Thakkali Thokku / Ground Tomato Pickle or The Spicy Tomato Preserve

I am obsessive about tomato chutney recipes. I enjoy trying out  numerous variations, playing with the amount of tomatoes, onions and chillies going in every time and trust me you can never go wrong with the  chutney. The different tastes are always exciting and tasty however you jumble the ingredients! I have my granma's (amma's too) version of Tomato Chutney already posted here which is a 'semi preserve' type.

Thakkali Thokku or the Spicy Tomato Preserve is a stronger Tamil variation of tomato chutney in which onions are avoided completely and given a final touch of vendayappodi (methi or fenugreek powder) for the characteristic 'pickle flavour'.

So let me assure, you can be a little flexible with the ingredients for this one and the final dish will be heartwarming as always!

Thakkali Thokku
Yields enough to fill  two 200ml cups

Ingredients:

Ripe red tomatoes- 750 grams
Tiny garlic cloves- 40 numbers. ( I used 'tharai poondu' or the country garlic which are tiny and slender. If you have normal cloves, use 20 no.s. Halve or quarter them lengthwise.)
[Use one-third quantity of garlic for grinding and the rest for seasoning]
Table salt-1 tsp

Oil- 1/2 cup ( let this be a 50:50 mixture of any oil you use for cooking and gingelly seed oil/nallennai
Mustard seeds- 1tsp
Fenugreek seeds- 2 fat pinches
Red chillies- 3-4 no.s broken into 3 pieces each
Red chilly powder- 1- 1 1/2 tsp
Hing / perungayappodi -1/4 tsp
Methi powder/ venthayappodi - 1/4 tsp (the methi seeds should be dry roasted well enough before powdering)


Method:



Wash and slice the tomatoes. They can be long, but slice them thin. Retain the juice that ooze out.
Throw in 10-12 pcs/pods of garlic pods and a tsp of salt. Combine gently and transfer to a colander placed on a wide bowl. Sundry for a few hours or at least a couple of hours under 'good' sun ( I had this out for 4 hours as there wasn't much sun and quite breezy ). Toss once every 30-45 minutes. The juice thus drips further more and get collected in the bowl below. Grind the pieces to a smooth paste. (Do not add the collected juice or water while grinding)

*I had about 1 cup of drained juice and 4 cups of pulp. This was reduced to 2 cups finally.*



Heat oil in a non-stick kadai. Splutter the mustard and brown the fenugreek seeds. Add the rest of garlic followed by the broken red chilly bits. Sauté for a few seconds and mix in the ground tomato pulp.




Bring the mixture to a boil and keep the flame low. Make sure the kadai is wide and deep enough so as to avoid splutters. Allow the saucy mix to thicken. Now pour the reserved juice and mix along. Simmer for a few more minutes. Add the chilly powder, hing and curry leaves. Thicken the mix further until the watery part has all evaporated an the oil starts separating on the sides.




Add fenugreek powder and salt (check and add) and mix along until the oil separates and bubbles on the sides. It's quite fine if at all you don't see the oil separating. You may always drizzle a little if it doesn't. Just make sure you had reduced the pulp to half with the consistency as in the picture below. It need not be too thick. It should be moist, oily, glossy and happy :)

Always use ripe red tomatoes. You may not need to use country tomatoes. I used Bangalore tomatoes and they were perfect! If your tomatoes are ripe and towards the sweeter side than sourness, you may add a bit of tamarind paste. Use very little for the tanginess. Do not avoid the final addition of fenugreek powder. It's a must for 'that' special flavour.
Drizzle a little oil if you find it too dry towards the final stages. I recommend you to  add the required oil while seasoning itself as the paste would get sautéed well enough from the start.

Thakkali Thokku keeps well for a few weeks if refrigerated.I learnt this recipe from my ma-in-law's co-sister. She suggests to top the preserve with castor oil/vilakkennai which increases the shelf life considerably for those days we never had the luxury of refrigerators. She mentions how the tomatoes were ground in large amounts those days in our ancestral village home using "aattu kallu" to serve the large joint family!

The spicy tomato preserve goes well with just anything and this was packed for sister during my visit to Singapore last month :)

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Maangai Oorugai / Mango Pickle

Well, this post is finally meant to do some justice to my blog's title after a while. Bakes, chocolatey cookies, muffins and Indian sweets had been dominating the space lately here as you could see.

Sample the pickle and you can judge the talent of the cook. Yeah! a good cook makes a perfect South Indian pickle, the one which doesn't turn stale for a longer time and tastes perfect throughout. I look upon my in laws as perfectionists when it comes to this art. The way they make pickles however make me feel I'm still in baby steps and got a long way to go!

I do try pickles which have already peeped in this blog and this one was made and sent over by my sis in law right after we got back home finishing our US visit this summer. The pickle was perfect for our everyday lunch while we finished off with lots of yogurt as the summer was still on.

