Bombay chutney | Besan chutney | Poori Curry

Bombay chutney is a very unique vegan and gluten-free south Indian breakfast side dish made mainly with onions, tomatoes, and besan(chickpea flour). It is served as a side dish with many recipes like Poori, Chapathi, Dosa, Idli, etc...It is super easy to make and serves as a delicious combination with many south Indian breakfast dishes.

Feel free to use the button at the top of the page to go to the recipe directly or the table of contents below to go to any section of the page you want. The recipe card has all the information that is needed to make the recipe perfectly. However, I try to provide as much useful information in the post for the readers who are looking for it.

Why the name Bombay Chutney

It is hard to say exactly why is it called Bombay chutney when it is mainly a South Indian side dish but there is a theory that this dish is adapted from the Maharashtrian dish 'Pitla' and is modified according to the south Indian palate. Hence the name Bombay Chutney.

If you know the reason behind the name, please let me know in the comments below. Whatever the reason might be, this dish is definitely a very delicious accompaniment for many breakfast dishes in South India.

Key Ingredients

You will find the full list of ingredients in the recipe card below, so let's just talk about the key ingredients here. All the ingredients are important to make a perfect Bombay chutney but there are two main ingredients in this Bombay chutney recipe that mainly contribute to make this a unique dish.

• First one is besan which is the chickpea flour. Using right amount of fresh besan and in the right way gives this dish a delectable creamy texture worth craving for all the time!!
• Second one is boiled and mashed potato which adds to the flavor and creaminess of the dish.

How to make with step by step images

Let's see how to make this super easy and delicious Bombay chutney with step-by-step pictures to help you along.

Preparation

• Start with boiling 1 medium-size potato, peel it and roughly mash it or dice it. You can do this simultaneously while making the chutney to save time as this is added towards the end.
• Slice Onions into 1 inch long thin slices, slit the green chilies lengthwise, and dice the tomato.
• Mix 4 tablespoons of besan (gram flour) in one cup of water and mix without any lumps using a whisk. Then add 3 more cups of water to it and keep it aside.

How to make Bombay Chutney

• Heat oil in a pot and add all the tempering ingredients and saute for a minute.
• Then add slit green chili and onion slices with half a teaspoon of salt and saute until the onions are translucent.
• Next add diced tomato, mix well and cook covered until the tomatoes are slightly softened. No need to cook them completely.

• Add the boiled and mashed potato and stir well.
• Now add the whisked besan and water mixture, salt to taste, and cook covered for 5 minutes.
• Then open the lid and cook until the chutney thickens to desired consistency.
• Add jaggery or sugar when the chutney is almost done, check salt, mix well and remove from heat.
• Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with Poori, dosa, idli, or chapati.

Tips for making best Bombay Chutney

Here are some pro tips to make sure you make a great Bombay chutney to serve with your poori, Chapathi, Idli, Dosa, etc

• Use good quality and fresh besan to get that perfect taste as besan is the main ingredient in this chutney.
• Whisk besan with one cup of water first to make lump free batter and then add rest of the water as suggested in the recipe instructions. If you try to mix it with 4 cups of water as the same time, its hard to get lump free batter.
• Adding potato is optional but tastes really good with poori, chapati, dosa etc.. You can skip it if you prefer when you are serving the Bombay chutney with Idli.
• Bombay chutney thickens after cooling down so make sure to switch off the heat when the consistency is slightly thinner than you prefer.
• It tastes best when served right away. So its always best to plan accordingly. If you have to store it for a day or two, then I suggest heating it up by adding little water on medium to low heat until heated through.

Storing and Reheating

Bombay chutney tastes best when served right away. So it's always best to plan accordingly. If you have to store it for a day or two in the refrigerator, then I suggest heating it up by adding little water on medium to low heat until heated through.

Serving Ideas

Bombay Chutney is usually served as a side dish with many south Indian breakfast dishes like Poori, Chapathi, Dosa, Idli, etc..

Recipe

Bombay chutney | Besan Chutney

Yamini

Bombay Chutney is a unique vegan and gluten-free south Indian side dish served with breakfast recipes like Chapathi, Poori, Dosa, Idli etc...

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  

• 1.5 tablespoons oil
• One big onion thinly sliced into 1-inch slices
• 1 green chili cut lengthwise
• One big tomato diced
• One big potato boiled and roughly mashed or diced
• 4 tablespoons of besan also called gram flour or chickpea flour
• 4 cups water
• 2 teaspoons of grated Jaggery bellam
• Salt to taste
• Cilantro for garnish
• Lemon juice optional

Ingredients for tempering

• 1 teaspoon chana dal
• 1 teaspoon split urad dal
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• A pinch of hing asafoetida, skip if you are on a gluten-free diet
• ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 sprig of curry leaves
• 1 red chilli broken into pieces
• 1- inch ginger peeled and chopped finely around ½ tablespoon
•  

Instructions

 

Preparation

• Start with boiling 1 medium-size potato, peel it and roughly mash it or dice it. You can do this simultaneously while making the chutney to save time.
• Slice Onions into 1 inch long thin slices, slit the green chilies lengthwise, and dice the tomato.
• Mix 4 tablespoons of besan (gram flour) in one cup of water and mix without any lumps using a whisk. Then add 3 more cups of water to it and keep it aside.

How to make Bombay Chutney

• Heat oil in a pot and add all the tempering ingredients and saute for a minute.
• Then add slit green chili and onion slices with half a teaspoon of salt and saute until the onions are translucent.
• Next add diced tomato, mix well and cook covered until the tomatoes are slightly softened. No need to cook them completely.
• Add the boiled and mashed potato and stir well.
• Now add the besan and water mixture, salt to taste, and cook covered for 5 minutes.
• Then open the lid and cook until the chutney thickens to desired consistency.
• Add jaggery or sugar when the chutney is almost done, check salt, mix well and remove from heat.
• Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with Poori, dosa, idli, or chapati.

Notes

• Adding potato is optional but tastes really good with poori, chapati, or dosa. You can skip it when you are serving it with idli if you prefer.
• Do not skip adding jaggery or sugar at the end as it beautifully balances all the flavors.
• This bombay chutney is medium high spicy. Increase or reduce the number of green or red chillies based on your spice tolerance. 

Keyword Besan chutney, besan curry, Bombay chutney, idli side dish, Poori curry

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