
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Sources
Indian Institute for Human SettlementsMethod · Ingredients
A Cookbook for Sustainable DietOne onion, two tomatoes, one inch of ginger, tamarind, a quarter cup of coconut, four dried Byadagi chillies, urad dal, turmeric, salt and oil.
Browns the dal and chillies, sautes onion and ginger, cooks the tomato until soft, adds tamarind and coconut; the cooled mixture is blended, water optional; a separate mustard, dal, chilli and curry-leaf tempering finishes it.
Accompaniment to idli or dosa and some rice preparations; no yield or storage interval.
Cited in: What it is; The IIHS method; Serving
TV9 TeluguComparison · Use · Storage
Easy Onion-Tomato Chutney Recipe...A 2026 Telugu media recipe using more onion than tomato, ten garlic cloves and a coarse grind.
Served with rice and ghee, idli, dosa and chapati; the author's note of 2 to 3 days refrigerated.
Cited in: Other batches; Serving; Fresh cooking is not preservation
Times of India RecipesComparison · Use
Onion Tomato Chutney RecipeSix tomatoes and four onions with a two-stage spice-frying method and ten chillies divided between the stages.
Served with dosa, idli, uttapam and vada; no storage duration.
Cited in: Other batches; Serving
U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationSafety
Selecting and Serving Produce SafelyWash produce under running water; keep produce separate from raw meat and its utensils; cooking thoroughly reduces risk.
Cited in: Fresh cooking is not preservation
U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationSafety
Are You Storing Food Safely?General refrigeration guidance; it sets no shelf life for these chutneys.
Cited in: Fresh cooking is not preservation