I clicked a picture, last month when it was almost getting over, fast and today I called up my sis in law for the recipe as I sincerely felt should be a keeper!

This recipe  actually suits best for avakkai which is prepared in larger quantities, meant as an year long preserve with amazing shelf life but here she has substituted regular sour cut mangoes. The recipe is surprisingly simple as well!

Maangai Oorugai

Yields a small bottle

You need:

Sour variety raw mango cut into small cubes - A cup
Red chilly powder- 2 -3 tsps
Mustard seeds - A tspful
Garlic cloves- small- 5-6, minced
Sesame seed /gingelly oil / nallennai - 1/4 - 1/2 cup (almost half the measure of  mangoes)
Table salt- 1- 1 1/2 tsp, more or less or to taste (depends on the sourness of the mango)
*Fenugreek seeds / venthayam- 1/4 tsp

Method :

**Sundry mustard seeds spread on a flat tray, the previous day you intend to make the pickle. Powder in a mixie or hand pound as the quantity is less, the next day. Separate and remove the skin of the seeds using a bit of  wide netted sieve.

Now all you have to do is mix all the ingredients raw gently in a glass or ceramic bowl to combine. How much easier than a pickle can get? No heating of any ingredient, as simple as that! It would be dry just after you mix it but the water oozes out within a couple of days.

The pickle kept well for 2 whole months under refrigeration.

Author's Notes 


1. This recipe is meant originally for Aavakai Orugai as mentioned earlier and the cut mangoes are a substitution here.

2. Generally a kilogram of aavakkai is pickled. So naturally the amount of the other ingredients also shoot up accordingly. About half cup of mustard seeds are used, which are sun dried and powdered the following day. Sun drying is highly recommended for the seeds for such larger amounts of pickling.
** If you cannot  sundry, you can heat the seeds in a hot kadai (do not roast or fry) before powdering.

3. * Whole fenugreek seeds are used in the above recipe. For larger amounts of pickling, dry roast the seeds in a kadai until they turn dark red and powder which can be mixed along with the other ingredients.

4. Refrigerate the pickle stored in a glass jar / bottle for prolonged shelf life.

Looking forward to summer;  the season of mangoes and hoping to come up with the authentic Aavakkai Oorugai, soon! :)

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Vazhapindi Achar / Banana Stem Pickle for Arusuvai Season ll

T raditional recipes of Pickles belonging to Kerala are simple.The blend of ingredients in each pickle is simple, yet universal. The process of making these preserves at home has turned out lesser these days, due to busy lives of the working women.After all who wants to stress and strain wasting time on these while you have a wide choice in the market? Thanks to the village lives where women can afford more time for home made snacks and preserves.

Here's my attempt of recreating the age old Central Kerala recipe of Vazhapindi Achar, derived from amma's best pal, Shantha auty.

Palayan kodan variety vazhapindi would give the best results as they bits are crunchier and tend to have a more shelf life without turning soggy.

Vazhapindi Achar/Banana Stem Pickle

*Chopped banana stem- 1 cup

Kaduku parippu/ split mustard seeds- 1 tsps

Mustard seed powder-1tsp (mix with 2 tsps of water to make a thick paste)

Turmeric powder- a pinch

Asafoetida/kayapodi- a pinch

Salt- to taste

To season:

Sesame seed oil/nallenna- 2 tsps

Mustard seeds- a pinch

Green chillies 2-3 nos- slit lengthwise and once across breadthwise making 4 pcs each

Ginger- 1/2 tsp julienned

Garlic- 1 tbsp julienned

Small onions/ulli- whole small sized-1/4 cup

Curry leaves- a sprig

To boil together:

White vinegar- 1/2 cup (I needed 1/2 cup.Add a little more or less depending upon the quality)

Water- 1 cup

*Remove the outer layers of the banana stem and cop them into thin rounds carefully removing the fibre simultaneously while slicing each. Cut each slice into 4 strips across lengthwise and again 4 times breadwise leaving equal gaps to get small square shaped bits. Click here for a tutorial. Do not make the pieces too tiny as they might get soggy after pickling.

Dissolve salt in 1/4-1/2 cup of boiled water.Cool to room temperature and mix this solution to the banana stem bits (uppu vellathil ittu vekkal). Stir in turmeric and asafoetida powders along with the split mustard seeds and mustard powder paste.

Heat oil and the seasoning ingredients one by one in order. Take care the chillies, ginger, garlic and onions have to be lightly seasoned to retain the crunchiness, which is quite important!

Add this to the banana stem mixture.

Boil the water and vinegar together. Let it stand to get the steam evaporated. Pour this over the pickle while still HOT.The heat of this liquid mixture will be enough to ward off the raw smell of the ingredients, if any.

