Tomato curry or Thakkali curry

Tomato curry or thakkali curry is a popular side dish for rice, dosa and chappati.

Like many other traditional recipes of Kerala, tomato curry also has grated coconut milk as one of its major ingredient. Sliced green chillis and red chilli powder are added to have a spicy flavour. It takes around 25 minutes for making this recipe. The taste of this Kerala recipe depends on the quantity of spices like turmeric powder, masala powder, ginger etc. Seasoning with sauteed onions, curry leaves and mustard seeds will give a unique aroma and a distinct taste. Have a look at the ingredients and the method of preparation of this recipe.

Ingredients required for making tomato curry or thakkali curry

• 3-4 sliced and chopped tomatoes
• 1 medium sized onion (sliced and chopped to small pieces)
• 4 green chillies (sliced to pieces)
• 1 teaspoon of minced ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder
• 2 teaspoon of red chilli powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala powder
• Salt according to our requirement
• 2 tablespoon of coconut oil
• Water (as per the requirement)

Ingredients for grinding

• 1 cup of grated coconut
• 1/4 teaspoon of cumin (jeera)
• 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder
• 1/2 cup of water

Ingredient for seasoning

• 1 teaspoon of oil
• 1/4 teaspoon of mustard seeds
• 4-5 shallots (ulli)
• A sprig of curry leaves

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Method of preparation

• Grind the grated coconut along with cumin seeds, turmeric powder and water, keep it aside.
• Heat some coconut oil in a pan and add sliced onions, ginger and green chillies.
• Saute it until the onions become translucent.
• Add the sliced pieces of tomatoes along with salt. Cook the mixture until the tomatoes become mushy.
• Add turmeric, chilly and garam masala powders to the mashed tomatoes. Stir the fry for a minute.
• Add the grinded coconut paste to the tomatoes. Pour 2 cups of water and mix it well
• Reduce the flame to medium level and bring the curry to a slow boil. Take it away from the flame and keep it aside.

Preparation of the seasoning

• Heat some oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds.
• Once the mustard seeds start spluttering, add the sliced and chopped shallot pieces.
• Also add a sprig of curry leaves and stir it well. Saute it until the shallots has a light brown colour.
• One it is prepared, add it to the prepared tomato curry
• Serve this delicious recipe with rice, chapatti and dosa.