Tomato Pickle / Thakkali achar

How about some tangy, spicy, red tomato pickle with your lunch today ! 

It may look hot but when u make it at home u can always make it according to your preference and skip the store bought oil floating crap full of preservatives. 

Whats ur weekly quota of tomatoes? Well mine is may be 6-8.
 But then my husband decided to take a truck load saying he is going to make juice ...  Ya like that's going to happen I said in my mind..

After few days of simply staring at all of us through the plastic wrapper inside the fridge they decided to ripen and show true colors. Then came his voice "Meena, why haven't you used this up ?? !!! 

 I told u I know its fate right! :)
Come on people! keep realistic goals.. :)

Achar... now thats the most hot moving item here ....idli, rice everything likes its company.

Don't you feel like dipping ur finger into this red hot mess. 

Ask my herd and they would simply dive in...

Recipe adapted from here

PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE

Ingredients:

Tomato - 1 kg, medium sized,washed and chopped roughly
Tamarind - 1 lemon size ball
Hot water - 1 cup (to extract tamarind juice)
Red chili powder - 2 tsp +(depending on tolerance level, substitute with paprika)
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida / Hing - 2 pinches
Sesame oil - 1/4 cup
Garlic - 10-15 flakes
Salt to taste

To dry roast and when cool powder it: (Reduce if u do not like the strong spice flavor)

Mustard seeds - 2 tbsp

Fenugreek seeds - 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Put the tamarind in hot water and set it aside.
2. Take a wide mouthed heavy bottom nonstick pan and add chopped tomatoes. Cover and cook it in tomatoes own juices. (Do not add water).Keep stirring in between.

3.Meanwhile dry roast mustard until it crackles ,remove and cool it then dry roast fenugrek seeds when it crackles and browns slightly remove and cool. Powder both the seeds.When the tomato is almost cooked and drying up add the tamarind juice (Extract tamarind juice by mashing and squeezing the pulp well in water and discard pulp. )

4.Add red chili powder and turmeric powder to tomato. Keep stirring until all the water dries up add the mustard and fenugeek powder and stir until all the water dries up.

5 In another pan heat s.oil and add the mustard seeds when it crackles add garlic when it becomes tender add asafoetida switch off flame and pour the complete oil mix into the tomato which is still cooking saute for few more minutes until the oil surfaces on the sides. Switch off flame When  the pickle cools down put it in air tight container.Refrigerate after few days.

Serve a tsp or two of tomato pickle along with curd rice(yogurt ,pinch of salt mixed with white cooked rice), lemon rice etc.

Note: 
Use really ripe tomatoes.
You can blanch the tomatoes first by boiling tomatoes in hot water for 2-3 minutes when a crack appears take it out  and remove skin before making pickle.

Now thats what I call my comfort food!

Hope you like it.

Meena

Here are more ideas to use tomatoes from Food Network friends:

The Heritage Cook: Rice and Cheese Stuffed Roasted Tomatoes (Gluten-Free)
The Lemon Bowl: 5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Beef & Eggplant
Homemade Delish: Sweet Tomato Jam
Healthy Eats: 7 Seasonal Uses for Fresh Tomatoes
Creative Culinary: Warm Tomato and Mozzarella Bruschetta 
Weelicious: Heirloom Tomato Salad
Dishin & Dishes: Cobb Salad with Homemade Roasted Onion Vinaigrette
Domesticate Me: 10 Totally Awesome Tomato Recipes
Swing Eats: Tiny Insalata Caprese
The Wimpy Vegetarian: Tomato and Swiss Tart
Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Tomato Pickle
Taste with the Eyes: Quiche with a Black Quinoa Crust, Heirloom Tomatoes, Spinach, Goat Cheese
Red or Green: Summer Pasta With No-Cook Tomato Sauce
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Heirloom Tomato & Crouton Casserole (Scalloped Tomatoes)
The Mom 100: Chopped Salad with Chicken, Tomatoes and Lemon Thyme Dressing
FN Dish: 10 Ways to Be a Tomato Whisperer