Tomato Thokku

1. Wash the tomatoes and wipe the moisture with kitchen towel. Ensure no water droplets are left on the tomatoes. 2. Cut the tomatoes into small pieces.

3. In a heavy bottom kadai add the tomatoes, along with salt, turmeric powder, Chilli powder and close the kadai with a lid The fluids from the tomatoes oozes out and the tomatoes gets cooked to form a gravy consistency.

Stir the mixture from burning as the heat is in a high mode. The reduction takes around 30 mins.

4. When the water evaporates, add mustard powder and fenugreek powder to the mixture and allow it to simmer for another 10 minutes on a medium flame. At this stage add 2 tbsp of oil.

Keep stirring, when the mixture is turned around with a spatula it doesn’t stick to the kadai, more or less a halva consistency. At this stage remove from the heat.

5. Now the tempering part, heat the remaining oil, add mustard seeds, when they splutter add urad dhal, asafoetida and curry leaves. Let it cool down to room temperature and later add to the tomato thokku.

6. Store in a glass jar. Make sure a layer of oil floats above to the thokku if you store in the room temperature.