Tomato Thokku

When tomatoes are in season, everyone is happy. Everything that is cooked is fresh and delicious (and healthy). But as the season ends, and all the fruits that once looked so happy and healthy start looking sad, droopy, and squishy, everyone begins to think of innovative ways of storing and freezing them. We really wanted to freeze the tomatoes in their pulpy states, but it involved a lot of processes and exclusive tools and machinery to sterilize and seal, that we decided it wasn’t worth our time. Maybe it would have been worth our time, but it’s too late for that speculation. 

One of the easiest ways of extending the shelf-life of any fruit or vegetable is to pickle it. And Indians are seasoned at it! Thokku is one form of pickle, specific to tomatoes. It is made from simple, and few ingredients, and if stored right, lasts for at least three weeks. 

 

Ingredients

1. Tomatoes (ripe or unripe) - quantity doesn’t matter much. I started with around 16 tomatoes.
2. 2-3 tablespoons of sesame oil (sesame oil gives more flavor to this)
3. 2 teaspoons of mustard seeds
4. 2 teaspoons of split urad dhal
5. 3 teaspoons of chilli powder (or more, according to individual preference)
6. 2-3 teaspoons of salt (according to preference)
7. 1 teaspoon of turmeric
8. ½ teaspoon of hing
9. A few torn curry leaves

Preparation

1. Dice the tomatoes into small pieces. This is probably a personal preference too, but the finer you dice, the more easily the tomatoes cook. Some people may even blanch the tomatoes in hot water to remove the peel.
2. Heat the sesame oil in a deep pan. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and let them splutter.
3. Add the urad dhal, hing, curry leaves, and turmeric and saute for a bit on medium heat.
4. Add the tomatoes and saute. When the tomatoes start releasing their juice, add salt and chilli powder. Some people add the chilli powder at the very end so they are sure of the exact quantity of “thokku” after the tomatoes cook down. Doing so would also help you gauge/adjust the amount of chilli powder required. You will not overestimate or underestimate.
5. Stir and let the tomatoes cook down on small-medium heat. Keep stirring now and then to avoid the tomatoes from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
6. The water/juice from the tomatoes should completely evaporate, and the tomato pulp should separate from the oil. For my 16 or so tomatoes, it took 45 minutes to an hour on small-medium heat.

Allow the thokku to cool, and transfer it to a clean, dry, air-tight jar. Even if the jar isn’t air tight, it will last for 7-10 days in the fridge. There are some people who add a few spoons of sesame oil on top of the thokku in the jar. It is supposed to act as an extra dose of preservative, and the thokku tastes great too! You can mix the thokku with cooked rice, or have it as a side-dish with idli, dosai, adai, roti.