Sweet 'n Spicy Tomato Chutney With Bottle Gourd

spicy tomato chutney

The very thought of spicy and sweet tomato chutney makes your mouth to water! Isn't it?

It surely is a tongue pleaser and in my case, a soul pleaser as well! Have tried so many chutneys in the last one year that surprises me even to date!

After all chutneys and Indians have a deep relationship. Agree? We enjoy chutneys as much as our meals. In fact, no meal is complete without some form of condiment, and chutney undoubtedly tops the list. Other popular condiments include pickles, podis (what else?).

I have tried only these until now.

Tomatoes are a key addition to Indian meals. It won't be wrong to say that these rustic beauties enhance the taste of any vegetable. So Indian curries do not miss out on tomatoes. Trust me, tomatoes aren't just taste enhancers, they add to the aesthetic look of curries and are loaded with health benefits.

Let's do a quick recap of tomato benefits

1. Rich in antioxidants, vitamin C and beta-carotene, manganese, and vitamin E
2. Rich source of lycopene, which gives them the deep red color
3. Lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides, and are thus known to contribute to heart health
4. Prevent atheroscelorsis or plaque buildup in arteries 
5. Prevent clumping together of platelet cells in blood 
6. Loaded with phytonutrients that are known to benefit heart health
7. Have anti-cancer benefits

Research is under way to link tomato benefits for bone health. 

sweet tomato chutney

Tomatoes for cancer?

The prime cause of many types of cancer is the chronic oxidative stress, followed closely by chronic inflammation. It is here that antioxidant-rich foods, such as tomatoes, can help prevent cancer. Antioxidants help fight free radicals that cause cancerous growth.

Especially, tomatoes have been known to lower the risk of prostate cancer in men.

Tomatoes come in many forms, shapes, and sizes - of course colors, including pear-shaped tomatoes from Italy, bright yellow tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and green tomato.

Tomato is referred to as pomme d'amour in French, which means "love apple," and Italians call it as "pomodoro" or "golden apple" .

Bottle Gourd Benefits

Let's come back to the tomato chutney recipe. Like every household, bottle gourd or lauki or ghiya, as it is called in Punjabi, is not too welcome in my home. But it still gets an entry, for I do not want to miss out on bottle gourd benefits, which are aplenty. So I try to experiment with this humble vegetable so both of us can enjoy its benefits.

You can include lauki in idlis, dosas, lentils, stir fries, sweets, desserts, and even chutneys!! Yay! I am coming to the spicy tomato chutney recipe.

A rich source of Vitamin A,C, and folate, bottle gourd is loaded with minerals, including magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus. 

Health freaks are experimenting with lauki for its weight loss benefits. Apart from this, it is also known to help manage blood pressure and keep your heart healthy.

It has cooling and diuretic properties. This is the reason it is a summer time vegetable, enriched with water and minerals. As a result, it is known to help combat thirst symptoms in diabetics.

Bottle Gourd is rich in fiber, which makes it a value addition to your meals and can help curb hunger pangs. Thanks to its immense benefits, bottle gourd is part of complementary and alternative therapies. In Ayurveda, lauki, dudhi, ghiya, or bottle gourd is advocated for diabetes milletus, hypertension, weight loss, and liver disease. 

However, there is a word of caution on the use of lauki. When it comes to using lauki, take a small bite to see if it is bitter in taste. Bitter bottle gourd is claimed to have caused 3 deaths in India. The reason is still unclear. 

Now let's come back to the tomato chutney recipe. You have probably tried the tomato fengureek chutney I had shared a few days ago. I had learned the same from Priya Shiva, a fellow food blogger and friend. 

Taking inspiration from that recipe, which was a hit at my place and even at my parents' home, where I made it for my family there, I introduced lauki to the chutney. Voila! It was such a hit. Hubby dear couldn't realize he was eating lauki hidden in the chutney.

How could a wife not be happy when her hubby loves her experiment? Happy me!!!
'

tomato benefits

Ingredients 

2 tomatoes

Equal amount of lauki or even raw papaya (I have made it several times and the tomato chutney with raw papaya tastes too good)

salt to taste

1/4 tsp- sugar or gur (jaggery) or add 2 pieces of dates (khajur)

1/2 tsp Roasted methi dana powder

1 tsp oil

2 pinches of hing (asafoetida)

1/4 tsp- kali sarson (black mustard seeds)

1 or more green chillies (you may add red chillies as well)

Procedure

tomato lauki chutney

1. Do you know tomatoes need some kind of fat for absorption in your body? How? Well, tomatoes are rich in antioxidant lycopene as well as beta-carotene. These nutrients require healthy fat for the body to absorb it and give you the benefits.
2. Cut lauki into small pieces and keep it in hot water for 5-8 minutes so that it turns little soft.
3. Add whole tomatoes as well to the hot water. 
4. Next, take oil in a pan.
5. Add hing and kali sarson.
6. Let them splutter.
7. Meanwhile, grind tomatoes, lauki, and green chillies together.
8. Add this paste to the spluttering masala.
9. Mix well.
10. Throw in sugar and salt to the bubbling mixture.
11. Give everything a good mix. Trust me you do not need to heat it longer. Saute the mixture for just 4-5 mins or little longer and you are done.
12. Lastly, throw in roasted methi dana powder.
13. Mix well again.
14. You may garnish the tomato chutney with coriander leaves.
15. Enjoy it as a dip or chutney with rice, roti, parantha, idlis, or snacks.
16. Does the unique lauki chutney take your family by surprise? Do let me know!! I would look forward to hearing from you all!
17. The sweet tomato chutney is sure going to be loved by your family. The bursting flavors of roasted fenugreek seeds are enough to tantalize the taste buds of anyone - whether a foodie or not.
18. Pair this chutney with daliya idlis or oatmeal idlis or even suji idlis.
19. Did I tell you can turn idlis into a toast? Do check the daliya idli toast post for more. You can easily cheat kids into eating healthy food this way.