Momos Chutney / Momos Sauce

Momos chutney is a spicy red condiment made with tomatoes, garlic, and dry red chilies. It is a must dipping sauce for the steamed dumplings, Momos. Momos sauce is fiery hot, tangy and has the distinct garlic flavor in it. I would not be wrong if I say that a good momos sauce is the soul of any momo dish. With a very simple recipe, one can make this lip-smacking momos chutney easily at home under 20 minutes. I have served this delicious momos chutney with homemade, Whole Wheat Vegetable Momos. This dipping sauce is vegan, gluten-free and oil-free and has a shelf life of 2 days on refrigeration. Apart from Momos it also goes well with most of the savory starters and snacks.

The vibrant red color of this momos chutney is most appealing. The color of this chutney is natural and comes from the ripe red tomatoes and the dry red chilies used in it. One can adjust the hotness of this dipping sauce by controlling the amount of red chilies going in it but this chutney is typically kept spicy which pairs perfectly with the steamed momos providing the dish the much needed spicy kick. I have used onions in this recipe apart from garlic, ginger, tomatoes and tomatoes. This is optional but i would highly recommend it. One more secret ingredient which i have added in this momos chutney is Almonds. Almonds lend a creamy texture to the chutney and prevents it from getting watery. It also balances the spice levels in the chutney. The recipe to this momos chutney calls for boiling tomatoes, red chilies, garlic , ginger and almonds for 10-15 minutes. Boiling the dry red chilies makes it easy to digest and removes the spicy zing from it. A bit of sugar and salt are used to season the chutney which are added in the last step while grinding the chutney.

We all are aware of the fact that the color we wear can affect our mood, behavior and stress levels. But not many of us know that the same is the case with the food we eat. The colors we eat do make a difference in the way we feel. Whenever i feel low, i choose to grab a food full of fresh and vibrant colors and it does change my mood and i start feeling great. If you have not experienced it yet, do try it for yourself. Try to plan your meal platters with at least 2-3 naturally colored foods. Indian thalis are usually colorful with a dal giving a vibrant yellow color because of the turmeric, a vegetable stir fry adds some colors from the veggies used in it. Raw salad with cucumber, carrots, tomatoes and beetroot make the platter more colorful and wholesome and last but not the least are our pickles and chutneys which are usually vibrantly colored. With this thought in mind, the theme for #211 #FoodieMondayBlogHop was chosen as #NaturallyColorful. This thoughtful theme was suggested by a talented blogger with a cheerful and vibrant personality, our Mayuri Di.

                                             
 Mayuri di is the senior-most member of our gourmet group and a versatile blogger. She shares her culinary skills and travel stories on her space, MayurisJikoni. I look upon her blog for authentic Gujarati dishes and the vast collection of delicious dishes from international cuisine. I love the way she gives a personal touch and weaves her experiences from daily life into her blog and i feel i am talking to her in person when i read her blogs. When Mayuri di suggested the theme, I had many ideas popping into my mind like Hibiscus tea, Spinach pancakes and so on. But then I have recently shared the Whole Wheat Vegetable Momos i thought of making a post for its chutney as well. Thus a naturally vibrantly colorful Momos chutney is my share towards the theme. I browsed the internet for this recipe and found many variations, But all had red chilies and garlic in common. I personally like the onion taste in this chutney and since almonds help the chutney to bind, i added it. So without any further ado, let's get started.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

• 4 medium-sized tomatoes
• 4-5 garlic cloves
• 4-5 whole dry red chilies
• 1 onion 
• 5-7 almonds
• 1/2 inch ginger 
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Salt to taste.

Method:

1. In a saucepan take washed tomatoes, peeled and quartered onion, broken red chilies, garlic cloves, ginger, and almonds with 2 cups of water. Basically, we are taking all the ingredients except salt and sugar. Transfer the saucepan to heat and allow the mix to a rolling boil on medium flame.

2. Now lower the flame and allow the ingredients to cook for 101-12 minutes. By this time, the peels of tomatoes must have separated. Put off the flame.

3. Strain the chutney ingredients using a colander. Discard the water used for cooking. Once the tomatoes have cooled a bit to handle, remove its peels and chop the tip portion using a knife. Also, eel the almonds.

4. Transfer the peeled almonds, tomatoes with other boiled ingredients to a mixer jar. Add salt and sugar and pulse everything to a smooth lump free puree. Taste the chutney at this point and add more salt or sugar if required and pulse again. Our lip-smacking Momos chutney is ready to serve with piping hot Momos.

Recipe Notes:

• Adjust the number of red chilies as per your spice tolerance. I have not removed the seeds of the dry red chilies, you may discard the seeds if you wish.
• Addition of onions is optional.
• You may replace almonds with a tablespoon of peanuts.
• Do not add any water while grinding the momos chutney.
• Do not skip the sugar as it balances the spicy flavor of the momos sauce.

 If you ever try this recipe, do share your feedback with us in the comment section below. Follow us on #Facebook, #Instagram, #Twitter, #Pinterest and #Google+ for more recipes and new updates. 

For more chutney recipes from this blog, check out the following

• Kasundi - Indian Mustard Sauce

                                 

• Garlic Chutney

                                

• Khajur Imli Chutney

                                 

• Coconut Chutney

                                 

• Schezwan Sauce

                                 

• Coriander Chutney

                                   

• Amla Chutney

                                    

• Til ki Chutney / Sesame seeds Chutney

                                    

• Hirvi Mirchicha Thecha