Tomato And Mustard Chutney
31I learnt to make this pungent, sweet, sour and totally zingy chutney from Nick many years ago. An absolute favourite in the houses along India’s east coast, this version has been tweaked to suit a wider audience and palate. A great tomato chutney is the epitome of pub food accompaniments. With the right amount of tang, a tomato chutney lifts up the blandest of burgers and compliments the smokiest of sausages. For those who have read my previous posts and have an excellent memory, you will know that I am a sucker for simple recipes with 3, 4 or 5 ingredients. This is one of those recipes and I had to share!
Food Styling & Prop Alert – The hardened plastic container that holds the chutney is actually a Nespresso Coffee Cup that I saved from the Good Food & Wine Show in Sydney earlier this year. The metal plate and silver spoon were thrift store finds. The beautiful antique French linen was sourced from Grosgrain Homewares in Wahroonga, Sydney. The red metal colander was a cheap K-Mart buy. The micro herbs were $5 for a container from Pyrmont Grower’s Market.
TOMATO MUSTARD CHUTNEY
Preparation Time – 10 minutes
Cooking Time – 30 minutes
Makes – 2 cups
Ingredients
6 large truss tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons black or yellow mustard seeds
1 teaspoon salt
3-4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
Method
In a heavy bottomed saucepan heat oil on medium. Add the mustard seeds. When they start crackling and spitting, add the tomatoes. Add the salt and sugar. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered for 25 minutes. Stir it every 5 minutes to ensure the chutney doesn’t stick.
Stir through the gram masala. Cook for 2 more minutes and remove from heat. Cool completely and store in sterilised glass jars in the fridge for a week.
My Notes
The original east Indian tomato chutney called tamater chatni in Bengali, the local dialect uses mustard oil which renders it even more pungent and hot.
The chutney at the end of the cooking time should be almost pulp-like and soft. Salt and sugar can be adjusted to taste.

















This looks fantastic Sneh!!! Love, love, love anything tomato. And I love the moody photos!
Jennifer (Delicieux)´s last [type] ..Carrot Fritters
really beautiful photographs.. really beautiful! and we bongs use Panch Phoron or the Five Spice mix for the Tomato Chuntey, well most of the time:) and YES mustard oil!
Soma´s last [type] ..Stir Fried Green Beans and Potatoes with Coriander
OMG, that metal platter is fantastic! Great find.
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen´s last [type] ..BluePrintCleanse vs. Cooler Cleanse | Sizing up the Juice Cleanses
wow love the simplicity of the recipe and thanks for tips on making it look like million bucks, I guess you need an eye to find the beauty be it in k-mart or garage sale. your post helps in looking for ideas
sreelu´s last [type] ..Diwali Inspiration VI
I am glad you can find some inspiration in here. There is so much of that everywhere isn’t it?
I love any type of tomato soup or chutney and this is SO beautifully presented. We bongs make it in a different way and Soma already said about the spice we use
There is yet another type which my Mom makes with dried dates . I hope to share it sometime after my vacation.
kankana´s last [type] ..Aalu Methi Naan – Guest Post for Chef Dennis @ A Culinary Journey with Chef Dennis
I love the date version. Nick’s aunts make it with dates too and for a while we did as well
Awesome photos Sneh! I’d love to try the chutney with a 100% beef grilled burger, one question though: do you think honey would work well instead of sugar?
Gaby´s last [type] ..Product review: Paleo Snacks
Sounds fantastic Gaby. I think honey might work as it loosens and becomes fluid with heat (which is what sugar does to this recipe), you might need to go very low heat and keep stirring to avoid sticking I reckon.
Thanks, will give it a shot!
Gaby´s last [type] ..Product review: Paleo Snacks
Oh Sneh, your thrift store finds are gorgeous. And so are your photos, the mood, the chutney. Particularly loved your last shot.