The Arusuvai ingredient from Sayantani!


The original recipe calls for 2 tsps of split mustard seeds/kaduku parippu.I used a tsp of it and substituted the mustard powder fro the other half, the Arusuvai ingredient. Again, if you cannot get hold of small whole pearl onions, you can use the regular small onions each cut into 4 pcs.The pickle keeps well under refrigeration.

Banana tree - picture courtesy-Derick Thomas

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Dates Pickle

The whole final week of September, was spent in Dubai with my brother.In spite of being ardent ‘Date-haters’ the amazing choice of ‘em simply tempted us to buy some. So our boxes back to India generously allowed space for these black beauties to sit in pretty comfortably. :).

A few exotic packets(chocolate wrapped, almond and cashew stuffed) were given away to dear and near and one small pack remained on my counter which was smiling at me…unconsumed even after a month and a half! :)
As a matter of fact, many(like my inlaws, husband and children) dislike, any touch of sweetness in curries or pickles, except for certain special ones like me(my sis, brother and mom too) who would vouch unlike ;)..(Warm welcome to join our team if anyone out there …plzzz) ;)!!...(((V is just around counting the number of my team mates! ;) ))

Since I knew I would be the one finishing the whole thing, I opted to try making a lesser amount, with just less than a dozen dates.They tasted awesome and I ended up eating the pickle with steamed rice,chapathis, dosa and with almost all main stuff I prepared for the past two weeks….so I'm really not sure about the shelf life of this preserve ;)!..

So, here’s how I pickled them up..

Dates – 10 nos
Green chillies finely minced-2 (I avoided this)
Ginger – a one inch piece- julienned
Garlic - 4 cloves- julienned
White vinegar-1-2 tbsps(according to the preffered sourness)
Sugar – ½ tsp


Seasoning

Oil – ½ cup
Curry leaves – a sprig
Mustard seeds-1/2tsp

Let me put all the powders together here :)

Chilly powder-1 tbsp(I used a tbsp of roasted red chillies powdered coarsely)
Asafoetida/Kayam - 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek/Uluva-Roasted and powdered finely– 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder- a fat pinch
Salt - As needed

• Deseed the dates and cut each into 4 pieces.

• Heat oil in a pan.Throw in green chillies, ginger, garlic bits and curry leaves.Saute for a few seconds.

• Add dates.Now be careful with flame.Keep it to minimum or just put off and add the all the powders. Ensure they are mixed up and heated well enough,rather than getting over fried/charred.

• Add vinegar(I added a little water, just enough to make the pickle a little saucy-as I love that way :)..though addition of water is strictly 'Not' recommended as in any pickles).Adjust the flame and bring the sauce to a boil.

• Add salt and sugar.Mix well.

• Store the dates pickle in a ceramic jar or glass bottle.

Because the addition of water, I refrigerated, till it got over, for the safer side.Otherwise it has a longer shelf life, in room temperature.

Dates pickle is an excellent combination with any Non vegetarian Biriyani..(Sigh!! :().. err compliments Vegetable Biriyanis well enough too :) !!..

Thank You Swapna, for making this post possible!.

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Vengaya Thokku / Ground and Spiced Onion Preserve

Thokku is a version of semi-thickened preserve where the vegetable invoved is ground to a coarse or fine paste, sautéd in oil, spiced up and seasoned accordingly.Vegetables with relatively more water content is considered ideal for making thokku.The vegetable when ground brings out the water, the sautéing part reduces the water content and the oil for seasoning enhances the shelf life of the preserve.

Get ready with:

Shallots/Chinna vengayam/Small red onions-1/4 kg or 2 levelled 250ml cups
Tamarind-a medium lime sized ball
Red chilly powder-1/3 cup
Fenugreek or methi seeds/venthayam-1 tsp
Jaggery-1 tsp(optional)
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
Hing/Perungayam-1/4 tsp
Sesame seed oil/nallennai-1/2 +1/4 cup
Salt-A tbsp-more or less

To carry on:

1. Soak tamarind in just enough warm water for half an hour.Extract pulp as thick as possible.Keep this aside.

2. Heat a non-stick wok and dry fry the fenugreek/methi seeds till brown and aroma spreads, without adding oil.Powder and keep aside.

3. Peel the small onions.Grind to a coarse paste without adding water.

4. Heat ½ cup oil in the above non stick wok.Splutter the mustard seeds.Add hing and the onion paste, sauté till the water content is absorbed, the colour changes to darker brown and the oil separates.Add the chilly powder and mix well.Pour in the tamarind pulp, mix in jaggery, turmeric powder and salt.

5. Sauté again till the water content evaporates slowly, the gravy thickens and the oil separates again.Never close the wok or the pan during the preparation so as to facilitate the evaporation of the water content of the thokku as far as possible.

