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Home >> Recipes >> Andhra

Tomato pickle recipe

By swasthi , on August 15, 2019, 93 Comments, Jump to Recipe

Tomato pickle recipe – Traditionally this andhra tomato pickle is made with sun dried tomatoes. But for those living abroad or living in high rise buildings or in places where there is not enough sun, this method comes handy. This is my version of the nilava tomato pachadi, that i make at home and store for about 3 months.

andhra tomato pickle recipe

This tomato pickle tastes tangy, hot and sour with flavors of methi and garlic. The amount of red chili powder, fenugreek seeds powder to use here depends on the kind of tomatoes you use.

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If your tomatoes are tangy, you can just skip using tamarind and reduce the levels of red chili and fenugreek powders. The tomatoes i use are moderately sour and not very tangy, so I use extra tamarind.

Tomato pickle recipe, over the years has gone through a series of modifications in the quantity of fenugreek, and garlic that is used.

Preparation

1. Wash tomatoes and set aside to dry.

tomatoes salt chili powder tamarind

2. Dry roast fenugreek seeds on a low flame and set aside to cool.If using mustard seeds fry them in the same pan just for a min and set aside. I don’t use.

dry roasting methi seeds

3. Soak tamarind in warm water just to immerse it. (boiled and cooled water)

soaking tamarind in boiled water for making tomato pickle

4. Add roasted fenugreek and mustard seeds to a blender and make a fine powder.

powdering fenugreek mustard

5. Heat a pan with oil, add tomatoes with salt and turmeric, cook on a medium flame till they turn mushy.

cooking tomatoes salt turmeric in oil to make tomato pickle
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6. Mash up the soaked tamarind and filter it to the cooked tomatoes. Adjust the tamarind to suit your taste.I discard the pulp. Mix well and cook for 3 to 4 mins until the mixture bubbles well.

mashing soaked tamarind for tomato pickle tomato achar

How to make tomato pickle

7. Once the mix is cool fully, add chili powder, salt, fenugreek powder to this mixture. Stir well, break up lumps, if any.

addition of chilli fenugreek powder for tomato pickle recipe

8. Heat a seasoning pan with 2 tbsp. oil, add mustard, allow them to splutter. Then add garlic and fry for a min, next add red chili and curry leaves.Fry till the curry leaves turn crisp. Add hing.

9. Add this seasoning and pour rest of the oil (60 ml) to the tomato pickle and mix well.

tempering with curry leaves in oil to make tomato achar
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Once completely cool store it in a clean, dry, airtight jar. Stays fresh for several months. I bottle the pickle in many small jars, so each time I open a new jar, pickle smells fresh and tastes good.

tomato pickle recipe

Tips on how to prepare and preserve pickles for longer time.

  • Always keep your hands, ingredients and the utensils dry, free from moisture while preparing pickles.
  • If using water to soak the tamarind always use only boiled and cooled/warm water.
  • Always use a dry spoon to serve the pickles and store them in a dry and cool place.

For more Pickle recipes on the blog, you can check
Mango pickle
Mango Avakaya
cauliflower pickle
drumstick pickle
ginger pickle

Andhra tomato pickle recipe

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Tomato pickle

Andhra style tomato pickle or nilava tomato pachadi is one of the most made in Telugu speaking homes. Serve it with breakfasts like idli dosa, pesarattu, rice or even with snacks and parathas.
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For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Servings10
AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )

Ingredients

  • 500 Grams tomatoes chopped
  • 6 tbsp red chili powder (less spicy kind) (adjust to suit your taste)
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 80 Grams tamarind (optional)
  • ¾ to 1 tbsp methi seeds (fenugreek)
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds (optional)
  • 2 tbsp oil for frying tomatoes
  • Salt as needed

tempering

  • 90 ml oil (mustard or peanut or sunflower)
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 6 cloves garlic (sliced)
  • 1 red chilli deseeded
  • 1 Pinch hing or asafoetida
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Instructions

Preparation for tomato pickle

  • Make sure all your ingredients are dry and moist free. To ensure you can also sun dry red chili powder and turmeric for some time. Wash tomatoes under running water and leave them aside to dry.
  • Bring 4 to 6 tbsp water to a rolling boil. Allow the temperature to cool down and then soak tamarind in it. You can also skip this step and add tamarind directly to the tomatoes. But most times tamarind is not clean so soaking and filtering is needed.
  • Dry roast fenugreek seeds on a low flame till they emit a nice aroma. if using mustard add them and fry just for a minute and set aside to cool.
  • Powder the roasted fenugreek seeds and mustard.

