Bombay chutney | Besan gravy for Dosa | Kadalai maavu gravy
Bombay chutney is a gravy item used as a side dish for dosas, idlis, chapatti and poori. It is prepared using besan(gram) flour as the main ingredient.
As the name suggests this besan dish originated from Maharashtra and spread in the south.
It is a very simple and quick dish which amma makes very often when she is lazy to make other veg kurmas and we are very much used to this yummy side dish with dosas. Now B likes this lot and he won’t count his dosas when I make this Bombay chutni 🙂
Why it is called Bombay chutney?
It’s crazy I know, but I guess the original Besan gravy from Maharashtra took multiple diversions along its way down South and got this close to the heart name. Of course without losing its nativity.
Chutney is an inevitable part of south Indian cuisine, particularly in Andhra and Tamilnadu breakfast plates. When the chickpea flour or besan flour mixed with water and cooked, it becomes smooth and creamy the same as chutney texture. Hence the nickname Bombay chutney.
It Tamilnadu it is fondly called as Kadalai maavu chutni.
Bombay chutney variations:
Besan is the important ingredient in this chutney alias gravy with some basic vegetables.
People from different places customized this besan chutney in various ways according to their taste preferences.
- One version which uses potatoes and spices along with besan. This one is perfectly suitable for chapati and roti. Greatly matches with poori as well and this version is nothing but our poori kizhangu masala.
- Next is the one which uses more onions sauteed with spices and cooked in the besan gravy. Chilli powder may be used as the main spice here and no tomatoes are used.
- One more and the famous is the version which uses onions, tomatoes and green chillies and spices cooked in besan gravy. This is the popular combo with dosas and idlis as well. It’s our favorite breakfast chutney for crispy dosas, adai, uthappam and wheat rava dosas. Let us see this tomato besan gravy version today.
Bombay chutni with tomato:
This is the best recipe for this chutney matches well with dosas. I like to use more tomatoes in this besan chutney because it gives a beautiful orangish hue to the chutney which is perfect for this dosa side dish.
The sour taste of tomatoes, when cooked with bland besan, gives a pleasant relish.
Use well ripe tomatoes for this Bombay chutney and country tomatoes may be a better choice.
The other ingredients:
Onions: I usually use big onions and they are perfectly fine as long as it is cooked perfectly. You can use shallots (pearl onions) as well.
Ginger: The chopped ginger is useful for better digestion. It also relieves any gastrointestinal disturbances created by this gram flour gravy.
Spices: This dosa besan gravy tastes good with green chillies as the main spice. But I like to use a bit of chilli powder also for the tempting color. If you make this for very young kids you can choose to skip green chillies completely.
Make this super easy Besan gravy in 20 minutes with crispy dosas for a satisfying and delectable breakfast or dinner.
Similar Idli/dosa sidedishes from my blog:
Follow the stepwise instructions with pictures and a quick video description.
Bombay chutney | Easy Besan gravy for idli, dosa, chapati and poori
Equipment
- Cooking pan
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp Groundnut oil
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds
- ¾ tsp Fennel seeds
- 1 tsp Gram dal
- 2 Green chillies
- Few curry leaves
- 1 tsp Ginger chopped
- 1 cup Onions sliced
- 1 ½ cups Tomatoes 3 small chopped
- 1 ½ tsp Salt as per taste
- ¼ tsp Turmeric powder
- ¾ tsp Chilli powder
- 1 tbsp Besan flour gram flour
- 3 cups Water approx.
- Few coriander leaves
Instructions
Preparation:
- Rinse and chop tomatoes and green chillies. Instead of chopping, you may use ground tomatoes.
- Mix 2tbsp of besan flour with a cup of water and make a thin paste without any lumps.
Recipe:
- Heat 2tbsp of groundnut oil in a pan. Add 1 tsp mustard seeds and 3/4 tsp fennel seeds, let them splutter.
- Add 1 tsp gram dal and roast them to light brown color.
- Put 2 slit green chillies, 1 tsp of chopped ginger and few fresh curry leaves. Saute for 30 seconds until you get the nice aroma of fried chillies and curry leaves.
- Now add sliced onions and fry until transparent stage.
- Add 1.5 cups of chopped or ground tomatoes and cook well by sauteeing.
- Put 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1.5 tsp salt, and 3/4 tsp chilli powder.
- Saute till the tomato becomes mush and cook for around 3 mins.
- Now add besan mix(2tbsp gram flour mixed with a cup of water). Mix quickly with the gravy and reduce the heat.
- Besan tends to become thick when cooked. Hence add water accordingly. The gravy should be of semi-thick consistency.
- After adding besan, stir the gravy quickly to avoid lumps formation. Adjust the thickness of gravy by adding some water(2 to 3 cups of water).
- Close the lid again and cook besan gravy for 3 to 4 mins.
- In 5mins bubbles on top disappears. Garnish with some fresh coriander leaves and switch off.
- Serve with dosas, idlis, chapatti and poori. The best combination is with crispy dosas.
Notes
1. First, make the besan paste without any lumps. Also, make sure there are no lumps formed when added to the gravy.
2. The gravy should have semi-thick chutney consistency. You can adjust the water accordingly.
3. Adjust the number of green chillies and quantity of chilli powder as you prefer. The measurement here given is for mild spicy Bombay chutney.
Nutrition
Preparation:
- Rinse and chop tomatoes and green chillies. Instead of chopping, you may use ground tomatoes.
- Mix 2tbsp of besan flour with a cup of water and make a thin paste without any lumps.
Recipe:
- Heat 2tbsp of groundnut oil in a pan. Add 1 tsp mustard seeds and 3/4 tsp fennel seeds, let them splutter.
- Add 1 tsp gram dal and roast them to light brown color.
- Put 2 slit green chillies, 1 tsp of chopped ginger and few fresh curry leaves. Saute for 30 seconds until you get the nice aroma of fried chillies and curry leaves.
- Now add sliced onions and fry until transparent stage.
- Add 1.5 cups of chopped or ground tomatoes and cook well by sauteeing.
- Put 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1.5 tsp salt, and 3/4 tsp chilli powder.
- Saute till the tomato becomes mush and cook for around 3 mins.
- Now add besan mix(2tbsp gram flour mixed with a cup of water). Mix quickly with the gravy and reduce the heat.
- Besan tends to become thick when cooked. Hence add water accordingly. The gravy should be of semi-thick consistency.
- After adding besan, stir the gravy quickly to avoid lumps formation. Adjust the thickness of gravy by adding some water(2 to 3 cups of water).
- Close the lid again and cook besan gravy for 3 to 4 mins.
- In 5mins bubbles on top disappears. Garnish with some fresh coriander leaves and switch off.
- Serve with dosas, idlis, chapatti and poori. The best combination is with crispy dosas.
Tips/notes:
- First, make the besan paste without any lumps. Also, make sure there are no lumps formed when added to the gravy.
- The gravy should have semi-thick chutney consistency. You can adjust the water accordingly.
- Adjust the number of green chillies and quantity of chilli powder as you prefer. The measurement here given is for mild spicy Bombay chutney.
Different and easy recipe,I liked it????
Thank you Pavi 🙂
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