Tomato Pickle / தக்காளி ஊறுகாய்

Tomato Pickle 

தக்காளி ஊறுகாய்

                                             

Ingredients:

Tomato ( தக்காளி) - 1 kg
Garlic ( பூண்டு) - 20 cloves
Tamarind - a small lemon size ( புளி- சிறு எலுமிச்சை அளவு)
Turmeric powder ( மஞ்சள் தூள்) - 1/4 tsp
Chilli Powder ( மிளகாய் தூள்) - 3 tsp
Mustard seeds ( கடுகு) - 1 tsp
Salt to taste ( தேவையான அளவு உப்பு)
Sesame oil / Gingely oil ( நல்லெண்ணெய்) - 5tbsp

 Steps:

Wash and dry wipe the tomatoes. Cut into chunks, add the soaked tamarind and make a puree in a blender
Do in batches to avoid spilling.

While slicing, I have removed seeds from half of the tomatoes used as too many seeds not good  for various health factors.

In a heavy bottom pot, add 5 tbsp of oil. When hot let the mustard seeds crack and add in the garlic , saute till fragrant.
Pour in the tomato puree followed by turmeric powder, chili powder and salt.
Stir and allow it to boil on medium flame.

Stir now and then so that the puree does not settle at the bottom.

Cook until the oil leaves at the sides. Switch off and give a standing time and allow it to cool.
Transfer to a clean glass jar . Serve with curd rice or chapathi, or even as spread for your toast. 

My Notes:

A simple home made pickle but a favourite of many.

This is the recipe that I had learnt from my Mother in law. The original recipe calls for spreading the tomato chunks on a big plate together with tamarind pieces and salt sprinkled over it and sun dried daily for few days. This is done so that the tomato juice evaporate and the tomato pieces are well dried. Tamarind and salt are the natural preservative. This pickle stays fresh longer ( more than a month) as the water content in the tomato is almost nil  and does not require refrigeration. 

But in this modern world of flat system one could hardly find open space with direct sunlight for the tomatoes to dry. So I  have switched over to this method of skipping the step of drying under sunlight . But have to  refrigerate this pickle compulsorily  for longer shelf life.

The garlic pieces here and there adds an unique flavour to this pickle. Use the thin small type of garlic and not the big sized variety as the former is more flavourful. If not available it is ok, garlic is garlic but slice the big garlic clove lengthwise into 2 or 3 pieces so that one gets a piece in every spoon that you scoop out. ;)

Soak the tamarind with minimum water. Discard the water, remove seeds if any and blend the soft tamarind pulp with the tomatoes. If the tamarind is used without soaking, you may not be able to blend uniformly with the tomatoes. 

While deseeding, I  added the seeds directly to a sieve so that the juice can be collected. Later I discarded just the seeds and  got to drink quarter cup of fresh tomato juice :))

 There is another version of tomato pickle with pieces and not pureed tomato. Shall post it when I prepare that pickle few months later. Meanwhile my whole family is going to enjoy this homemade pickle . . Not only with their curd rice, also for chapathi, poori, toast, baguette, salad , the list goes on..😀

Small Onion Pickle (சின்ன வெங்காய ஊறுகாய் )

Small Onion Pickle 

(சின்ன வெங்காய ஊறுகாய் )

Ingredient:

Small Onion ( சின்ன வெங்காயம் ) - 250g 

Tamarind (புளி) - a big lemon size 

Dry Red Chili (மிளகாய் வற்றல்) - 6 to 8 

Fenugreek Seeds (வெந்தயம்) - 1 tbsp

Asafoetida (பெருங்காயம்) - 1 tbsp
Turmeric Powder ( மஞ்சள் தூள் )  - 1 tsp

Sesame Oil (நல்லெண்ணெய்) - 5 to 6 tbsp

Salt (உப்பு) - to taste

Steps:

Clean tamarind from  seeds and dirt and soak it with minimum water for 15 minutes. 

Peel and slice the small onions lengthwise.

In a heavy bottom pan, dry roast red chillies, fenugreek and asafoetida.

Cool and fine powder the above 3 ingredients using a blender. 

To that powder add turmeric powder and the soaked tamarind without the water and blend to make a paste.

In a pan, add sesame oil. When it is hot, add the onions and saute until soft.
 Add the chilli paste and continue on a medium flame.

Cook until the oil leaves the sides of the pan. Cool and serve.

My Notes:

The word pickle makes any person drool ;)) It is a taste bud tantalizer. Included in an Indian meal spread  without fail. Whether it is "oorukai" as it is called in tamil or " aachar " in Hindi, everyone likes to include in their plate, as an accomplishment for  rice or  chapathi / roti. 

One of my Maharastrian friend loves to have any type of pickle with her snack - murukku / pappads etc..

In south Indian version, tamarind is used as a preservative and also to offset the spiciness of chili. Lavish amount of sesame oil also extends the shelf life. 

Mango takes the major percentage in the preferred pickle followed by lemon. Not to forget the quite popular ones like the ginger , garlic, mango ginger, mixed vegetable etc..

In the North Indian  Aachar, instead of tamarind , lime or  vinegar is used. Commonly prepared types are the mixed vegetable aachar, mango and lemon. 

My mom-in-law uses only home cooked pickles till now. I have seldom seen her use the commercially bottled ones.

Her tomato pickle is the most favourite for her son and grand sons. I had learnt that and this onion pickle from her. Free of chemical based preservatives and food colours and artificial flavoring. :) 

Care should be taken to store in a sterilized dry glass jar. Also refrain from handling the jar with wet hands. 

Oil and chili level can be adjusted based on individual choice

My suggestion is to prepare less quantity with average amount of spiciness  to finish off in a month or two. 

The above mentioned recipe can be used for 5 to 6 months if refrigerated.