Tag Archives: Tomato

Dahiwale Chole aka Chickpeas in a Tomato Yogurt Sauce

Posted on by
Reply

The other day, while wondering what to cook — something that happens to all of us — I suddenly had an epiphany and thought of experimenting with some boiled chickpeas that I had at home. The result was this quick gravy that took about 15-20 minutes to put together and went beautifully with the boiled chickpeas. I will also be making this gravy again, this time trying it with different vegetables.

Dahiwale Chole aka Chickpeas in a Tomato Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup boiled chickpeas
  • 2 medium-sized onions, roughly chopped
  • 4 medium-sized tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 5-6 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled
  • 2-3 fresh red chillies, destalked
  • 1 cup yoghurt, whisked
  • 2 tbsp roasted peanut powder
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • ½ tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp jaggery powder (optional)
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tbsp oil or ghee
  • Finely chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

  • Blend together the garlic, ginger and red chillies into a smooth and keep aside.
  • Blend the onions into a fine paste and keep aside.
  • Blend the tomatoes into a fine paste and keep aside.
  • Heat the oil in a pan and when the oil heats up, add in the cumin seeds and let the seeds pop.
  • Pour in the blended garlic, ginger and chillies and stir well for a couple of minutes
  • Then add in the blended onions, sprinkle a bit of salt and cook well until the onion starts to become translucent.
  • Then add the blended tomatoes and cook covered until the oil starts to ooze out.
  • Add the dry spices – turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, salt, and peanut powder. If you are adding jaggery powder or sugar, add it now.
  • Once the oil oozes out, add in the whisked yoghurt and stir continuously for a few minutes.
  • Now add the boiled chickpeas and cook covered on a medium-low flame for 5-7 minutes.
  • Check for seasoning and adjust what is needed.
  • Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or any Indian flatbread.

Notes:

  • I used already boiled chickpeas, but if you don’t have them handy, you can make it with canned chickpeas or soak a cup of dry chickpeas for 6–8 hours and then cook it in a pressure cooker or in a pan until they are soft.
  • To make roasted peanut powder, dry roast peanuts until the skin starts to split. Cool them completely and blend to a coarse powder.
  • You can also add powdered sesame seeds instead of peanuts or both together. To make powdered sesame seeds, dry roast white sesame seeds until they start to pop. Cool then pulse to make a fine powder.
  • If you plan to use other vegetables, lightly fry them in 1 tsp oil until they are 80% cooked. Then remove and keep aside and make the gravy as per the recipe above. Add them back into the gravy where I have indicated adding the boiled chickpeas.

Recipes: Gazpacho Inspired Tomato Corn Soup

Posted on by
Reply

It had been so hot in Singapore in summer that anything hot was anathema and so I was looking for some cold soups I could make ahead of time. I wanted to make a cold Gazpacho soup, but then realised I didn’t have all the ingredients with me. So I improvised and made this soup. It was well-received, though S didn’t like it. I also realised that BB didn’t like it cold, so I heated it and he liked it then. But this can be made and served both cold and warm.

Gazpacho Inspired Tomato Corn Soup

Ingredients:

  • 8-10 medium-sized red tomatoes
  • 1 small cup of frozen sweet corn
  • 4-5 cloves of garlic
  • inch piece ginger
  • 1 medium-sized onion
  • 2-3 green chillies
  • 2 tbsp (or more) extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Pepper to taste

Method:

  • Defrost the corn and cook it in the microwave for about 6-8 minutes, or until it becomes tender
  • Chop the tomatoes and keep them aside
  • Peel the garlic and the ginger and keep aside. Chop the green chillies and keep them aside.
  • Peel and chop the onions and keep them aside.
  • Drain the sweet corn and in a blender, blend the tomatoes, sweet corn, onion, green chillies, ginger, and garlic. Blend first into a chunky paste and then add in the olive oil and blend to a fine paste. You may add some water if you need it while blending.
  • Using a strainer, strain the soup into a pan and reblend till everything is a fine paste.
  • Add salt and pepper and if you want, you can pop this in the fridge and have it as a cold soup.
  • If you like BB didn’t like the raw taste, add some water and boil the soup till it starts to come to a nice rolling boil and let it boil for about 5-8 minutes or until the raw taste goes away.
  • Drink it hot or cold, either way, it is delicious!

