andhra tomato pickle recipe | nilava tomato pachadi recipe

Traditionally this andhra tomato pickle (nilava tomato pachadi) is made with sun
dried tomato chunks. But for those living abroad or living in high raised build
ing 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 abou
t 3 months.
This pickle tastes tangy, hot and sour with flavors of methi and garlic.The amou
nt of red chili powder, fenugreek seeds powder to use here depends on the kind o
f 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 ar
e 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. Earlier i would use a lot
of fenugreek seeds powder in this recipe, now i have updated to a reduced quant
ity.
Instant Tomato pickle, south indian style
Author: Swasthi
Recipe type: Pickle
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients (240 ml cup used)
500 Grams chopped tomatoes
6 tbsp. red chili pow (adjust to suit your taste)
1 tsp. turmeric pow
80 Grams tamarind (adjust to suit your taste, discard the pulp)
to 1 tbsp. methi seeds (fenugreek)
1 tsp. mustard seeds (optional)
2 tbsp. oil for frying tomatoes
Salt as needed
Seasoning
90 ml oil (mustard or peanut or sunflower)
1 sprig curry leaves
1 tsp. mustard
6 cloves of garlic (sliced)
1 red chilli deseeded
Pinch of hing
Instructions
Wash tomatoes under running water and leave them aside to dry.
Soak tamarind in enough warm water to immerse it. (boiled & cooled water)
Dry roast fenugreek seeds on a low flame till they emit a nice aroma. if using m
ustard add them and fry just for a minute and set aside to cool.
Powder the roasted fenugreek seeds and mustard.
Chop tomatoes and fry them with salt and turmeric in a non-stick on a medium fla
me till they turn mushy and the pulp should thicken.
Squeeze the tamarind fully and filter it to remove the impurities. Add this to t
he cooked tomatoes. Adjust the tamarind to suit your taste.
When tomato mix cools down completely, add chili powder, salt, fenugreek and mus
tard powder to this mixture and mix well.
heat a pan with 2 tbsp. oil, add mustard, fry till they splutter, add garlic and
fry till they turn aromatic, add red chilies and curry leaves.Fry them until th
ey turn crisp
Pour rest of the oil (60 ml) to the tomato pickle along with the seasoning and m
ix well.
Notes
To the seasoning, 1 tbsp. channa dal and urad dal can be added and fried till go
lden, it imparts a good aroma to the pickle. They soak in the pickle and eventua
lly taste tangy. Adding them is optional. Not everyone may like this, if you wis
h use them.