சமய சஞ்சீவி (கறிகாய்) தக்காளி!!! - Tomato to the rescue!

Enna item or menu seivathu? This question looms large to anyone who cooks routinely. My mom who is a great cook, used to say, " I wish someone would just tell me what menu/item they want. Cooking is not difficult; it is coming up with a menu that is different and appealing again and again that is difficult!"

So here I am thinking what to cook and it struck me that the one vegetable that can stand alone or blend with most other vegetables is Tomato! So here is a "ALL IN ONE" recipe for rasam, soup, thokku, pachadi, gothsu, thakkali satham, etc., etc.,

ThakkaLi Vazhga!!!


Get good sized tomatoes and cut them into medium sized pieces:

Similarly, cut onions, garlic, ginger, green chillies, coriander leaves, brinjal, tofu or paneer into small pieces and keep.

Fry peanuts/ cashew nuts and keep aside.

Tomatoes 1- 2 kg.
Take 3-4 spoons of oil in a sauce pan and add 1 spoon of mustard seeds, 1/4 spoon cumin seeds, 1/2 spoon urad dal, few channa dal, and fry till golden brown.
Add the tomatoes and keep stirring.

Rasam:
Take a little quantity now, add water in a separate pan and let boil. Add salt and rasam powder to taste and serve after 10 min of boiling. Top off with popped mustard seeds and coriander leaves.

- Those who want onions/garlic in their dishes, add them now to the sauce pan.
- Add ginger and green chillies.
- Add salt to taste and in low flame cook for 30 min.

Soup:

Take some quantity of the tomato mix from the sauce pan, dilute with water and boil. Add shredded carrots, peas and some butter.
Add sour cream or milk. Add some coriander leaves or basil.

You have the soup now!

Gothsu:

Keep stirring the mix in the bigger pan. When it is a semi liquid, take some out. In another pan pop some mustard seeds and add the cut brinjal pieces and cook. When reasonably done, add the tomato semi-liquid and mix. Add more water and boil. (If you have boiled moong dal, you can add that too).
Add some tamarind water, salt and turmeric and chilli powder and let boil.
garnish with curry leaves. Gothsu is ready!

Pachadi:

With the same semi-liquid paste, add yoghurt and buttermilk, salt and mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Thayir pachadi to go!


Tomato rice:

Take desired quantity from the original sauce pan (by now it must look like a paste with less water), add turmeric powder and asafoetida to taste. Add to boiled rice and mix well.
Garnish with curry leaves, cashew nuts.
Tomato Rice is ready to serve!

Thokku:

Keep stirring adding some hot chilli powder. When all the water has gone, your thokku is ready. Cool and store in bottle for upto a month!
Good with idli, dosai, chappati, etc.,


Tomato tofu:

With this paste add fried paneer or tufu, add some water and boil. Add milk or yoghurt in the end. garnish with curry leaves.
Your liquid-baji is ready.

Where necessary, you can add peas to the ingredients.


So you see, all you need is a little bit patience and imagination and you can make any dish you want!

Happy cooking!!! with tomatoes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!