Tomato Pachadi

Tomato pachadi - a spicy and sour authentic south Indian dish, made from fresh tomatoes, tamarind, and a handful of basic spices. Fresh tomato chutney is a beloved classic that goes well with both south Indian breakfast and main meals.

Prep Time40

Cook Time30

Total Time1 10

Course: Chutneys, Pickle, Side Dish

Cuisine: South Indian

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: big jar

Calories: 5778kcal

Author: Geetha

Equipment

1 Mixer Grinder
1 Steel pot
2 Spoon
1 Frying Pan

Ingredients

1 Cup = 250ml ; 1 Tablespoon = 15ml ; 1 Teaspoon = 5ml

2 kgs Tomatoes
3 Tablespoons (or) 34 gms Mustard
1.5 Tablespoons (or) 20 gms Fenugreek Seeds
170 gms Tamarind seeds and strings removed and cleaned
2 Tablespoons Turmeric Powder
170 gms Salt
200 gms Red Chilli Powder
100 ml Oil
1 Tablespoon Mustard
½ Tablespoon Cumin
1 Tablespoon Urad Dal
1 Tablespoon Chana Dal
10 Dry Red Chillies each broken into 2-3 pieces
½ Tablespoon Asafoetida
Dried Curry Leaves handful
400 ml Oil

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

Place the tomatoes in a wide bowl and give them a good wash with plenty of water.
2 kgs Tomatoes
Wipe every tomato with a dry cloth and put it on a tray or dry plate.
Place dry and clean steel pot on the stove.
Heat 100ml oil in the pot over medium low heat.
100 ml Oil
Add chopped tomatoes and cook over medium-high heat while stirring regularly for 10-12 minutes or until it starts to soften.
Add tamarind, stir regularly, and cook for 5 more minutes or until it becomes tender.
170 gms Tamarind
Add turmeric powder, salt and chilli powder.
2 Tablespoons Turmeric Powder, 170 gms Salt, 200 gms Red Chilli Powder
Mix all the ingredients together until well combined.
Turn off the heat and let the tomato mixture cool down completely.
Meanwhile, place the frying pan and heat it over medium low heat.
Dry roast mustard and fenugreek seeds for 2-3 minutes or until they release the aroma.
3 Tablespoons (or) 34 gms Mustard, 1.5 Tablespoons (or) 20 gms Fenugreek Seeds
Switch the heat off and let the spices cool completely.
Transfer the roasted spices to a spice jar and grind it to powder and keep it aside.
For tempering, place a frying pan on a stove.
Pour oil and heat it on medium-low heat.
400 ml Oil
Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, chana dal, and urad dal to the hot oil.
1 Tablespoon Mustard, ½ Tablespoon Cumin, 1 Tablespoon Urad Dal, 1 Tablespoon Chana Dal
Fry the spices for a couple of minutes until the dal starts to turn light brown and releases aroma.
Add red chillies followed by asafoetida and fry until a pungent aroma is released.
10 Dry Red Chillies, ½ Tablespoon Asafoetida
Add curry leaves and fry for 30 seconds and then turn the heat off.
Dried Curry Leaves
Transfer the cooled tomato mixture to the grinder jar and grind it into a smooth paste in batches.
Put the tomato chutney to a steel pot.
Add the tempered mixture and ground mustard fenugreek seeds powder to the steel pot after it has cooled.
Mix with a spoon until it is thoroughly combined with pachadi.
Preserve tomato pachadi in a glass jar.

Notes

Moisture: Always, always handle this chutney with a clean and dry spoon and hands. If not, chutney will spoil fast. Moisture is detrimental to pickles and chutneys that can last a long time.

Before placing the ingredients to grind, ensure that the mixer jar is dry.

Salt. Ensure to add the right amount of salt as it acts as a preservative and helps with the long shelf life of chutney. If you need to add less salt for health reasons, either finish it sooner or make a smaller batch.

Air dry: Ensure to wipe tomatoes with a clean and dry cloth or kitchen towel. For safety reasons, leave the tomatoes to air dry for 3-4 hours to get rid of any moisture.

Before use, ensure the chopping board, knife, and pots are clean and free of moisture.

Tamarind: Remove the seeds and fibres from the tamarind and clean them with a dry cloth or kitchen towel.

Tempering: Let it cool down before mixing it with ground chutney.

Tomatoes: Pick tomatoes that are ripe yet firm. Avoid using green or overly ripe tomatoes.

Grind the tomato mixture in batches according to the blender/grinder's capacity. Wait until it cools down completely before grinding.

Roasting spices: Let the pan heat up before roasting the spices. Roast the spices over a medium-low flame. Roasting the spices on a high flame would result in them getting burnt. Ensure the spices are completely cooled before grinding.

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