Description
Fresh tomatoes & tamarind combined with a whole lot of spices to become a tangy and spicy tomato pickle
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 kg (10-12 medium) tomatoes
- 250 ml (1 1/2 cups) sesame (til) oil
- 100 grams (1/2 cup) rock salt
- 2 tbsp (10 gms) turmeric
- 100 grams (1/2 cup) tamarind
- 80 grams (around 3/4 cup) red chili powder
- 2 tbsp fenugreek seeds
- 2 tbsp black mustard seeds
- 3–4 tbsp vinegar
- 1/4 tsp baking soda (sodium bicarb)
- 2 tbsp (10 grams) Jaggery (or sugar) (optional)
Instructions
- Cut tomatoes into 1 inch cubes. Add the turmeric powder & crushed rock salt to it. Mix well & keep aside for 24 hours (1 day)
- After a day, the tomatoes release water.
- Add the tamarind, mix well and again let it sit for a day. The tamarinds would soften up.
- Next day, smash everything together.
- Add the mixture little by little to the blender & blend it roughly to form a pureé.
- Add the puree to a large bottomed pan along with the red chili powder. Mix well. Let that fry.
- Meanwhile, dry roast fenugreek (methi) seeds and grind them to a coarse powder.
- To another smaller pan, add 1tbsp oil and heat up. Add the mustard seeds & asafoetida (hing). Once that crackles, add it to the tomatoes on the pan.
- Also add the remaining oil and fenugreek seeds (methi) mixture.
- Let it cook for. Keep stirring completely, taking care of the sides. Do so every 5 or 10 minutes.
- As the oil starts to come out, add the jaggery / sugar & mix well.
- You’ll have to keep cooking until the mixture is reduced and looks solid. It takes around 45 minutes – 1 hour.
- Once that is done, switch off the flame. Add vinegar and sodium bicarb (baking soda) as preservatives and mix well.
- Store in a sterilized, air tight jar.
Notes
This pickle lasts for more than a year. Use fresh tomatoes.
Rock salt gives the pickle a better taste. But you could substitute it for normal salt too.
For other variations, try cumin seeds instead of fenugreek seeds
You don’t need to refrigerate the pickle; although there’s no harm in doing so. It lasts even longer
- Prep Time: 48 hours
- Cook Time: 45 mins