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Tomato Pickle

Tomato Pickle

Tomato chutney is a type of chutney, native to the Indian subcontinent, prepared using dried and cooked tomato concentrate as the primary ingredient, spiced with pickle spices. Tastes good with Idli, Dosa, Upma and Steamed Hot Rice with Ghee.
Print Recipe
Course Pickle
Cuisine Indian

Ingredients
  

  • 3 Kg Tomato
  • 250 gm Tamarind
  • 250 gm Jaggery Grated
  • 100 gm Jeera + 1tbsp for tempering
  • 100 gm Methi Seeds
  • 50 gm Dry Dhaniya seeds
  • 250 gm Garlic Peeled
  • 100 gm Ginger Peeled
  • 2 cup Salt
  • 1 cup Red Chilli Powder ½ cup Kashmiri mirch powder, ½ cup Everest tikhalal powder
  • 2 tbsp Turmeric powder
  • 250 gm Edible Oil
  • 2 tbsp Urad Dal
  • 5-6 piece Dried Red Chillies
  • 3 piece Cloves
  • 3 piece Black Pepper

Instructions
 

Marination

  • Slice each tomato into medium-thin pieces.
    Step 1
  • Add 1.5 cup salt, combine and place on the lid. Leave aside overnight.
    Step 2

Sun-drying process

  • The next day in the morning, squeeze out the entire liquid from each piece and spread the tomato pieces over a clean cotton cloth and sundry.
    Sundry the pieces till they are completely dry with no trace of rawness. This usually takes 3-4 days of good sunshine.
    Step 1
  • Every evening remove the cloth containing the tomato pieces. Place indoors and next day again place back the cloth containing the tomato pieces to sundry.
    On the second-day tomato pieces will shrink in size, you can transfer these slices into the wide thali.
    Step Sundry
  • Pour the liquid (tomato juice) into a shallow vessel, cover it with a lid, keep it in the refrigerator.
  • Once the tomatoes are sun-dried. Take out the tomato juice vessel from the refrigerator, mix tamarind into the juice and keep it in the refrigerator.
    Step

Making Pickle

  • Now the actual process of making pickle. Grind the sun-dried tomatoes into the fine powder with the help of a grinder. Keep it aside.
  • Heat tbsp of oil in a vessel or thick bottom Kadai. Once hot, roast the methi seeds till golden brown, transfer into the thali.
    Step
  • In the same Kadai roast the jeera till aromatic, transfer into the thali. In the same Kadai roast the dry dhaniya seeds till aromatic (add little oil if required), keep it aside to cool down. Once cool grind every ingredient separately into the fine powder. Keep it aside.
    Step
  • The next step is to grind tamarind and jaggery, take the tamarind and tomato juice vessel out from the refrigerator, mix the grated jaggery. (Do not take it out in advance) Make a fine paste using tomato juice, use the complete juice.
    Step
  • The next step is to mix the tamarind, jaggery paste, dried tomato powder and chilli powder. Combine everything together and grind once again. Keep it aside. Now the basic raw pickle is ready.
    Step
  • Now make a ginger-garlic coarsely grated paste, keep aside.
    Step
  • The next step is making tampering. Heat up a heavy bottom Kadai.

Tampering

  • Add oil to the kadai. Once hot, add 1 tbsp cumin seeds, add crushed garlic and ginger paste, add urad dal, 3-4 cloves, 3-4 black pepper, stir continuously till it becomes golden in the colour and aromatic, add turmeric powder, dried red chillies and 1 tbsp chilli powder, roasted and ground jeera, methi seed and dry dhaniya powder Mix well.
    Turn off the flame, transfer the mixture into another thali. Let it cool down completely.

Making Pickle Cont.

  • Add half a cup of salt. Now the next step is to mix all the material, mix tempering material into tomato paste. Mix everything well.
    Step
  • Mix everything well. Adjust the taste as per your requirement.
    Tomato Pickle

Notes

Storing and Serving :

  1. Once the pickle is cooled, store it in a jar and it will stay for one year without a refrigerator. If you don't consume it every day you can keep it in the fridge to retain its freshness and colour for a longer time.
  2. This pickle goes well with Dosa, Idli, Upma, Curd Rice, Poha or with any simple dish. Also tastes great spread on bread for sandwiches and of course, simply mixed into plain rice with some ghee poured on top.

Tips :

  1. The secret behind the increased shelf life of this recipe is to use dry ingredients and dry utensils.
  2. When storing, always use a moisture-free jar and airtight containers. Try using glass/ceramic containers since they cannot leash any metals into the food.
  3. Slice tomatoes into large but thin pieces will make them dry faster.
  4. If you think your pickle is too dry, you could heat more oil separately and allow the oil to cool and add it at the end of the process.
  5. Use a clean and dry spoon every time.