Nash at Plateful´s last [type] ..Soft-centered Mocha Pudding—a wicked treat worthy of special occasions
I love the mood lighting, Sneh! Looks beautiful.
I so rarely – ok never – make chutney, but so deeply appreciate a good one. Yours looks better than good, so my excuses are running dry. Time to try it!
Yasmeen @ Wandering Spice´s last [type] ..Mom’s Arabic Fruit Salad
the photos are beautiful girlfriend and so is the chutney! And that platter? WOW!
Kulsum at JourneyKitchen´s last [type] ..Udaipur Trip – Food and more!
this chutney is perfect for so many dishes ! easy to make too..yayy
a spoonful of yumm´s last [type] ..Wordless Wednesday – Chennai, India
hi sneh,this is my first time here and i love it already. how do you get your photos to appear blur fade like? do you mind sharing? I love the look of the photos,and of course your blog which is very user friendly, being a designer myself…though im still new to photography
P
iva | in my kitchen´s last [type] ..flame grilled eggplant
Amazing styling! This post makes me want to give more importance to my props and styling
I really suck in that department. But your blog makes me realize how important it is.
Love this simple tomato recipe
chinmayie @ love food eat´s last [type] ..Black & White Wednesday – Water
Ooh… the tomatoes are so luscious! The photos are gorgeous, Sneh!
Shirley@kokken69´s last [type] ..Ondeh Ondeh (Onde Onde) – Sweet Potato Glutinous Rice Balls
Love the moody photos and the chutney sounds divine!
Sommer@ASpicyPerspective´s last [type] ..Roasted Indian Fish and Creamy Curried Cauliflower
Put this stuff on my SHOE and I’ll eat it!
Coco´s last [type] ..A Thousand Arabian Nights: Pom-glazed Kibbeh
Sneh, this is gorgeous. I’ve never made chutney before because I always thought it was complicated with lots of ingredients – apparently not! Quick question: what are the flavor differences in finishing chutneys with spices at the end instead of in the beginning with the oil?
Kerstin´s last [type] ..A Menu for Thanksgiving
Mmmm…. I seriously miss gorgeous tomatoes now that we are in “fall” season and temps. Gorgeous photos dear!
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com´s last [type] ..Pumpkin yogurt soup w/ grilled marinated shrimps
SO LOVELY!
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc.´s last [type] ..Fashion Friday: Give ‘Em the Boot
What gorgeous photos! I also adore tomato chutneys and this one sounds delicious with the addition of garam masala. I also love your food styling and prop alert tips – thank you so much for sharing! The platter is just beautiful.
Thanh @ eat, little bird´s last [type] ..Sweetcorn Soup
[...] Tomato And Mustard Chutney | Cook Republic Tomato And Mustard Chutney, a household staple along India's east coast is a given a modern twist to become an instant and tangy companion to most pub food. Give your boring burgers a lift! Source: http://www.cookrepublic.com [...]
Absolutely stunning!
anh´s last [type] ..‘Mangomisu’. A summer dessert.
Sneh this looks so delicious — and i LOVE the moodiness of these photos. Always drool-worthy, your blog is.
Was nice to meet you in person finally on Saturday
Shaun @ Everybody Loves Ramen´s last [type] ..Eat Drink Blog 2011
Thanks Shaun! And you
Hopefully we’ll bump into each other at another foodie event soon!
Great pictures and this recipe looks so yummy too! I think this chutney will go so well on crostinis. Check out my recipe here: http://bit.ly/mangochutcrostini
Thanks!
Gorgeous and sounds delicious!! another one to add to my “must make” list!
Iron Chef Shellie´s last [type] ..{Eating Out NZ} Capitol Dining Room & Bar
Very smart to save the plastic cup! I might just steal your idea
. Next time I make a burger I think I will try this.
Julie´s last [type] ..Eat drink blog 2011
This looks great especially as I don’t have to peel the tomatoes (hate peeling tomatoes!). This could also make a good Christmas gift – has to go onto my to-do-list!