Recipes: No Onion, No Garlic Tomato Peanut Chutney

Posted on by
Reply

During Navratri, I don’t use onions and garlic in my cooking. My cooking during those 10 days is more satvic in nature and so it sometimes becomes a challenge to figure out recipes to make which don’t incorporate the two almost essential ingredients in Indian cooking. Though, if I am to be completly honest, tambram cooking generally does not use the two ingredients. But we were getting bored of traditional recipes and so I tried this recipe which was an experiment of sorts. It did come out quite nice and was a good accompaniment to not only idlis and dosais, but also as a substitute to sandwich chutneys.

No Onion, No Garlic Tomato Peanut Chutney

Ingredients:

  • 6-8 medium sized tomatoes, chopped
  • 8-10 curry leaves
  • 5-6 fresh red chillies (you can also use green chillies if you don’t have access to red chillies)
  • 1/2 cup roasted peanuts
  • 2 tbsp tamarind paste
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
  • 1 tsp oil
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • Heat oil in a pan and when warm, add the mustard seeds and let them pop.
  • Then add the turmeric powder, asafoetida powder and stir for a couple of seconds.
  • Next, add the curry leaves and red chillies and stir till the chillies start to brown and the curry leaves become crisp.
  • Now add the roasted peanuts and stir well. Then add the chopped tomatoes and some salt and stir well. Keep stirring the tomatoes occasionally until the tomatoes cook and turn mushy.
  • Remove from the flame and cool completely. When cool, blend into a fine paste and serve as an accompaniment to idlis and dosai.

Recipes: Tomato Onion Chutney

Posted on by
Reply

The other day while making dinner, I realised I needed to make some kind of chutney to go with dosa or adai. I didn’t want to make one with coconut which is what is traditionally made for these dishes since I didn’t have enough coconut on hand to make it, so came up with this tomato onion chutney which was super yummy!

Tomato Onion Chutney

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium-sized onions, chopped
  • 2 large tomatoes, chopped
  • 7-8 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp broken urad dal
  • 1 tsp roasted Bengal gram
  • 1 tsp seedless tamarind (If using tamarind paste, you can use about 1/2 tsp)
  • 6-8 dried red chillies (more or less depending on spice tolerance)
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 2 tsp oil
  • 1/2 tsp grated jaggery (can omit or substitute with brown sugar)
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • Heat the oil in a pan and when warm add the mustard seeds and let it pop.
  • Next, add the urad dal and Bengal gram dal and stir for a couple of seconds.
  • Now add the dried red chillies and stir for a few seconds. Then add the sesame seeds and give it a good stir.
  • Then add the tamarind and stir for a few seconds.
  • Now add the garlic and let it saute for a minute and then add the onions. Let the onions become translucent.
  • Once the onions are translucent, add the tomatoes and stir until the tomatoes become mushy and cooked. You can also add in a pinch of salt to help this process. At the point add the jaggery if using.
  • Switch off the gas and let the mixture cool completely before grinding it to a fine paste. Add salt while blending and adjust as per your taste. You can add a bit of water while blending if you feel the need.

Recipes: Tomato Carrot Capsicum Soup

Posted on by
Reply

Last weekend, S wanted a light lunch as I was planning to make pizza for dinner. When I probed further, S said he wanted a carrot and tomato soup. So I went online and searched a few sites and then came up with this version. It is a keeper and a winner! It kept well and we finished it the next day.

Tomato Carrot Capsicum Soup

Ingredients:

  • 6 medium-sized tomatoes
  • 2 large carrots, chopped
  • 1 large red capsicum, chopped
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 5-6 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1-inch piece of  ginger, chopped
  • 2 dried red chillies (optional)
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • In a large pan or pressure cooker, heat the oil and when it heats, add the cumin seeds and fennel seeds and let it splutter.
  • When the seeds splutter, add the onions, ginger and garlic and let them brown.
  • When the onions brown, add the carrots and stir for a couple of minutes.
  • Make a small cross at the top of the tomato (where the stalk is) and put the whole tomatoes into the cooker or pan.
  • If using a pressure cooker, cover and cook for 3 whistles. If using a pan, cover and cook until the vegetables are completely cooked.
  • When cool, remove the tomatoes carefully and peel the skin and return it back to the pan.
  • Using a handheld blender, blend the cooked vegetables to a smooth paste. If you don’t have a handheld blender, then transfer to a normal blender, blend it and return it back to the pan.
  • Heat the pan again and thin it with water as needed. Season with salt and pepper according to taste.
  • Serve hot with bread croutons.