6. Sprinkle the methi powder and mix well.Remove from fire when the semi thick consistency is reached and add the extra ¼ cup if you need more oil to float.

7. Cool and transfer thokku in clean and dry bottles.The oil, should float at least a centimeter length, as the upper layer. Store in a cool and dry place. Refrigerate for a longer shelf life.

This goes to Radhika of Radhis Kitchen who hosts JFI-Onions for the month.


Small onions are highly suggested to make this preserve. Big onions may also be substituted, so as to avoid the hazzles of peeling and poor availability, but the taste does alter, and may have comparitively a lesser shelf life.
This is an excellent dip for Dosas and Idlies.A good accompaniment for plain rice too.

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Home Made Citron pickle/Narthangai Oorugai

I was totally thrilled in a word, when the JFI of the month was announced as Chillies, the unavoidable ingredient of the Indian Cuisine and the lovely hot vegetable my blog supports!.

Narthangai popularly known as Citron belonging to the Citrus family is commonly preserved as the pickle or the sour juice used to make the rice variety named Nathampazha sadham, in Tamil Cuisine.The half-ripened citrons are the best to make pickles and the ripened, Narthampazha sadham, ‘pazham’simply meaning ‘the fruit’.

Thus, a few days back, a couple of Citrons were seen trotting gaily into my house, unexpectedly, sent by my ma in law, direct from her garden!.Normally I had tried making the Citron Rice as noted earlier,but not used to making pickles with the same.Therefore it was lazily postponed till the mind got refreshed to proceed confidently with the easiest version of pickle-recipe after my lovely eldest sis in law.Her recipe was perfect, since I followed her sweet advices like…try to make a little quantity at first,do not use too much of oil while tempering as it might absorb all the extra quantity used, better use a ceramic jar or a wide mouthed glass bottle and wooden spoons, refrigerate when not in use as we are still not experts and the pickle might get spoilt soon and so on…..but the oorugai stays well in my jar even after a week on the stone topped console of the dining room.:).

So, let me share, her version of the recipe, which was well approved by her younger brother, naturally!!.. :).....;my entry to JFI-Chillies hosted by the blog celebrity, Nanditha of Saffron Trail, the great event being the brain child of yet another celebrity of the blogosphere, Indira of Mahanandi.

Yields- One small dessert bowl.

Ingredients:

1. An Orange sized half ripe Citron / Narthangai.
2. Green chillies(optional)-each cut into 4s,by slitting once length wise and then again breadthwise.
3. A tbsp of Fresh red chilly powder.I used ‘Shakthi’ brand, the best available and excellent for pickles.
4. A tbsp of Gingelly/sesame seed oil /nalla ennai
5. ½ tsp of Mustards/kaduku
6. Salt-to taste.You may need at least 3 tsps.Again it is recommended that the amount chilly powder and salt has to be adjusted to suit your personal needs.
7. 3 pinches of hing/kayam.
8. A tsp of fenugreek seeds/venthaiyam/uluva

Method:

1. Slice the citron into 2 halves, just as the way an orange is sliced.The first half as to be cut into cubes and refrigerate the extracted juice from the second.

2. Add salt to the cut pieces in a ceramic jar.Toss well. Secure with an appropriate lid and keep the jar aside in a warm, cool place for 2-3 days, tossing the pieces at least twice a day.

3. By the third day the pieces would have turned softer along with its juice,oozed out of the pieces due to the added salt.Add the green chilly pieces and toss.Top this with the red chilly powder as a small heap.

4. Heat oil and splutter the mustard seeds.Add hing and immediately pour this over to the chilly powder heap.The heat of the oil will help to get rid of the raw flavour of the powder.Do not add the chilly powder along with the tempered ingredients on fire as this will burn the powder and it might lose its colour, taste and thickness.

5. Dry fry the fenugreek seeds in medium flame for a few seconds and powder.Add not more than 3 pinches of the powder as even little more would turn the pickle bitter. Add the Citron juice now and toss or mix the pickle well using a wooden or a plastic spoon.Check salt and store carefully closed in a warm and cool place.

Disclaimer- Making pickles in larger quantities does need lots of expertise.The quality and the shelf life of the pickle depends upon the quality of the Citron and the chilly powder used along with the storage conditions.Therefore it is necessary to use the best available ingredients and store the pickle appropriately, in a closed jar with a piece of white cloth tied loosely around the neck.There are a few more methods of preparation,as well.Salted citron pieces are also sun dried and preserved, activating with the chilly powder and the other ingredients along with a little warm water, to turn to pickle, whenever needed.Citrons are invariably supreme to lime in taste, aroma and medicinal values.You can very well substitute citrons by lime and follow the same method for making Lime Pickle....

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