Preparation and cooking time: 40-50 min
8 ripe tomatoes
4 tablespoon water
2 tablespoon ghee
2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
2 or 3 fresh chillies, minced
5 cloves
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick, 2 inches (5 cm) long
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 pinch asafoetida
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoon brown sugar
Blanch the tomatoes, puree them with 4 tablespoons of water, and set them aside. In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the ghee over medium heat and toss in the mustard seeds. Cover the pan. When the mustard seeds stop sputtering, stir-fry the next six spices and the ginger for 1 minute. Put the tomatoes in the saucepan with the asafoetida and salt. Mix with a wooden spoon, and cook uncovered over low heat for 20-30 minutes. Stir occasionally at first, then more often as the chutney thickens, until there is hardly any liquid in the pot.
Now stir in the sugar and raise the heat. With a quicker motion stir the chutney for 5 minutes more, or until it has thickened to the consistency of thick tomato sauce. Discard the cloves, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick. Transfer the chutney into a bowl and serve at room temperature with a meal or as a dip for savories.