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

Cucumber Tomato Salad | Easy Salad Recipes | Weight Loss Recipes | Diet Recipes

Last Saturday, I was not in a mood to cook. Still need to cook for my mom and kids. So prepared this Mushroom pulao which i would be posting soon. But I wanted to have some light food and I searched my fridge for the veggies. I found the baby cucumbers lying in the corner. First thought of doing the cucumber lassi, but I am short of yogurt. So finally ended up preparing this Cucumber Tomato Salad. So my lunch was just the salad and 2 slices of bread. The remaining salad I kept in fridge for the night and finished it.

Easy Cucumber Tomato Salad

Preparation time: 10 min | Cook Time: 0 min 
 Total Time: 10 min | Serves: 4

Recipe Category: Salad | Recipe Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

Baby cucumber - 10 

Tomato - 1 (Chopped into small pieces)

Onion - 1

Lemon juice - 1 tsp

Salt - as per taste

Sugar - 1/4 tsp

White Pepper - 1/5 tsp

Coriander leaves - few

Method

1. Remove the skin of the cucumber and wash it. 

2. Cut into small pieces. Similarly, chop the onion and tomato.

3. Mix the tomato, onion, cucumber and add the lemon juice, salt, sugar and pepper powder and toss it.

4. Finally add the coriander leaves. 

5. Serve it.

Easy and Healthy Cucumber Tomato Salad is ready

Notes:

1. I liked sweet taste, so I added little bit of sugar. It is purely optional.

2. You can add the parsley leaves or dill leaves instead of coriander leaves.

3. Do not keep outside for long time, as it might tend to leave water.

Tags: Salad Recipes, Cucumber Recipes, Tomato Recipes, Easy Salad Recipes, Healthy Salad Recipes, Indian Salad Recipes, Weight loss recipes, Diet Recipes

How to make Spicy Tomato Pulao | Thakkali Pulao | Pulao Recipes | Lunch Box Recipes

Tomato Pulao or Tomato Pulav or Tomato pilaf is a easy and tasty recipe, which can be prepared in 15min time (except the soaking time of rice). When I am in a hurry to pack the lunch for the kids, hubby and for me, I usually go for this Tomato pulao once in a week. Each time, I feel it was better than the next time and my kids too love this very much. This version is a bit spicy version. So people who does not eat spicy food, can reduce the amount for green chillies or chilli powder.

So lets see how to make the Spicy Tomato Pulao or Spicy Tamatar Pulao: 

How to make Spicy Tomato Pulao

Soaking Time: 20 min | Preparation time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Serves: 5
Recipe Category: Main Course | Recipe Cuisine: South Indian

Ingredients

• Basmathi Rice - 3 cups
• Water - 4 cups
• Tomato - 4 (medium sized)
• Onion - 2
• Ghee - 2 tsp
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Cloves - 6
• Star Anise - 3
• Bay leaves - 2
• Cinnamon stick - 1
• Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
• Green chillies - 3
• Fennel Seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Chilli powder - 2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp (optional)
• Salt - as per taste

Method

1. Soak the rice for 30 min. Meanwhile, start doing the preparations steps.
2. Grind 4 tomatoes in a food processor and make a tomato sauce and keep aside.

3. In a pressure cooker, add oil and when it is hot add cloves, star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon stick and fry for a min. Add onion and fry again till it becomes tender. Add salt at this stage.
4. Add the ginger garlic paste and coriander leaves and saute well. Add the tomato sauce/paste now. Also add chopped tomato (the 4th one - into small pieces) and saute well.
5. When the raw smell goes off from tomato and ginger garlic, add the chilli powder, and turmeric powder. Add the water and allow to boil. Add the rice when the water starts boiling. Check for the seasoning. Give a stir and close the pressure cooker lid and add weight. Keep the flame low.
6. After 10 min, switch off the stove. When the pressure decreases, remove the weight from the lid and add ghee to the pulao and give a stir without breaking the rice.
7. Serve hot with mild side dish (as the pulao is spicy) like Raita and vadam. It had had with Mango Lassi. 

A final look on the yummy Thakkali pulao

This goes to my event Dish Name Starts with T

Notes: 
1. If you want mild spiciness, reduce the chilli powder amout or green chillies.
2. Normally Basmati rice and water would be added in the ratio of 1:1.5, but here I reduced the quantity event less, as we grind the tomato into puree and add it.
3. After adding the ghee, give a stir and again close it for a 5 min time, So that the hot steam inside the cooker, makes it to cook finely.

Tomato thokku (thakkali thokku)

Ingredients

• Tomato - 8 (Chopped)
• Onion - 1 (finely chopped)
• Mustard seeds - 1 pinch
• Cumin seeds - 1 pinch
• Black gram - 1/2 tsp
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Curry leaves - 10 to 15
• Green chillies - 5 
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1 pinch
• Salt - as needed
• Oil - 5 tsp
• Cilantro for garnishing

Method

• In kadai, add 1 tsp oil, Mustard seeds, cumin seeds a nd when they start to splutter add the black gram, onion, green chillies, ginger garlic paste, curry leaves and saute well.
• Add salt, tomato and again saute well.
• When the tomato becomes soft, add the above mentioned powders and rest of the oil and saute until the oil separates out.
• Now add the asafoetida and again cook well till the gravy becomes thick and dark reddish in color.
• Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.
• Goes very well with the Idli's, Dosa's, Chappathi, rice.

Note: You can keep this thokku for 3 to 4 days when you store it in a airtight container and kept in fridge. Do not use wet spoon.

Thakkali Chatni (Tomato Chatni)

Ingredients Tomato - 4 Onion - 1 Garlic - 1 Mustard - 1 pinch Green chilli - 1 Black gram - 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Chilli powder - 1 tsp Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp Asafoetida - 1 pinch Salt for taste Oil - 3 tsp Curry leaves - few Coriander for garnishing Method In kadai, add 1 tsp oil and when it is heated, add mustard seeds, black gram, onion, green chilli and fry till the onion becomes golden brown colour. Now add the tomato pieces, asafotida, curry leaves and saute well, till the tomato becomes soft. Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, chilli powder and salt and the remaining oil and little water. Cook until, the oil comes out and floats on the top of chatni. Tomato chatni is ready and serve hot with idli's, dosa's, chappathi, rice etc.