Tomato Pickle

I came across this recipe in Eenadu newspaper more than a year back. They had nearly 6 recipes and this caught my attention as it was so easy to prepare. The recipe called to sundry the chopped tomato for at least 3 hours. Since I prepared it on a weekday and the weather was not sunny, I left it in the balcony for almost 11 hours and prepared pickle after coming back from work. This pickle goes well with steamed rice, idli, dosa and chapati too. Unlike the instant tomato pickle that I've already blogged, this pickle calls for only methi  (fenugreek seeds) powder. However it tastes almost the same as that.

Ingredients

Tomato: 1 kg; finely chopped

Garlic Flakes: 10  - 15; roughly mashed

Salt: as per taste

Chilli Powder: as per taste

Curry Leaves: a handful

Mustard Seeds: 1 teaspoon

Fenugreek Seeds: 1/2 teaspoon

Fenugreek Seeds Powder: 2 teaspoons

Oil: 6 tablespoons

Instructions

1. Add a tablespoon of salt to the finely chopped tomatoes. Combine well and sun dry for at least 3 hours. Grind to a fine paste along with the oozed tomato juice.

2. Heat oil in a heavy bottom wok. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter.

3. Add fenugreek seeds and let them turn brown.

4. Add curry leaves and mashed garlic flakes. Saute till garlic turns brown.

5. Add the ground tomato paste and cook in medium flame till water is 3/4th evaporated. Add salt, chilli powder and combine well.

6. When the water is almost evaporated, add fenugreek seeds powder and combine well. Cook on low flame until oil starts separating. Remove from heat and let pickle to cool. Store in air tight containers.