Onion Tomato Chutney version 2

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While browsing the internet an article titled, "The most unhealthy veggie sandwich" caught my eye.Curious to find out which sandwich got this title and also apprehensive that it may be one of those veggie sandwiches that I occasionally have when eating out, I warily clicked on the article. I was relieved to find that the sandwich mentioned in the article is something I have never had, yet the information was quite shocking and I immediately thought this was something I wanted to share with my readers. 

The article  says that Blimpie's Veggie Supreme sandwich (12") contains 1106 calories. Imagine that, a veggie sandwich that contains 1106 calories, seems totally insane. In addition it contains 56 g of fat seemingly because this sandwich uses three types of cheese and a lot of oil too. This sandwich was not the only shocker, the article then went on to list a whole list of extremely high calorie foods available at restaurants including a Dessert Ravioli at Romano's Macaroni Grill that contains a whopping 1630 calories and 74 g of fat. Amazing isn't it, I am so glad that neither of these items nor the other items mentioned in the list have been ones I have ever ordered when eating out. 

Having said that I realize that most of the food served at restaurants tend to be much higher in calories than when we make them at home. This is the reason I avoid eating out too much and when I do,I try and make smart choices by sticking with low fat soups or watching the portion sizes and eating smaller portions. On the rare occasion that we order dessert (which is really a rare event) we just share one serving of dessert so that all our efforts in watching our weight and counting calories is not rendered completely ineffective in one fell stroke.This usually works well and is a better alternative than giving up eating out completely.I am sure all of you have your own techniques to avoid weight gain even when eating out, do share them.... I would love to hear these tips.

Moving on to the recipe which is in complete contrast to the discussion above, this chutney is  low fat, wholesome and tasty and I use it to make sandwiches at home and avoid disasters such as Blimpie's veggie sandwich :-) I call this chutney onion tomato chutney version 2, my earlier version of this chutney can be found here. I use this chutney in veggie sandwiches in place of mayo  but this works just as well in accompaniment with any traditional Indian dish such as dosa's, idli's or roti's or as a dip to go with raw veggies :)

Click here for a printable view of this recipe 

Ingredients and Method to make Onion tomato chutney version 2

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp fenugreek seed (methi seeds/ mendiyam)

6 curry leaves (optional)

6 whole dry red chillies (or according to taste)

1 large onion cut fine

4 large tomatoes cut fine ( I used roma tomatoes)

salt to taste

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan, add mustard seeds to it.

When the mustard seeds start spluttering, add fenugreek seeds to it.

When the fenugreek seeds start getting a little browner, add onions and saute until onions are transparent then add tomatoes to it.

Saute the tomatoes until it is soft and mushy. Add whole dry red chilies and curry leaves if using and stir a couple of times. Remove from heat.

Allow to cool completely, then grind this mixture to a smooth paste, add salt to taste and mix well and serve with any dosa, any roti, use in sandwiches  instead of mayo or use as a dip to go with raw veggies.

Refrigerate the balance and use within 2 to 3 days.

This chutney is off to the Chutney/Dip Mania Event being hosted by Ramya