Tomato Kurma

Don’t get alarmed by the heavy list of ingredients, most of them are optional. Most Indian pantry…usually have these whole garam masalas and tadka items.., coconut is one item which is an exception as fresh coconut is hard to find. Substitute with coconut powder, good quality Thai brand coconut milk or if you have dessicated coconut flakes, then try adding little dalia and grind with warm water. I’ve used kashmiri red chili powder for bright red colour and its ok to go with any kind. If whole garam masala is an issue, then go with little store bought garam masala powder.

Coming to the recipe part, always use bright red ripe and juicy tomatoes, if not move on to plan B. Take out or cook a pack of Ramen noodles, guess they sound much easier!!

Heat oil and ghee in a pan. Toast cumin seeds, fennel seeds, curry leaves, bay leaf, cloves and cinnamon sticks for few seconds. Add the green chili and chopped onions and fry them until well browned. Now add ginger garlic paste, followed by chopped tomatoes. Cover and cook until the toamtoes tunr tender, soft and mushy. Now add tuermic powder, red chili powder, corainder powder and salt. Fry the masala till the oil separates and add the water and coconut milk. Simmer until desired thickness and garnish with corainder leaves. Serve over hot idlis or kal dosai.