Eerulli / Onion Chutney

Being so used to coconut based dishes as we are, it was a bit of a challenge for me to cook everything without coconut in the initial days here. This was specially true in case of chutneys. I hadn’t found coconut even in the nearby Indian store here and I was left with no option but to try out non coconut chutneys.

This is quite an old recipe, basically my moms, which was one of my regulars when I was in Korea way back. Paired with akki rotti, it was a hit then with my friends too. So here again, my akki rotti was paired with this simple onion chutney, which takes very few ingredients, but is awesome for rotti, dosas and even for rice mixed with a spoon of oil. One of my favorites!

Eerulli Chutney / Onion Chutney

Preparation time       : 5 min

Cooking time             : 10 min

Serves                         :  4

Ingredients:

Onions             - 2 medium sized, chopped roughly

Red chillies      - 5-6

Cooking oil      - 2-3 Tsp

Mustard seeds            - 1 tsp

Salt                  - ½ tsp or as per taste

Method:

• In a thick bottomed pan, heat one ysp of oil and roast the red chilies
• When done, transfer it to a blender/mixie jar and sauté chopped onions in the same pan till translucent.
• Allow the onions to cool and when cool, grind it with the red chiles to a thick paste without adding any water
• Hear the remaining oil in the same pan and add mustard seeds
• When they splutter, add the ground paste and sauté till all the water content evaporates
• Tastes awesome with rottis, dosas and rice

Notes:

• You may add a small piece of tamarind, but I prefer mine without
• This chutney stays in fridge for over a week if sautéed well
• Making this in a non stick pan takes very little oil