Saturday, March 14, 2009

Tomato Thokku!



When Sanghi announced FIL event with tomato as main ingredient,the first thing that sparked in my mind was this 'Tomato Thokku'.While reading the guidelines at her site,the fond memories about this thokku was parallely running in my mind.
Firstly,I have to thank Sanghi for hosting such a wonderful event with my fav ingredient 'Tomato'..I can live on tomatoes..Any dish that has tomatoes,I'm in love with it..Everybody in our home love this tomato pickle  and we have this with every meal .It can pair well with any dish savoury main course.During my school days,mom used to pack this pickle and curd rice for my lunch.The tangy,spicy and a teeny bit of sweetness in this pickle made me to fall in love with this thokku.Just add a spoon of this thokku to a cup of boiled rice,drizzle it with some ghee,mix and eat..This can be an instant tomato rice.
I don' t like store bought pickles for they are packed with sooooo much of oil, vinegar or preservatives.My favourite ones are the one my grandma makes.During tomato season ,she makes this tomato pickle in large quantity and distribute it to our relatives and keep some for home.This thokku is her own recipe and its so popular among our negihbourhood too..She halve the tomatoes and dry them under the sun for a day or two to let the moisture to evaporate and then start pickling them.Every dish prepared by my grandmas are so traditional and mouthwatering..
Having two lovely grandmas is such a blessing that I don't have to crave for yummilicious and traditional food.Infact,they both inspired me to cook and taught me each and everything they knew ..And I'm still learning.
I told about this event to my maternal grandma who is an expert in making this tomato thokku..She taught me this y'day and here its coming to your home :)

You will need :

1 kg of tomatoes
1  golf ball sized tamarind pulp
20 dried red chillies
1/2 cup of chopped Garlic
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp Mustard seeds
2 tbsp grated jaggery
2 tbsp rock salt
1/2 cup gingely oil
1 small piece of asafotedia



Chopped tomato..


Chopped Garlic..

Wash and pat dry the tomatoes.Chop them keep it under the sun for a day or two.




Add half a cup water to the tamarind and extract the tamarind juice.
In a large pan,add the tomatoes,garlic,salt and the tamarind juice and cook this until the water is absorbed.Adding tamarind,gives an extra zing to the thokku.



In a tsp of oil fry the asafotediea ,fenugreek seeds and red chillies.Grind them together with the mustard seeds to a fine powder.



Add the powder and jaggery to the tomatoes in the pan and mix well.Cook for 3-4 mins until the pickle looks dry.Turn off the heat and add the oil.Mix well and preserve in a clean,dry jar.




I hope this tomato pickle will delight your tastebuds too :) 
I made this tomato thokku exclusively for this event with my grandma's guidance.I'm dedicating this tomato thokku to my beloved grandma :)



Sending this 'Tomato Thokku'  to Sanghi's 'Fall in Love-Tomato' event..




I made Kichidi and had this thokku as an accompaniment .This is the best comforting food ever!
I have seen this simple and delicious kichidi at Sunita's World long ago..This Kichidi is  'Heaven in a bowl!'

I tried Soma's Pizza..
This is the perfect pizza i have ever made..few days back Soma has posted The Perfect Pizza margharita ..i just followed her pizza dough recipe and the result was awesome.I made 9 pizzas in past 3 days and i have prepared some more dough for tommorow's pizza party..I'm sure my friends will be very much delighted ..All thanks to,Soma :)


Have a look at the freshly made pizza..I went for a different topping with capsicum,Onions,Cheddar Cheese and lots of pepper on it..Its yum!!

Have a wonderful,Sunday !

53 comments:

  1. This tomato thokku is going to be among my fav i am sure madhu..looks so tempting and all the ingredients are awesome..
    Hey you virgo,am Taurus..buddies right ?
    Very happy to know more about you through me me

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  2. I'm sure you will like it..
    I'm very glad to have found a wonderful buddy :)

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  3. Nice thokku.. my fav dish.. looks tempting... ur meme is very nice..

