Garden fresh tomato pickle

The best part about having a vegetable garden at home is that sense of pride that fills your chest every time you look at a fresh sprig of mint/coriander, a juicy stalk of celery or a ripe swollen tomato! I have this wild variety of tomato growing in my garden that’s so juicy and tangy, and just a bit larger that a cherry tomato. My gardener brings me a whole bunch everyday and I’m running out of ideas to use them! So I put together this quick tomato garlic pickle which is a recipe that I learnt from my mother-in-law; and it goes surprisingly well with just about anything- paranthas, puris, sandwiches, or even as a spicy supplement with curd rice and pappad!

I haven’t posted many Indian recipes on my blog yet, but some friends told me that they would love to have recipes that they know can be trusted; those that are easy to make with few homely ingredients; and are not the usual ones you find on the internet like palak paneer or dal makhani. So I’m going to try and keep this up! I have a million home-cook-recipes that I can think of, but sadly I don’t have any pictures of them! So as and when I make one of my usuals at home, I’m going to make sure to take some pictures so I can share them here with you guys!

Ingredients

6 ripe tomatoes, chopped roughly

1 full pod of garlic, peeled

¼ tsp fenugreek (methi) seeds, roasted and powdered

1 tsp mustard seeds

¼ tsp asafoetida (hing)

¼ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)

1 tsp red chilly powder

¼ tsp sugar

½ tsp salt to taste

3-4 tsp vegetable oil

Method

Heat oil in pan, and add the mustard seeds, asafoetida and turmeric powder. Add the powdered fenugreek seeds and the garlic. Fry for a minute. Now add the chopped tomatoes. Season with salt, sugar and red chilly powder. Allow to simmer till the tomatoes are completely done (about 10-15min); or until you see the oil bubbling on the sides of the pan. Allow to cool completely, transfer to a jar and refrigerate.

The pickle lasts refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.