Tomato pickle 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.

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.

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.

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

Andhra tomato pickle recipe

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.

Prep Time20 minutes

Cook Time20 minutes

Total Time40 minutes

Servings10

AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (1 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

How to make the recipe

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.

NUTRITION

Calories: 145kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 87mg | Potassium: 175mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1475IU | Vitamin C: 11.3mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1.4mg

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.

Preparation

1. Wash tomatoes and set aside to dry.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.