Summer tomatoes are supposed to be bursting with flavor. This pickle serves just right for the season. Tomatoes in the pickle taste just like sun-dried tomatoes or even better simmered with the spices! We are voracious consumers of this condiment. A bottle usually never lasts more than a week to ten days at the max.
A few of our favorite ways to use this addictive pickle:
Quick Tomato rice when traveling: We prefer eating some home made food at least a few times. This pre-made tomato pickle comes in very handy as it stores well on the counter for a week easily. Plug in the rice cooker, cook some rice and stir in the tomato pickle for an instant one pot meal in the time it takes to cook rice! 
Sandwich with guacamole or avocados: Slather a layer of tomato pickle on toasted multi-grain or whole wheat bread, line up thinly sliced avocado on top, optionally sprinkle with salt & pepper on the avocados, seal with another slice and enjoy or Slather tomato pickle on one slice and guacamole on the other, put them together and enjoy!
Quick tomato pickle rasam: Stir in some tomato pickle into cooked dal, add water to adjust consistency. Bring to gentle boil, garnish with cilantro. Enjoy super quick rasam.
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Pickled Tomatoes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 14 oz. 1x
Description
The super-concentrated tomato flavor of this preserve can be used to brighten sandwiches or turn plain rice into a delicious dinner.
Ingredients
- 12 medium sized Roma tomatoes or about 3 lbs, finely chopped (top sliced off)
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp peanut oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 2 tbsp methi / fenugreek seeds to roast and grind
- 2 tsp roasted and ground fenugreek seeds
- about 10 curry leaves, torn
- 1/4 tsp hing / asafoetida
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- a tsp size tamarind (seeds removed)
- 1-1/2 tsp red chilli powder
- 3 tsp salt
Instructions
- In a heavy bottomed skillet, dry roast fenugreek seeds over low-medium heat until fragrant and brown. Be careful not to burn. In a spice grinder, grind it to a fine powder when cooled and set aside.
- Heat oil in a wide, heavy bottomed pan. When the oil is hot enough or shimmering, drop in the mustard seeds. When they begin to splutter, sprinkle hing and toss in the curry leaves. When curry leaves stop spluttering, add turmeric quickly followed by chopped tomatoes and the tamarind piece. Cook uncovered on high heat, stirring intermittently until tomato is well cooked. Season with salt and red chilli powder, stir well and continue to cook until the whole thing lumps together and oil leaves the sides of the pan, about an hour.
- Finish off by sprinkling roasted and ground fenugreek/methi powder, stir to mix well and keep aside to cool. When completely cooled, transfer to a clean, dry glass jar with an airtight lid.
- Serve with steaming hot rice and a drizzle of ghee or as an accompaniment for Dosa, Idli, chapathi and the like.
Notes
- Finely chopped tomatoes cook faster.
- If you are very particular about the seeds and skin, strain the seeds and peel the skin before finely chopping.
- Remaining ground methi can be used in curries.
- Sprinkling just a bit adds flavor and aroma.
- The pickle depends on the sweetness or tartness of the tomatoes.
- After tasting, if you find it too spicy or salty or sour, put the pan back on the stove and just stir in some powdered jaggery.
- Repeat to adjust the spices to taste.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Category: Condiment
- Cuisine: South Indian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
- Calories: 30
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does this South Indian tomato pickle taste like?
The article says the tomatoes taste like sun-dried tomatoes—or even better—after being cooked down with fenugreek, mustard seeds, curry leaves, turmeric, and tamarind for about an hour until the oil separates from the sides of the pan.
What is hing (asafoetida) and why is it in this recipe?
Hing, also called asafoetida, is a pungent dried resin used as a flavor enhancer in South Indian cooking. In this recipe, ¼ tsp is added right after the mustard seeds splutter in hot oil to bloom its flavor before the tomatoes go in.
How do I know when the pickle is done cooking?
The instructions say to cook uncovered on high heat, stirring intermittently, until the whole mixture lumps together and the oil leaves the sides of the pan—about an hour. This oil-separation signal is the classic South Indian doneness cue.
What if the finished pickle is too spicy, salty, or sour?
The notes address this directly: put the pan back on the stove and stir in some powdered jaggery to balance out the heat, saltiness, or sourness. Repeat until the flavor is right.
What are some ways to use this pickle beyond serving it with rice?
The article lists three specific uses: stirring it into cooked rice while traveling (it stores at room temperature for up to a week), spreading it on toasted bread with sliced avocado or guacamole, and stirring it into cooked dal with water for a quick tomato rasam.
Thanks for post, great recipe for pickled tomatoes! How long they can survive in jar?