Ulli Chammanthi (Onion Chutney)

"Ulli Chammanthi" is the very famous chutney of Kerala.Needless to say, my favourite too. One in every 3 houses in Kerala will definitely have Ulli Chammanthi for their breakfast. It usually compliments well with idlis and any type of South Indian Dosas. My mom-in-law makes it super-duper delicious. If you get a good home made Ulli Chammanthi, then don't even think of counting the number of idlis or Dosas which go inside your tummy. :)

"Ulli" in Malayalam means Onion and "Chammanthi" means Chutney. No coconut required unlike other Kerala dishes, but we definitely leave the Malayalee imprints in every Kerala dish, so we drizzle a generous amount of coconut oil. :) Please do try making it at home and you will see people lick off their plate even after the idlis and dosas are long gone. :)

Ingredients:

• 5-6 medium onions (peeled and cut into chunks)
• 1 tomato (cut into chunks)
• 3 whole dry red chillies
• 1 tbsp of cooking oil
• salt to taste
• coconut oil to drizzle

Method:

1. Heat the cooking oil in a Kadai / heavy bottomed pan and saute the onion, tomato and red chillies for 3-4 min or until translucent. Let it cool for 3-4 minutes.
2. In a blender/mixer, make a smooth or coarse paste of the onion, tomato and the chillies. Add little salt while blending. Do not add water at any time.
3. Heat the kadai again and pour the onion paste to it and stir frequently. Let the water in the paste get evaporated in this process. It will take 5-6 minutes for the paste to become water free. The raw smell of the onion too will go off by thi time.
4. Pour some coconut oil at this stage and stir frequently to avoid the paste sticking at the bottom. It will take for about 8-10 minutes to become like the image below. The colour of the chutney will turn into a brownish red colour. That's when you switch off the heat.
5. Tip into a serving bowl, and drizzle a generous amount of coconut oil over it. :) Serve it with idlis or any type of Dosas/crepe.