Tamatar ka Achar : Tomato Pickle |Pickles and Chutneys|

Tamatar ka achar brings back lots of my childhood memories. My Dad had a transferable job and at that time he was posted in Bhubaneswar. Our family was also relocated to the new place. It was a new place for us and it took us couple of months to settle down completely. The new place with completely new language and people made a bit hard for us to interact. Gradually I made friends in school and in our neighborhood but the language proved quite a barrier. One morning I was playing in the lawn when I heard a lady calling by my name. I looked at her in surprise and saw a smiling lady peeking through our fence and in clear Bengali she asked about my Maa. I was so happy to hear her speak in Bengali that I rushed in to call her.

Since that day she was a regular visitor at our home and later I came to know that she was not a Bengali by birth but the love of the language made her learn. She read all the great works of all the Bengali authors and was in love with our culture. She and my mom became the best of friends. I also became fond of her and she made me goodies which I loved munching. Sometimes she made this tamatar ka achar and brought with her during the afternoon chit chats. I used to sneak in and taste the achaar and lick my finger till it was wiped clean.

After all these years I could still remember the slightly tangy sweet taste of the pickle. This summer I planted two tomato plants for the first time. The plants gave a good number of tomatoes. After adding it to the curries, soups, I was still left with handful of tomatoes. With that batch tamatar ka achaar took shape in my kitchen. I just followed my memory and tried to recreate the taste. The taste that I remember was very close with the recipe.

There is nothing much in this recipe. Just a few ingredients from the pantry and takes less than an hour to prepare. You may adjust the sweetness and the tartness from the tamarind. I liked it on the tart side. The achaar is sweet,tangy and tart all at the same time with a hint of spice from the chilli powder. This goes great with any Indian breads, with dal-chawal or you may have spoonful of the achaar while watching your favorite movie in the afternoon.

Tips:

You may add couple of tablespoons of hot mustard oil after making the pickle. The extra oil will keep the achaar fresh for a longer time. You may store the achaar in the fridge. If you do not have sweet pickle use the regular ones. In that case adjust the sweetness.

To get regular updates you may like us at Facebook and follow us at Instagram. Thank you!

TAMATAR KA ACHAAR

Tamatar ka Achaar

YIELD: 8 oz jar
PREP: 15 mins
COOK: 25 mins
READY IN: 40 mins

The achaar is sweet, tangy and tart all at the same time with a hint of spice from the chilli powder. Goes great with any Indian breads.

INGREDIENTS

2 lb red tomatoes preferably vine ripe
4 tablespoons tamarind pulp or more to taste
10-12 pods sweet tamarind outer shell removed
1/2 cup sugar or less to taste
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons red chili powder
1/2 cup mustard oil
8-10 medium curry leaves chopped coarsely
2 medium dried red chilis
1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
1 tablespoon chana daal optional
1 teaspoon urad dal optional

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Wash and pat dry the tomatoes. Cut them in quarters if small or in eighths if big in size. Take out the shells from the tamarind and soak in hot water for 15 minutes. Drain the water and mash with your hands and try to take out as many seeds as you can. Few seeds are fine.
2. Heat a kadhai or wok and add the mustard oil. When the oil is smoking, lower the heat and add the dried red chillis, mustard seeds, urad and chana dal. Wait till it splutters and the dal changes it color to light brown and then add the curry leaves. Wait for few seconds and add the cut tomatoes. Stir for couple of minutes and then add the salt,turmeric and chilli powder. Stir in between and let the tomatoes sweat and release the juices (for approx 5 minutes at medium heat).
3. When the tomatoes start to release the juices add the tamarind pulp, the soaked tamarind and sugar. Let it cook for at least 10-12 minutes. As you add the sugar it will release lot of water. Let the water dry up and cook up to a thick consistency. Check for seasoning.
4. Turn off the heat and let it cool down completely. When the achaar is completely cool, transfer to a dry clean jar.
5. Keep the jar in a cool dry place and enjoy with chapatti or as you wish.