Thakkali thokku or tomato thokku is a delicious and instant pickle recipe made using tomatoes with pickling spices and tamarind. This versatile thokku can be served with Idli, Dosa, Roti or with rice.
Here is how to make best thakkali thokku with step by step by photos.
WHAT IS THOKKU?
Thokku is a type of instant south-indian pickle, made with grated vegetables, as opposed to regular pickles that are made with bite-sized chunks of vegetables or even meat and seafood.
HOW TO MAKE PERFECT TOMATO THOKKU?
Rinse, wipe and chop the tomatoes.
Blend to coarse paste wit few chunks of tomatoes.
In a oan, dry roast the mustard,cumin and fenugreek seeds. Once cooled, blend to fine powder.
Heat oil in a heavy pan and add mustard seeds, hing, red chilli, curry leaves.
Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Then add turmeric powder, chili powder and sauté well.
Add the blended tomatoes and mix. Season it with salt and cook for 10 minutes or until oil separates from sides.
Then add the tamarind extract and jaggery, mix well and check for seasonings.
Allow to cook for another 10 minutes or until all the moisture are evaporated.
If you want to store for longer time then cook for little longer and make sure there is no moisture.
TIPS FOR MAKING THOKKU:
- Use ripped red tomatoes to prepare this tomato thokku. But you can replace regular tomatoes with cherry tomatoes too.
- You can skip garlic in this recipe but I love garlic flavor.
- Tomato thokku tastes great when the right amount of oil, red chilli powder and salt is added so be generous as the sourness of tomato will balance.Increase tamarind quantity if tomatoes are not sour.
- Sesame Oil is recommended for a traditional taste.
- Adding a small pinch of jaggery rounds off the flavor.
- Do not leave out tamarind as it acts as natural preservative.
- Add more oil if you want to store thokku for more days.
- The recipe can be doubled or tripled.
HOW TO STORE?
It stays good in room temperature for 2 -3 days and can be stored in refrigerator for upto 2 weeks.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
You can serve
- as a side side for idli, dosa, chapati, paratha, and yogurt rice.
- as a sandwich spread
- make a thokku rice by mix it with hot rice along with a dollop of ghee
Tomato Thokku
Ingredients
- 10 large ripe tomatoes roughly chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/4 cup sesame oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp hing
- 1 string curry leaves
- 4 dried red chilli
- 6 gloves garlic chopped
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 tbsp red chili powder
- 1 tbsp jaggery
- small lemon sized tamarind or 1 tbsp tamarind paste
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Rinse, wipe and chop the tomatoes.
- Blend to coarse paste wit few chunks of tomatoes.
- In a pan, dry roast the mustard, cumin and fenugreek seeds. Once cooled, blend to fine powder.
- Heat oil in a heavy pan and add mustard seeds, hing, red chilli, curry leaves.
- Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Then add turmeric powder, chili powder and saute well.
- Add the blended tomatoes and mix. Season it with salt and cook for 10 minutes or until oil separates from sides.
- Then add the tamarind extract and jaggery, mix well and check for seasonings.
- Allow to cook for another 10 minutes or until all the moisture are evaporated. Then add grounded masala and let it simmr for 2-3 mins
- If you want to store for longer time then cook for little longer and make sure there is no moisture.
Notes
- Use ripped red tomatoes to prepare this tomato thokku. But you can replace regular tomatoes with cherry tomatoes too.
- You can skip garlic in this recipe but I love garlic flavor.
- Tomato thokku tastes great when the right amount of oil, red chilli powder and salt is added so be generous as the sourness of tomato will balance.
- Increase tamarind quantity if tomatoes are not sour. Sesame Oil is recommended for a traditional taste.
- Adding a small pinch of jaggery rounds off the flavor.
- Do not leave out tamarind as it acts as natural preservative.
- Add more oil if you want to store thokku for more days.
- The recipe can be doubled or tripled.
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