One evening when Amma rang to say that she will be coming home late from work, I made this on my own. Was it any good? Well it would have been, had I not been so generous with salt. Though Amma was very much impressed by my responsibility she just couldn’t resist giving me a piece of her mind. I simply love it for its tangy and spicy taste.
My DH makes a better thokku than me. The children request him to make this whenever he happens to be at home on Sundays. The reason he says that his version is better is because he does not act stingy while using oil. That could be the reason too. My MIL also takes his side in this aspect. She always is very very generous with oil. I personally feel that Men in general add more oil than women while cooking, concentrating only on the taste than on general health and the outcome. My opinion is that adding more than required oil alone is not the key for the getting the perfect taste. I would really like to know all your opinion on this.
Thakkali Thokku
You’ll need:
Tomatoes, ripe | 10 |
| Onion, big | 2 |
| Ginger garlic paste | 1 tsp |
| Red chilli powder | 2 tsp |
| Coriander Powder | 3 tsp |
| Turmeric Powder | 1/4 tsp |
| Garam Masala Powder | 1 tsp |
| Mustard seeds | 1/2 tsp |
| Curry Leaves | 1 sprig |
| Salt | To taste |
| Oil | 3 tbsp |
Method:
Chop the onion and tomatoes finely. Tear the curry leaves unevenly.
Heat a kadai with oil. Add the mustard seeds. Once they crackle add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook till the onion turns translucent. Add the torn curry leaves, ginger garlic paste and sauté for 2 mins.
Add the tomatoes now and mix well. Close with a lid and cook for 5 mins. You can see now that the tomatoes would have let the juices out. Sprinkle the coriander powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and garam masala power on top of it. Do not disturb.
After a minute or two you can see that the powders have absorbed a considerable amount of the juices and a slight thickening of the thokku. Add salt and mix well now.
Cook over medium flame till the tomatoes break well and do not add water also. It has to cook in its own juices. Mix well now and then to avoid sticking to the bottom. If you want it thick like in the picture, cook for at least 15 – 20 mins over medium flame or till the oil separates and floats on top.
Serve with Rotis, chappathis. It would also go well with puris.
Notes:
If you want to make a quick job of it, heat a tsp of oil in a pan separately and add the tomatoes with a pinch of salt. Cook it over high flame mashing it with a wooden spatula and add it to the cooking onions. |
You can also pulse the tomatoes in a mixie and use to make this thokku quickly. Just make sure you don’t make a paste of it. |
This is off to Let’s Cook ~ Subzis for Rotis and to Dish It Out : Tomato & Chilli