Making tomato pickle or pachadi

  • Chop tomatoes and fry them with salt and turmeric in a pan on a medium flame till they turn mushy. The pulp should thicken.
  • Squeeze the tamarind fully with your fingers & filter it to remove the impurities & pulp. Add this to the cooked tomatoes. Adjust the tamarind to suit your taste. Mix and cook well for 5 mins until the mixture bubbles up very well.
  • When the mixture cools down completely, add chili powder, salt, fenugreek and mustard powder and mix well. Check salt and spice. Add more if needed.

Tempering tomato pachadi

  • Heat a pan with oil. Add mustard, fry till they splutter, add garlic. Fry till they turn aromatic, add red chilies and curry leaves. Fry them until they turn crisp. Add hing.
  • Turn off the stove. Transfer the tomato pickle to the pan and mix well.
  • Cool the tomato pickle completely. Store this in a air tight glass bottle.
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Notes

I used milled byadgi chilli powder that is pure and is not hot. So 6 tbsps gives a moderate level of heat to the pickle. If using any other variety, then feel free to cut down as much as you think is good enough.
If you intend to skip tamarind, cut down the chilli powder. How much to cut down depends on the sourness of tomatoes. If your tomatoes are not sour then you can just reduce to 3 tbsps.
To the seasoning, 1 tbsp. channa dal and urad dal can be added and fried till golden, it imparts a good aroma to the pickle. They soak in the pickle and eventually taste tangy. Adding them is optional. Not everyone may like this, if you wish use them.

Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.

For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.

NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)

Nutrition Facts
Tomato pickle
Amount Per Serving
Calories 145 Calories from Fat 108
% Daily Value*
Fat 12g18%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 87mg4%
Potassium 175mg5%
Carbohydrates 9g3%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 1475IU30%
Vitamin C 11.3mg14%
Calcium 25mg3%
Iron 1.4mg8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Mention @SwasthisRecipes or tag #swasthisrecipes!

© Swasthi’s Recipes

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Tomato pickle recipe
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About swasthi

I’m Swasthi shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthis recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills.
Read more..

Recipe Rating




Recipe Rating




93 Comments
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Claude Al
September 24, 2020 10:57 pm

5 stars
Great recipe, well explained! I have a pot of tomatoes boiling for the past 6 hours and almost ready to add the rest of the ingredients to yield about 10 pounds of finished pickle. The last time I made this was in 2016 and one bottle got forgotten in the fridge. Opened that bottle recently and still tastes great after 4 years! In addition to your listed ingredients I add an ample quantity of lemon juice concentrate.

Reply
swasthi
Reply to  Claude Al
September 25, 2020 4:25 am

Thank you so much! That’s awesome!
So glad to know it was good for this long.
Thanks again for leaving a comment.
🙂

Reply
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Kavitha
June 2, 2020 4:50 am

5 stars
Ma’m,

Can I skip red chilli powder and increase the amount of red chillies?

Reply
swasthi
Reply to  Kavitha
June 2, 2020 5:04 am

Hi Kavitha
Not sure if you got confused with another recipe. This is a pickle recipe and cannot be made without red chili powder

Reply
Kavitha
Reply to  swasthi
June 2, 2020 10:09 am

5 stars
It’s not confusion ma’m, I am having more red chillies and less red chilli powder at home now. So I thought maybe I could replace red chilli powder with red chillies. I didn’t know that red chilli powder is a mandate to prepare a pickle.

