Red Bell Pepper Tomato Chutney
This red bell pepper tomato chutney is the spicy, tangy, well-balanced condiment we all need in our lives. Jammy tomatoes are processed with red chilis, roasted red bell pepper, roasted garlic, and peanuts and finished with a tadka (tempering) of curry leaves and mustard seeds.
Ingredients
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 head of garlic *if you're not using the oven, then slice 2 cloves
- 2 tbsp avocado oil or another neutral oil, divided
- ½ red onion, chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- ¼ cup toasted peanuts
- 1 dry red chili *2 for extra spicy!
- 1 tbsp sambar masala *see notes for sub
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 10 curry leaves
Instructions
- Roast the red bell pepper and garlic. (See notes for alternative.) Preheat the oven to 400 F. (To avoid using the oven at all, char the red bell pepper over an open flame and add sliced garlic to the onions and tomatoes in the next step instead.) Cut the bell pepper in half, lengthwise. Brush both sides with olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Peel a few layers off of the head of garlic. Cut the tips off to expose the bottom of the cloves (click here for a visual). Brush with olive oil. Wrap with foil. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Add 1 tbsp oil to a pan over medium heat. Add chopped onions and stir until translucent. Add tomatoes and salt. Stir occasionally and cook until the tomatoes clump together, which should take another 5-7 minutes.
- Peel the skin off of the roasted red pepper and add the flesh to a small food processor. Squeeze out about half of the head of roasted garlic. Add peanuts, dry red chilis, and sambar masala.
- Tadka/tempering: Heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and let them sizzle for 30 seconds or so, until they start to crackle. Add curry leaves and let them crisp up. Pour onto the chutney.
Notes
*Alternatives to roasting: I get that sometimes it can be too hot to turn on the oven. In that case, you can char the red bell pepper over a direct flame to maintain the smoky flavor you get from roasting. You could also chop it and cook with tomatoes. Instead of using roasted garlic, you could slice 2 garlic cloves and add them after the onions.
*Sambar masala can be made at home and you can adjust the recipe to use the ingredients you have. If you don't want to make it, you can omit or use a few ground spices. I'd go with 1/2 tsp ground coriander and 1/4 tsp ground cumin.