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  4. that's a delicious thokku, i specially loved the pic with kichadi.. looks wonderful! the pizza looks yummy too!

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  5. Hmm, The tomato thokku is mouth watering Madhu. I am really impressed about ur height & antique collection! I ve already done some tags, u can check my award tag section :)

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  6. wooooo u r a really tall girl.. my goodness.

    thokku looks sooooo yummy.

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  7. OOps i clicked something, dunno whether u got my previous comment r not..anyhow tomato thokku seems very great n prefect entry Madhu, loved reading ur meme, thanks for tagging dear, will do soon!!

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  8. yummy thokku... it looks awesome with the khichdi :)

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  9. hey madhu u r tempting me.. yesterday my mom told me she prepared this thokku n today u r... hm i need it right now. garlic in thokku is unique one.

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  10. I rarely make pickles at home, always depend on generous friends. Ur look really good. esp. toamto pickles are great since they can be used on almost anything!

    U made 9 pizzas!!! thanks for mentioning me Madhu:)

    read ur meme..nice read.. u r a baby!!:-)& a great cook for that age. forgive me for calling u that, but after having 2 little ones myself I am quite an aunty:-)

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  11. Thokku looks fab!!..Its my fav..used to dig into it in Andhra mess ,while I was working in Pune..Thanks for the dish ..:) n yeah..the pizza s more than yum..:)
    Loved ur me-me..Carpenter huh..lols..:D:D

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  12. Tomato Thokku looks lovely.As you said even I can live on tomatoes.
    Your write was great and I could know few new things about you.By the way if you are new to cooking I should quit blogging :)

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  13. Aadding garlic in thokku,I have never tried before,next time will try:)

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  14. Madhu,do try the thokku with kichidi..its simply superb!

    Thanks,Cham..Im on the way to read ur me-me :)

    yes,Mahimaa..Dunno how to stop growing ;)

    Priya,I'm eagerly waiting to read ur me-me :)

    Indhu,Thanks a lot..Do try that..its yummy :)

    Adlak,May be there is some telepathy btw ur mom and me ..I wish I could pass some thru internet..The garlic bits in the pickle tastes so nice.

    Soma Ji..This is how i should call you and others ..becoz most of you are elder to me and are much more experienced than me..
    You have become my pizza guru..Thanks for that so much :)

    Thanks ,Varsha..But now I could never imagine myself as a carpenter :)

    Ankita,Thanks for the comment..I know you are modest..There is so much to learn from you..You are a wonderful cook!

    Thanks,Raks..Garlic in thokku tastes so good..Do try it :)

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  15. Glad you liked the recipe, Madhumati :-)

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  16. nice reading ur meme dear.........lovely thokku

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  17. Thanks a lot,Sunita :)

    Thank you,Shama :)

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  18. Beautiful looking Thokku, love lot of garlic in dishes. Slurp! :)

    Great MeMe to read Madhu. Riding Honda in Majestic? YOU ARE BRAVE!!!;D

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  19. Hey Madhu....very late to comment ...its a busy weekend :)


    I loved your Me-Me ...and felt very happy reading about you...
    You already know so much cooking ...ur parents, friends and wld be husband must be very proud of you...

    All my best wishes for everything u do in life....:)

    And, thank you for tagging me...its kind of new to me ....

    Delicious Tomato Tokku....my husband likes it very much, I will definelty try it and let you know.

    Have a nice weekend....Enjoy

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  20. I would love to have that bowl of thukku...it's my all time fav and gal love reading your tag and guess wht..most of the things are similar to me ....hehe cool to find you

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  21. Thokku recipe is awesome...surely will try soon.I also liked ur ME-ME :)

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  22. i am a pickle fan..and loved ur thokku...

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  23. Tomato Thokku looks so slurp Madhu..Arent Grandma's recipes great?..

    Got to know a little more about your through your Me Me:)..Nice to know you luv feeding birds. Good luck with ur MBA aspiration..Great going gal..