Reply
swasthi
Reply to  Kavitha
June 2, 2020 10:50 am

Kavitha!
Okay. You can saute the red chilies in oil first and then add the tomatoes. Blend the red chilies along with little cooked tomatoes. Add it back. Make it in small quantity and check. Not sure how it will taste. Hope this helps

Reply
Kristina
September 14, 2019 3:35 pm

5 stars
This was great and an easy way to use up all the tomatoes in my garden right now

Reply
Preethi
August 15, 2019 2:10 am

Hi Swasthi,
I’ve been following your recipes for quite awhile. Everything turned out out good and yummy.
I tried the tomato pickle without the tamarind. So reduced the chilli accordingly. But it turned out to be very very spicy. I added so much oil to compensate that but nothing seems to work out. Any tips to make it edible?
Thanks in advance.

Reply
swasthi
Reply to  Preethi
August 15, 2019 2:51 am

Hi Preethi,
You are welcome. Thanks for following the recipes. I should have put a note to use mild chilli powder. There is only one way to reduce the heat. Make another batch without chilli and lesser oil. Then mix with the previously made batch. It will turn out good. Hope this helps.

Reply
Preethi
Reply to  swasthi
August 23, 2019 12:22 am

Thanks for responding Swasthi. That sounds good.. I’ll surely try that.

Reply
Preethi
Reply to  Preethi
August 27, 2019 7:48 pm

Hi Swasthi,
I read in your description above that tomato pickle is made with sun-dried tomatoes. Could you please share that recipe too.
Thank you

Reply
swasthi
Reply to  Preethi
August 28, 2019 1:26 am

Hi Preethi,
I have to get the recipe from my mom. Yes sure I can but I will take some time.

Reply
Mamatha Kolla
April 19, 2019 5:15 pm

5 stars
Hi Swasthi, I am a great fan of your recipes..Most of them I have tried and they are of excellent taste..Thank You..

Reply
swasthi
Reply to  Mamatha Kolla
April 24, 2019 1:35 am

Hi Mamatha,
You are welcome. Thank you so much for trying the recipes. Glad your food turns out excellent.
🙂

Reply
Haripriya Kvss
March 31, 2019 12:01 am

Hi swathi,
Great recipe..I have a doubt..do we need to blend fenugreek and mustard separately are together?
Thanks,
Haripriya..

Reply
swasthi
Reply to  Haripriya Kvss
March 31, 2019 1:17 am

Hi Haripriya
Yes you can powder them together as the quantities are very less. Most times I powder about ¼ cup methi seeds and ¼ cup mustard separately in a blender and store in glass bottle. Refrigerate them to make pickles for 6 months.

Reply
Rane
February 15, 2019 6:55 am

3 kgs Tomatos pickle nilva pachadi ki kolathalu.

Reply
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Heidi
December 13, 2018 10:56 pm

5 stars
Fantastic recipe! Did double quantities. Used tamarind purée which is easier, and added the dal. And gingelly oil for the tempering. The beauty of this recipe, unlike some others, is that it is very quick to prepare. Thanks for posting this!

Reply
swasthi
Reply to  Heidi
December 14, 2018 5:14 am

Hi Heidi
You are welcome. Happy to know it turned out good. Thank you so much for the comment.

Reply
Alka
October 8, 2018 8:27 am

5 stars
Awesome recipes Swathi . Please keep posting recipes of chutneys, picles, and vegetables cooked for daily meals in Andhra Pradesh/ Telengana . Your step wise directions are very helpful ! Thank you ?

Reply
swasthi
Reply to  Alka
October 8, 2018 10:39 am

Welcome Alka
Thank you so much. Yes will surely keep posting more recipes.
🙂

Reply
Priti
March 5, 2018 1:48 pm

Hi swasthi, tempting recipe…. how long can v store it?….can it be stored without fridge?… thanks…

Reply
swasthi
Reply to  Priti
March 6, 2018 1:59 am

Priti,
I guess it keeps good without refrigeration for at least 2 to 3 months.

Reply
Gerry
February 28, 2018 4:15 am

Thank you Swathi. For many years I was looking for an authentic tomato picke recipe and finally found yours to be just like the ones I had many years ago when I’m lived in Secunderabad. Thanks again.

