Tomato Pickle / Thokku - Recipie

Whatever happens in the kitchen remains there always until today, as I decide to pursue that long pending interest of blogging it. I am starting it with a quick-fix dish which comes to rescue you every time there is a press for time in making a side dish for your chappathi or dosa or rice.

Tomato Pickle / Tomato Thokku / Tomato whatever

This is so easy to make and I am gonna post a few pics with description as we see how its made.

Grab as many tomatoes as your cooker can hold, cut them into whatever shape you like, and close the lid. Boil it in hi-flame. Don't add water. 

While the chemical and nuclear reaction happen in the cooker, prepare these and keep ready. You need Garlic, Green chillies, Curry/Chilli powder, turmeric powder. salt and mustard seeds. Start chopping chilles (and garlic if you wish).

Wait for 5-6 whistles as the tomatoes crush over and over.  

While the tomato cooks, fry mustard seeds, followed by chillies and garic in oil until it turns brown. 

So this is how it looked when I opened the cooker lid. It is surprising - the amount of water it contains. It takes effort to stir and let this evaporate, which is the reason why we don't add water and boil the tomatoes raw.

Add the fried garlic + chilli mix to the tomatoes, keep stirring once every 3 mins on medium flame for about 15-20 mins,  as the water evaporate and make way for a thick remanant. 

At the end of it, the stuff looks like this. Once you keep the lid closed for about 4-5 hours, it forms a much finer paste, highly rich in taste, and you can't avoid adding it your meal anymore.

I took this recipie from my mother and sister, it could have several variants, such as the one my aunt suggested - which is adding onion and capsicum to the garlic mix before mixing with the tomatoes.