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  24. I've been on the lookout for an authentic thokku recipe, thanks for sharing yours! I'm bookmarking it, and will definitely be making it very soon!

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  25. thokku looks awesome.loved reading your tag too

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  26. Hi madhu!
    This thokku looks awesome; I had always been a big fan of tomato pickle or chettinad cutney with rice...just the plain one for me. Hmmmm heaven :). My hubby dear always teases me, calling me… ‘A north Indian with south Indian taste buds’ :). Anyways , nice recipe.

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  27. Madhu, you have an amazing blog. Thanks for visiting and helping me to discover it.

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  28. loved to read this. matches my mental map of you :)
    me a cleanliness freak too. :)

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  29. that just looks too good..i can have some right now with some curd rice!!

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  30. Thanks everyone for commenting here and cheering me up :)

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  31. hi madhu glad to knw more of u,..:-);;-)
    tomato chutney looks yum specially with khichdi,..

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  32. Spicy and delicious tomato thokku.. Nice to know more about you! Interesting read!

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  33. Hi,
    thakali thokku is my all time fave that too adding garlic increase the flavour...

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  34. My sister-in-law make something like this but this is way better.great thokku

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  35. ohhh I just saw that u have tagged me ,I'd love to do now.

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  36. I love this thokku, make them once in a while here. Love it. I certainly want to try pizza from the scratch...this looks delicious.

    Enjoyed reading ur MeMe...I am amazed at ur height. I am just the opposite...love scary movies.!:)Wish you good luck with MBA preparations, dear!:)

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  37. Thanks for visting my blog! The tomato thokku sure tickled my taste buds :)

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  38. try adding tomato thokku to pizza instead of the traditional tomato sauce. much more yummy. it's the gingelly oil that makes all the difference to the taste.

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  39. Luved the thokku Madhu..Dont we all love our dear Grandma's recipes..Very nice one..Never thought of adding garlic, it must give a rocking flavour..

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  40. thokku looks lipsmacking yummy :)

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  41. forgot to comment on the 25 facts..we have a lot in common and i wanted to become a carpenter too. i think you are the only other girl that i know who wanted to become a carpenter :-) My dad got so mad at me when i said i want to become a carpenter :D

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  42. Hi Madhu,

    You have so many wonderful recipes. I like your watermelon pudding, Its wonderful.
    kajjikayalu is a telugu word. May be kajirkai is from other language.
    but its not made with koha. I think that is north indian version of my kajjikaya :)
    Thanks for your lovely comments.
    keep in touch..

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  43. Thokku looks delicious. Never added garlic to it.
    Your me-me made an interesting reading. Nice to know more about you.

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  44. Tomato thokku in grandma's version looks so great. Bookmarking it.
    Your me-me is very lovely and enjoyed reading it. Best wishes for a bright future.May God make all ur dreams come true dear. Thanks for tagging me too.

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  45. yum, grandma's recipe always rock! :)and tomato tokku has to be my all time fav to have with roties/parathas and yogurt.
    it was fun reading abt u madhu.

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  46. Hey I enjoyed reading each and every line..But was really shocked on Tagging me. Ethanai naal aasai, enna maati vida?

    My Dear CDM Tall Girl..Wish You Good Luck for ur MBA Admission!

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  47. Tomato thokku looks do gud tangy spicy.. shall try dis.. nice entry..

    Hey, nice reading ur Meme.. Thanks for tagging !!

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  48. Tomato thokku looks really spicy and yum ! Enjoyed reading your meme...all the best for your MBA admission :-)

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  49. thokku looks fabulous!
    i prepare it in a different way but urs look really so good than mine!

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  50. An award waiting for u..Have a great weekend..:)

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  51. HI,
    My first visit to ur blog and got to know more abt u through ur Meme :) that's really a wonderful coincidence isn't it?
    Tomato thokku looks mouth waterting, goes well with anything and everything. It has the perkiness to spark up the tastebuds right.Nice pictorial presentation.
    TC

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  52. Great idea for a pickle. And it was good to know more about you!

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