Skip to content
FriendsPantry

South Indian · Indian

Kara chutney (Tamil red onion-chilli chutney)

Vegetarian

கார சட்னி · kāra caṭṉi

Shallots, tomato and dried red chillies sautéed with garlic and tamarind and ground into a hot, tangy brick-red chutney. The spicy counterpart to coconut chutney on Tamil breakfast plates.

Kara chutney (Tamil red onion-chilli chutney) is a South Indian condiment, ready in about 27 minutes and made with dried whole chillies and shallot. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking

No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep
10 min
Cook
12 min
Rest
5 min
Total
27 min
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
69

Ingredients

6 servings (about 45 g)

For the tempering

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Heat 1 tbsp of the oil and fry the dried chillies for a few seconds until they puff and darken slightly. Add the shallots (opens in a new tab) and garlic (opens in a new tab) and sauté until soft and golden at the edges.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Add the tomato (opens in a new tab), tamarind (opens in a new tab) and salt and cook until the tomato is completely soft.

    • 5 min
    • medium heat

  3. Step 3

    Cool for 5 minutes, then blend with the water to a smooth, thick paste.

  4. Step 4

    Heat the remaining oil, pop the mustard seeds (opens in a new tab), then add the urad (opens in a new tab) dal and curry leaves (opens in a new tab). When the dal turns golden, pour over the chutney.

    Food safety: Hot oil spits when curry leaves and seeds go in; keep your face back and have the lid nearby.

About this dish

Origin
Tamil Nadu, India · Commonly attributedAlso popular in Sri LankaMore food from India
Dish
Breakfast · Dinner · Condiments, chutneys & relishes · Dips & spreads
Cooking method
Sautéed, Blended
Taste
spicy (chilli heat), tangy, savoury, sweet
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Everyday · Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Dried whole chillies · Shallot · Garlic · Tomato · Tamarind · Mustard seeds
Techniques
Sautéing · Wet grinding · Emulsification

Allergens

  • Contains: Mustardfrom mustard seeds

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

69 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 47 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 8%
  • Carbohydrate 42%
  • Fat 50%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy69 kcal148 kcal
Protein1.4 g3 g
Carbohydrate7.7 g16.4 g
Net carbohydrate5.9 g12.7 g
Sugars2.9 g6.1 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre1.7 g3.7 g
Fat4.1 g8.8 g
Saturated fat0.3 g0.7 g
Trans fat0 g0 g
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium297 mg637 mg
Salt equivalent0.7 g1.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
201 mg
Calcium
19 mg
Iron
0.7 mg
Magnesium
14 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
29 µg
Vitamin C
5 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
15 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): curry leaves.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Use small red shallots (sambar onions) — they give a sweeter, more rounded chutney than large onions.

Common mistakes

  • Burning the dried chillies in the first step — they need only seconds; scorched chillies make it bitter.

Serve with

  • Serve with idli, dosa, paniyaram or uttapam, often alongside coconut chutney.
  • Smear inside a dosa before filling it, as for Mysore masala dosa.

Storage

  • Refrigerate covered for up to 3 days.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Goes with

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

  • Shallot, peeled and halved (about 150 g)5 piece · 150 g
  • Tomato, chopped1 piece · 120 g
  • Tamarind, seedless5 g
Used in steps 1, 2, 3

Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

You might also like