Goodness me! It’s been a while since I posted anything on our blog. Life has taken over. Both Shiv and I have been busy at work and our writing has taken a back seat. We have been cooking a lot but have not been very good with posting our recipes lately.

I had a bumper crop of tomatoes this summer and what best way to celebrate the lot than to make a yummy South Indian Tomato chutney called Thokku. This is my mother -in-law’s recipe which I followed and believe me it was delicious and is a great accompaniment to idlis, dosais, chappathis and even curd rice.

What do I need to make it

• 11/2 kg Tomatoes
• 200g  Ginger cut into thin long pieces
• 1/2 cup Sesame oil (you can use any vegetable oil but I prefer to use sesame or gingelly oil for its authentic flavour and because sesame oil is healthy and is called ‘Nalla Ennai’ or good oil in Tamil .
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Red chilli powder
• 10 to 15 Curry leaves
• 5 to 6 Whole dried red chillies
• 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds (Methi)
• 1/2 tsp Coriander seeds (Dhania)
• Salt to taste

How much will I make?

Approximately 1 kg of chutney.

How do I make it?

Wash tomatoes thoroughly and dry well. Chop the tomatoes into big chunks. Wash, peel and cut ginger into thin long pieces. Use a mortar and pestle to make  the coriander seeds into a  coarse powder. Heat the oil in a deep bottomed pan. When the oil is heated add the mustard seeds, wait for them to splutter and then add the curry leaves, fenugreek seeds,the coarsely powdered coriander seeds and the whole dried red chillies . Stir this around for a minute or so . Now add the turmeric and chilli powders. Saute briefly and lower the heat so that the spices do not burn. Add the chopped tomatoes, sprinkle salt and let the tomatoes simmer gently and cook in their own juices. It will take a while for the tomatoes to break down and cook into a pulp leaving their skins. When the tomatoes have cooked down completely, add the finely chopped ginger. Cook on a low heat till you see the oil leaving the sides of the pan. Adjust seasoning and cool before transferring the chutney to jars. It keeps well for 2 to 3 weeks if refrigerated. Enjoy as an accompaniment to dosas, idlis, curd rice , chappathis or even as a sandwich spread.