Tomato Thokku/pickle

Tomatoes are such an integral part of Indian cooking, these meaty, tender delicious red fruits marks the end of summer and signals us that the growing season is nearing its fag end. These are widely used in canning, pickling, purees, sauces, jams and salsas. I don't miss a chance in getting my share of these gorgeous beauties from my local farmers market every year to make a batch of my mom's oh-so-delicious tomato thokku, slurp...... This one is very close to my heart as it is my dad’s most favorite condiment, and every time I dig into it reminds me of all those wonderful memories associated with it. It is so simple yet amazingly delicious, the best part is its shelf life. It can be eaten with pretty much anything from rotis to dosas and hot idlis, I mix it up with hot rice and ghee accompanied with some roasted papad, or spoon in some into a bowl of yogurt and have it along with my stuffed paranthas.

Ingredients 

4 lbs ripe roma tomatoes 

4 sprigs of curry leaves

4 tbsp chilli powder

1 tbsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp tamarind pulp diluted in 1/4 cup water
1 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp asafoetida

1/2 cup sesame oil

10-12 cloves of garlic sliced
Salt to taste

Dry roast, cool and grind to a fine powder

1 tbsp mustard seeds 

1 tbsp fenugreek seeds

Method

• Wash and pat dry the tomatoes and chop them finely.

• Add these to a heavy bottom pan and cook them till they ooze out all their juices and form a thick pulpy texture while stirring constantly. This might take a while but trust me its worth every bit of it.

• Add in the diluted tamarind pulp, chilli powder, turmeric and salt and cook further on a low flame ensuring the moisture is completely evaporated.

• Heat up the oil in a separate pan and add in the asafoetida and mustard seeds, once they are done crackling toss in the curry leaves and sliced garlic and fry for less than 30 sec and stir into the cooked tomatoes. Mix well till the oil surfaces on the top.

• Turn off the heat and tip in the powdered mustard and fenugreek seeds, mix well and cover and let it cool completely.

• Transfer it to a sterilized bottle and refrigerate. Stays good for up-to 3 months

Note

• Pick ripe tomatoes.

• Do not crimp on the oil, its the only ingredient which acts as a preservative.

• If your tomatoes are sour enough, you can omit adding in the tamarind pulp.

• Though this can be consumed immediately, its flavors intensify when stored for a couple of days