Thakkali Thokku | How to make Tomato Thokku | Side dish for Idli

Tomato thokku is one of my favorite thokku from my childhood days till now. After the preparation I used to take a spoon and lick it always and my Mom used to scold me for that. This can be eaten with any kind of main dishes like Dosa, Idli, chappathi or even with rice or curd rice. I have a post already with Thakkali Thokku with different preparation style. Try this and let me know your comments.

How to make Thakkali Thokku

Preparation time: 15 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Yields: 350gms

Recipe Category: Sidedish | Recipe Cuisine: South Indian

 

Ingredients 

Ripe tomatoes - 1 kg

Dry red chillies - 7 to 8 (adjust according to spiciness of chillies)

Mustard seeds - 1/5 tsp

Fenugreek seeds - 2 tsp

Chilli powder - 2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt as per taste

Gingelly Oil - 6 tbsp

Jaggery - 1.5 tbsp

Curry leaves - 2 springs

Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Method

1. Take the tomatoes and wash them.

2. Cut then into small pieces as shown below. 

3. Fry the chilli till light brown or until they become crispy. ( When you try to break the chilli, it should break the chilli, it should break easily ). Keep it aside. 

4. Fry the fenugreek seeds till light brown.  If you smash it with a spoon it should break immediately.

5. Using a food processor powder the red chillies and fenugreek seeds. Keep it aside. 

6. In a pan or kadai, add the oil. When it is hit, add the mustard. When the mustard splutters, add the curry leaves together with asafoetida. 

7. Add the chopped tomatoes. Start cooking them without adding any water. 

8. When they are half cooked, add the chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt. 

9. When the tomatoes are cooked nicely, add the powder which we made. Add 1 tsp first and after 5 min, check for the taste. If it is not bitter, add some more. 

10. Add the jaggery at this stage. This step is optional but thokku will taste great when you add jaggery.

11. Keep on sauting the tomatoes, till oil oozes out. 

12. Switch off the stove and transfer the content to an air tight container. 

Notes:

1. Adding jaggery increases the taste and if suppose your thokku is but spicy or bitter, it equalizes it.

2. Jaggery can be relaxed by sugar.

3. I sometimes dry fry 1/4 tsp mustard seeds and grind along with chili and fenugreek mixture. You can try, if you want. 

4. If your tomatoes are not tangy enough, you can add tamarind pulp as per the taste. 

5. Always use dry spoon to take the thokku. 

6. This can be kept for a month in fridge, if properly stored. 

7. Try to use gingelly oil ( nallennai), for better taste. 

Tags: Thakkali thokku, Thakkali oorugai, Tomato thokku, Thakali thokku, how to make Tomato thokku, how to make Thakkali thokku, side dish for idli

Pottukadalai Chutney | Fried gram dal chutney | Chutney Recipes - How to make Potukadalai Chutney for Idli or dosa

We always tend to forget to post some recipes, which we do it most often, thinking that, it is not of much importance. Such a kind of recipe is Pottukadalai chutney recipe / Fried Gram dal Chutney. I prepared this last Saturday and had it for the breakfast, suddenly, I remembered that I have not posted this recipe. So the next day, I prepared it again and clicked it. It may sound very simple but, you believe it or not, in my early stages after marriage, I do not know how to cook this Pottukadalai chutney. This chutney is my hubby's favorite and he used to cook it for me during weekend. The second chutney, I learnt in my cooking life. First being the tomato chutney and third, ground nut chutney.

Pottukadalai chutney Recipe/Roasted gram chutney

Preparation time: 10 min | Cook Time: 05 min | Serves:4
Recipe Category: Side Dish | Recipe Cuisine: South Indian

Ingredients

• Pottukadai / Fried gram dal - 1 cup
• Coconut grated - 1/4 cup
• Green chillies - 3
• Salt - as per taste
• Water - 1/2 cup ( or adjust accordingly)

To temper

• Oil - 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds - a pinch
• Urud dal / Black gram - 1/4 tsp
• Curry leaves - 5 to 6
• Dry chilli - 1
• Asafoetida - 1 pinch

Method
1. Take 1 cup of Pottukadalai and slightly dry roast it for just a minute. Take a food processor and add the pottukadalai, salt and green chilli and water and grind to a paste.
2. Now add the grated coconut and grind again to a coarse paste. Transfer the content to a bowl.
3. In a kadai, add oil and when hot, add the ingredients under the To Temper, one by one and fry a min. When they are slight brown, switch off the stove and add this temper to the chutney. Mix and serve it .
4. Goes very well with Idli, Dosa or Pongal etc.

Notes:

1. If you prefer the tamarind taste, you can add a little piece and grind together.

2. Also you can increase or decrease the quantity of coconut according to your taste. But I feel, if coconut quantity is increased, the gram taste decreases. So I added the quantity, which is required for our family. 

3. Adding the dried red chilli is purely optional. 

4. You can also adjust the water quantity to make the chutney thick or as per your taste.

You can also check the below chutneys
Groundnut chutney
Mint coriander yogurt chutney
Tomato Chatni

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Groundnut Chutney | Chutney Recipes - How to make Groundnut Chutney

Groundnut chutney or peanut chutney is one of my favorite chutney, which we used to prepare once a week. Some people add coconut to this chutney, while grinding, but I think, that gives little coconut taste. So I did not add and I can say, this is pure groundnut chutney. This is very simple to do with in 10 min. The below version, I learnt from my mom. Now to the recipe...

How to make Groundnut chutney / Peanut chutney

Preparation time: 10 min | Cook Time: 5 min | Serves: 4
Recipe Category: Side dish | Recipe Cuisine: South Indian

Ingredients

• Groundnut / Peanuts - 1 cup
• Red chillies - 4
• Coriander - few
• Curry leaves - 15 - (few for grinding and few for frying)
• Urud dal - 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Salt - 1/2 tsp ( or as per taste )
• Oil - 1 tsp
• Water - 1/2 cup

Method
1. Take 1 cup of groundnut and dry fry in a wok/kadai/pan in medium heat.

2. Take care not to burn the groundnut. Check if the groundnut skin has become little dark as shown in the below picture. ( Some people may remove the skin at this stage, but my mother, used to say, it is also healthier. So I did not remove the skin).
3. Transfer the content to the mixer grinder.

4.To this add the red chillies, coriander, curry leaves (5), salt.
5. Add water and grind to a paste.

6. In another kadai/wok, add the oil and when hot mustard seeds, urud dal and when they are slight brown, add in the curry leaves and fry for a minute. Mix this thalippu, to the prepared chutney/paste.

7. Serve it with idili or dosa or pongal. Even can be mixed with white rice and eat.

Notes:
1. You may skip adding the curry leaves while grinding. But I prefer grinding, as my kids, through the curry leaves away from the chutney.
2. As I said, before, grinding the groundnuts, you can cool it down after frying and remove the skin, just by rubbing in hands, if you do not want the skin. Its purely an option.
3. While grinding, you can add 1 or 2 tsp grated coconut to enhance the taste.
4. You can add little tamarind, if you like tangy taste.
5. Red chillies can be replaced by green chillies also.