Reply
swasthi
Reply to  Gerry
March 1, 2018 12:25 am

Welcome Gerry.
Thanks for trying

Reply
Preeti
February 20, 2018 2:24 am

Can we use dabur homemade tamarind paste without soaking tamarind pulp in water?

Reply
swasthi
Reply to  Preeti
February 20, 2018 12:01 pm

Preeti,
Firstly tamarind paste in pickle will reduce the shelf life. May be if you want to make it and use up within a week. Then it’s fine.
Secondly if using paste, then you will have to add it approximately. The above proportions may not work.
Next not sure if the paste will smell good in a pickle.

Reply
Y Ramya Richard
December 6, 2017 6:25 am

5 stars
Hi Swati, Thanks a lot for your wonderful recipes. This is my one stop blog for all my cooking needs. I tried this recipe and it turned out great.
This time I want to try it with readymade tamarind pulp. Do you think this will work?

Reply
swasthi
Reply to  Y Ramya Richard
December 9, 2017 1:58 am

Welcome Ramya
Thanks for trying. Yes it does work with the pulp, but no idea how much to use as it depends on the sourness. You experiment adding little only and then adjust as needed. Hope this helps

Reply
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Delara
October 2, 2017 4:04 am

5 stars
My pickle turned out a little bitter. Do you know what may have caused this? I’m wondering if I roasted the fenugreek a little too much.

Reply
swasthi
Reply to  Delara
October 3, 2017 1:34 am

Hi Delara
Yes it can happen due to over roasting fenugreek. The bitterness reduces as the pickle ages a bit. It may take about 7 to 10 days. If that doesn’t help, then make another batch of the same without fenugreek and mix both. This will neutralize the bitter taste. HOpe these help

Reply
Syam
September 24, 2017 8:00 am

5 stars
Thank you so much.. Really delicious . Actually I happend to taste this achar before from my frnds mom n it was delicious n I was lookin for the recipe n I found urs..Both of em so yummy !

Reply
swasthi
Reply to  Syam
September 24, 2017 8:02 am

Welcome Syam

Reply
Suma
March 20, 2017 2:30 pm

5 stars
I tried this recipe. Really awesome. Thank you

Reply
swasthi
Reply to  Suma
March 23, 2017 3:36 am

Welcome Suma

Reply
Thachisha
February 4, 2017 12:35 pm

5 stars
very nyz ….

Reply
swasthi
Reply to  Thachisha
February 7, 2017 3:06 am

Thank you

Reply
TULSI
January 23, 2017 6:01 am

5 stars
I BUY TOMATOES FREQUENTLY…MY FAMILY REALLY LOVES IT

Reply
swasthi
Reply to  TULSI
January 25, 2017 7:28 am

Thanks Tulasi

Reply
deepa sahoo
Reply to  TULSI
October 10, 2020 10:09 pm

hi

should we store these pickle in refrigerator?

Reply
swasthi
Reply to  deepa sahoo
October 11, 2020 1:11 pm

Yes! Refrigerate it

Reply
Swetha
January 20, 2017 6:33 pm

5 stars
Hi ,

I want to make 500gms of this pickle , so how many tomatoes should I use for this pickle ??

Does Same quantity of tomatoes will yield same amount of pickle ?

Thanks in advance

Reply
swasthi
Reply to  Swetha
January 21, 2017 2:04 am

Hi Swetha
I do not know how much of the tomatoes in grams will be reduced after cooking. It should be the same due to the addition of tamarind and chili powder

Reply
Swetha
Reply to  swasthi
January 22, 2017 9:24 am

Thanks

Reply
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Sulata Coelho
January 20, 2017 10:19 am

5 stars
Yummy outcome. One of the best uses of tomatoes. Thank you. God bless you.

Reply
swasthi
Reply to  Sulata Coelho
January 20, 2017 2:55 pm

Welcome Sulata
So good to know the recipe was useful.
Thanks for sharing the outcome

Reply
Sulata Coelho
January 20, 2017 10:16 am

5 stars
Yummy outcome. One of the best uses of tomatoes. God bless you. Thank you.

Reply
Preston
Reply to  Sulata Coelho
June 12, 2020 6:40 am

Hai Swathi,
Very tasty recipie
Make India proud

Reply

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