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Tomatoes all the way

Try out these tomato recipes; they're simple to make and scrumptious too

Photos: S. Siva Saravanan

MYRIAD USES Tomato puree and pickle

This year has been great for tomato lovers. With prices being relatively low, it is time to stock up this juicy fruit and preserve it for use through the year. Try out tomato puree, which you can use in a host of dishes, jam and pickle. They can be stored for two months in the refrigerator.

Tomato Puree

From this basic puree, you can make tomato soup, makhanwala and sweet and sour preparations. With makhanwala as a base, you can prepare paneer, chicken and vegetable makhanwala.

Using the sweet and sour sauce, one can make sweet and sour prawns, fish, vegetables, paneer and chicken. You can also use puree in South Indian cooking to make rasam or sambar.

Ingredients

Ripe tomatoes - 5 kg
Method

Boil water. Add tomatoes and blanch. Peel and cut into halves. Remove the seeds and the stem. Turn the halved tomato and press gently to remove excess juice. Repeat the process on all tomatoes. Prepare a smooth paste in a blender. It should be of pouring consistency. Place prepared puree in a sauce pan and allow to simmer till the puree is thick and no liquid separates from it. Ladle the prepared puree into a sterile container and store in a refrigerator.

To sterilise a jar, rinse it in piping hot water. Keep it inverted on a towel and allow to drain. Then, pour the puree and close it lightly. Place the jar in a container of hot water and keep it on slow fire for 30 minutes. This will help it last longer.

Here are some dishes you can make from tomato puree:

Chicken/paneer makhanwala

Heat 30 gm of butter in a pan, add whole garam masala and let it crackle. Add 1 tbsp of ginger-garlic paste and cook for a few minutes. Introduce 200 ml of tomato puree, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, salt and a cup of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer. Add tandoori chicken or cut paneer or cooked vegetables. Garnish with powdered kasoori methi. Finish with fresh cream and grated unsweetened khoa. Serve hot with rotis and naan.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

This is a Chinese preparation. Stir together 200 ml of tomato puree, 50 ml of vinegar, 20 ml of soya sauce, a dessertspoon sugar, salt to taste and 3 teaspoons of diluted corn flour and cook till slightly thick.

Pour the sauce over cooked vegetables, floured and fried prawns or fried chicken and simmer. Serve hot with steamed rice, fried rice or noodles.

Tomato soup

In a saucepan, heat oil and sauté 1 tbsp of finely chopped onions and carrots. Add a tablespoon of maida and stir well. Reduce heat and add 200 ml of tomato puree and 100 ml of water and simmer till you reach the desired consistency. Add salt and pepper. Strain and pour over croutons placed in a bowl and top it with fresh cream.

Tomato Pickle

Ingredients

Ripe Tomatoes - 1 kg
Tamarind - 50 gm
Red chilli powder - 100 gm
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Fenugreek powder - 1 tsp
Mustard powder - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - 1 tsp
Garlic - 50 gm
Curry leaves - a few
Gingili oil - 100 ml

Method

Wash and cut tomatoes into quarter pieces. Heat 50 ml of oil and sauté cut tomato, cleaned tamarind and turmeric powder. Remove from fire and allow to cool. Grind cooked ingredients to a paste with garlic and salt. Keep aside. Heat remaining oil in a kadai. Add curry leaves and red chilli powder. Sauté for a while and add the prepared paste. Cook till the oil separates. Add asafoetida, mustard and fenugreek powders and mix well.

Remove from fire and store in sterile jar. You can extend the shelf life by adding vinegar during cooking. This goes well with rice, idli, dosa and chapattis.

Tomato Jam

Ingredients

Ripe and firm tomato - 1 kg
Sugar - 1 kg
Lime juice - 4 tbsp

Method

Wash and quarter the tomatoes. Sprinkle sugar and cover. Store overnight. Next day, heat the tomatoes in a thick-bottomed pan. Continue cooking over medium heat till the tomatoes are done. Add the lemon juice and mix well. Raise the heat and cook till it reaches jam consistency. (To check, drop a teaspoon of the cooked mass in a plate of water. It should settle like a ball without disintegrating). Remove from fire and store it in a sterile container.

R. SINGARAVELAVAN

(The writer is HoD, Catering Science and Hotel Management, SNR Sons College.)

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