Easy Mauritian Tomato Chutney (Chatini Pomme D’amour)

To Mauritians, chatini pomme d’amour needs no introduction! Whether it’s a Chinese, Indian, or Créole meal, this refreshing Mauritian tomato chutney, accompanies a wide variety of meals and it’s a condiment that is beloved by all. Our Mauritian cuisine won’t feel complete without it. Another name for it is satini pomme d’amour. Satini is the Créole pronunciation of chatini, which basically means chutney in Mauritius and pomme d’amour is French for tomatoes.

Jump to:

• What is Mauritian tomato chutney
• What constitutes a chutney
• Mauritian dishes that are served with tomato chutney
• Reasons to love this recipe
• Recipe ingredients for chatini pomme d’amour
• Ingredient variations and substitutions
• How to make this easy Mauritian tomato chutney step-by-step
• Storage
• Easy Mauritian Tomato Chutney (Chatini Pomme D’amour)
• Where next?

What is Mauritian tomato chutney

Mauritian tomato chutney is an accompaniment composed of fresh ripe tomatoes, red onion or shallots, fresh cilantro (coriander leaves), and optional green bird’s eye chili pepper. It’s almost identical to a Mexican pico de gallo, except we use green bird’s eye chilis instead of jalapeños.

What constitutes a chutney

Chutney is Hindi for “chatna” or “to lick.” Think of it as a blanket term for any accompaniment made of vegetables, fruits, spices, or even lentils (dals) served in small quantities with a meal to add a touch of concentrated flavor, usually salty, sour, hot, or sweet, or any combination of these.

Chutneys can be wet or dry and can be prepared with fresh ingredients, as is the case with this satini pomme d’amour, or with dry pantry ingredients like dried coconut and dried red chilies. Chutneys prepared with fresh ingredients need to be consumed within a day, if not the same day, because they generally don’t keep well. This is why they’re usually made in small quantities, just enough for lunch or dinner, etc.

Dry chutneys, on the other hand, or those with a lot of salt or sugar (such as a tamarind chutney), can be stored for weeks since the sugar and/or salt acts as a preservative agent.

Mauritian dishes that are served with tomato chutney

Almost all Mauritian dishes can be served with a chatini pomme d’amour but it’s most common to see them with Indian, Muslim or Créole cuisines as is the case with my Mauritian Chicken Biryani. They’re also often served alongside Chinese boiled noodles or “mine bouillie.”

In another post, I’ll talk about our wet Mauritian coriander and tomato chutney, which is served almost chopped to a pulp. This rendition is served with street foods like Mauritian gato de l’huile, Créole for “oily fried cakes.” An example of a gato de l’huile is vegetable pakora or bread pakora, etc.

If you aren’t familiar with our street foods. Check out my article for 27 Typical Mauritian Street Food You Should Not Miss, where I go into detail on what to try when in Mauritius!

Reasons to love this recipe

This tomato chutney is very refreshing and is an accompaniment guaranteed to elevate and balance any Mauritian dish, especially those that are fried, oily, or rich. It’s also very quick to prepare and requires only 4 ingredients, not counting salt.

Recipe ingredients for chatini pomme d’amour

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this tasty satini pomme d’amour:

• Fresh ripe tomatoes
• Onion, red or shallot (yellow also works)
• Green chilies (bird’s eye or Thai)
• Cilantro (fresh coriander leaves)
• Salt and pepper

Ingredient variations and substitutions

Tomatoes

Roma tomatoes, also called plum tomatoes, are preferred since these are what we use in Mauritius. They have less water content and are firmer than most other types of tomatoes. San Marzano tomatoes and Japanese plum tomatoes are also great since they are very similar to Roma tomatoes, but depending on where you are in the world, they might be harder to find than Roma tomatoes. In a pinch, you can use almost any other tomato.

Green chilies

Bird’s eye chilies, or Thai chilies, are very mainstream these days and you should be able to find them in any supermarket. Indian and Chinese stores always carry them. If you somehow don’t have access to them, you can use jalapeños or serranos (closer to bird’s eye chilies heat level) instead, or omit all chili peppers!

Onion

You can use red onion, shallots, or even yellow onion. I prefer to use red onion or shallots as they would be most commonly used in Mauritian salads. But any of these would work just fine!

Acidic element

I don’t add any acidic element to my Mauritian tomato chutney, and it’s usually made without any, but that’s not to say that you won’t find one with fresh lime, fresh lemon, or even a little bit of vinegar. So feel free to add a teensy bit of any of those if you like an acidic element in your satini pomme d’amour!

Black pepper

My recipe doesn’t contain ground black pepper, but it’s perfectly fine to add some to it!

How to make this easy Mauritian tomato chutney step-by-step

Step 1

Slice the tomatoes very finely. Add to a medium bowl.

Step 2

Roughly chop the cilantro, green bird’s eye chilies, and onion. Add to the bowl and mix well.

Step 3

Season with salt, mix well, and adjust salt to taste. Serve immediately.

Storage

I don’t recommend storing this fresh chutney for later as it won’t taste as good and the tomatoes will become a bit mealy. If you have leftovers, you can refrigerate them, but make sure to consume them within 24 hours. Simply make them in smaller quantities and eat them fresh the day of!

Where next?

Now that you’ve made this delicious Mauritian tomato chutney, why not try other popular Mauritian condiments, like this Basic Mauritian Mazavaroo Chili Paste, or my Homestyle Chinese Red Chili Paste? They’re both easy to prepare on your first try!

If you’d like to go all in, I highly recommend you try my Mauritian Chicken Biryani. It’s a Mauritian favorite and it’s always accompanied by a tasty chatini pomme d’amour.

If you have any questions or want to say “hi”, please leave me a comment below, I would love to hear from you! Please share this recipe if you found it helpful and want to help spread the word.