Tomato Pickle - Thakkali Oorugai

Makes about 300 g
We finished the last batch of pickles and I realized that once you start having pickles you can't do without them. It becomes like an important part of a meal.I wanted to make mango pickle as it's relatively easier to make and stays good for a long time. But then tomato pickle is my hubby's favorite,he claims that the sweet and spicy flavour of it makes it a great accompaniment for anything from dosas to rice:)I usually make another version of this ,more of what we call a 'Thokku ' in tamil which has onions and garlic.But this is an easier and yummy version with only tomatoes.It stays good for 3 -4 weeks in the refrigerator.But believe me you will find yourself finishing it way before 4 weeks :)

You'll need:

Tomatoes - 1/2 kg - about 5 big firm ones
powdered salt - 1 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 2 tbsp ( you can add more )
Tamarind - 50 g
Sesame oil - 90 ml
Fenugreek seeds - 1.5 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1.5 tsp
Hing/Asafoetida - 1 tsp

Method:
-Clean the tomatoes and pat them dry.Make sure the knife and other utensils used are moisture free.

-Chop the tomatoes finely.
-Add the tamarind to 100 ml of water and let it boil on  a medium flame for 4- 5 minutes.Let it cool.Squeeze it well and strain to extract the tamarind juice
-Dry roast the fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds separately and grind them together to a fine powder.
-To a pan add oil and when it heats up, add the asafoetida. Stir for a few seconds and add the tomatoes.Saute them well until they turn soft this will take around 7- 10 minutes on a medium flame
-Now add the tamarind juice and mix well.Add the salt and chilli powder and mix well.
-Now reduce the flame and let it boil for 10 - 15 minutes or until you see oil floating on top of the mixture. The oil will completely separate from the mixture and it will start leaving the bottom of the vessel.

-Add the fenugreek and mustard seed powder and mix well ,for another 2 minutes.
-Remove from the stove ,let it cool and store in an airtight container.

                         Thanks for stopping by ! Have a great day !

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