Bombay chutney. Affordable, comforting, and ready in about 20 minutes, this South Indian breakfast side dish is hard to beat. This silky, curry-like accompaniment is primarily made with gram flour (chickpea flour), onions, green chilies, and curry leaves. The secret of making the perfect the chutney is in the small details - whisking gram flour properly, building a fragrant tempering, and allowing the flour enough time to lose its raw taste. Also known as besan chutney, this dish is popular with Indian breakfast staples such as dosa, idli, roti, and poori, but its appeal go well beyond breakfast.
Why I Love This Unique Chutney
If you have ever found yourself with a packet of gram flour or besan in the pantry and wondered what else you could make besides pakoras, this easy chutney recipe is the answer. All you need to do is mix gram flour with water to form a smooth slurry and then cook it with a tempered mixture of mustard seeds, cumin, and white urad dal (skinned black gram). The dish should be smooth and pourable, and the consistency is usually thinner than a typical curry and thicker than a soup. Remember that the chutney continues to thicken as it cools. So if you are preparing it ahead of time, make it slightly thinner than the consistency you want.
What’s the secret to smooth chutney? Well, that depends more on technique than ingredients. Besan can become lumpy very quickly. Here’s what you can do:
- Do not add dry gram flour directly to the pan.
- Always whisk flour with cool, room temperature water first. The mixture needs plenty of water.
- Make sure there are no dry pockets of flour.
- Stir the slurry again immediately before adding it to the pan.
- Pour it slowly into the tempering.
- Avoid very high heat.
- Cook it until the raw flavor disappears.
Key Ingredients In Bombay Chutney
- Gram flour - The key ingredient also known as besan or chickpea flour.
- Spices - Cumin, asafoetida, garam masala.
- Herbs - Curry leaves, coriander (cilantro) leaves.
How To Make Bombay Chutney
Step 1: Make the besan slurry
Add approximately ½ cup water to 2 tablespoons flour. Add the water gradually and whisk continuously. The mixture will resemble thin buttermilk. Taking time to make a complete smooth slurry is crucial.
Step 2: Prepare the tempering
Add mustard seeds to a pan. When they start to splutter, add cumin seeds and urad dal (skinned black gram). At this stage, you can also add dried red chilies, curry leaves, onions, green chilies, and ginger. Let the dal turn lightly golden and onions soft. This is the base of the chutney’s flavor. If you are using tomatoes, add them with a pinch of asafoetida. Cook the tomatoes until they soften and the raw smell disappears.
Step 3: Add the flour mixture
Give the besan slurry another quick stir because the flour will naturally settle at the bottom of the bowl. Add the slurry to the pan, and keep stirring as the mixture heats. With a few minutes, the mixture will start to thicken.
Step 4: Simmer until smooth
Simmer the mixture for several minutes until the raw taste of the gram flour disappear. Finish the chutney with a little garam masala, ghee, and coriander (cilantro) leaves.
Easy Bombay Chutney Recipe | Besan Chutney
Ingredients
Gram flour (besan) slurry:
- 2 tablespoons gram flour (besan or chickpea flour)
- ½ cup room temperature water
Chutney:
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon urad dal (skinned black gram)
- 2 dried red chilies
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 green chili, slit
- 1 cm ginger, minced
- 1 large tomato, chopped
- A pinch asafoetida
- ½ cup water
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ghee
- 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
Instructions
Make flour slurry:
- Add gram flour to a bowl. Pour in water.
- Whisk to make a smooth slurry.
Make chutney:
- Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
- Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dal (skinned black gram), dried red chilies, curry leaves, onions, green chilies, and ginger.
- Saute, stirring, for about 2-3 minutes or until onions are soft.
- Add tomatoes and asafoetida. Cook tomatoes, stirring occasionally, for about 3-4 minutes or until mushy.
- Add flour slurry and water. Season with salt.
- Bring to a boil. Simmer for about 5-7 minutes.
- Add garam masala, ghee, and coriander leaves (cilantro). Heat through. Serve hot.
- If the chutney becomes too thick, add a little hot water and stir. If it is too thin, continue simmering for another couple of minutes.
- Serve as a side dish with dosa, roti, idli, and poori.
Nutrition
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Bombay Chutney FAQ
Is Bombay chutney same as besan chutney?
Yes. The names are used interchangeably, although recipes may vary between households.
Why does my Bombay chutney have lumps?
Lumps are formed when flour is added directly to the pan or hot liquid. It also happens when the flour hasn’t been thoroughly mixed with water beforehand.
Is Bombay chutney spicy?
It can be, but you can control the heat using minimal amount of chillies.
How do I fix thick Bombay chutney?
Add hot water a little at a time while stirring over low heat.
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