Everyday chutney · serves 4
Tomato Pachadi (Andhra Tomato Chutney)
టమాటా పచ్చడి · टमाटर की चटनी · टमाटा-चटनी · Tomato Pachadi · Tamatar Ki Chutney
Tomato pachadi is the everyday chutney of Andhra kitchens: ripe tomatoes cooked down in oil with roasted dals, then ground coarse with chilli, garlic and a little tamarind. Many homes still grind it in the stone roti for a rough, spoonable texture, though a mixer in short pulses does the job. It goes with hot rice and ghee, dosa, idli and pesarattu.
Our Sannam chilli powder gives it a deep red colour and steady, medium heat, and a little turmeric powder goes in with the tomatoes. This recipe makes about 1½ cups.
- Prep10 min
- Cook25 min
- Total40 min
- Makesabout 1½ cups
Total includes 5 minutes for the tomatoes to cool before grinding.
In short
Fry dals and methi in oil, cook tomatoes down with turmeric and salt, then grind coarsely with Sannam chilli powder, garlic and tamarind. Finish with a mustard and curry-leaf tempering.
నూనెలో మినప్పప్పు, శనగపప్పు, మెంతులు వేయించి, టమాటాలను పసుపు, ఉప్పుతో మెత్తగా మగ్గించండి. కారం, వెల్లుల్లి, చింతపండుతో కలిపి కచ్చాపచ్చాగా రుబ్బి, పోపు పెట్టండి. 500 గ్రాముల టమాటాలకు 2 చెంచాల సన్నం కారం సరిపోతుంది; ఇంకా కారంగా కావాలంటే అర చెంచా పెంచండి.
तेल में उड़द दाल, चना दाल और मेथी भूनें, फिर टमाटर को हल्दी और नमक के साथ गलने तक पकाएँ। मिर्च पाउडर, लहसुन और इमली के साथ दरदरा पीसें और तड़का लगाएँ। 500 ग्राम टमाटर के लिए 2 छोटे चम्मच सन्नम मिर्च पाउडर काफ़ी है; ज़्यादा तीखा चाहिए तो आधा चम्मच और डालें।
Ingredients makes about 1½ cups
For the pachadi
- 2 tbsp oil groundnut or sesame oil
- 1 tbsp urad dal
- 1 tbsp chana dal
- ¼ tsp methi seeds fenugreek seeds; no more, or the pachadi turns bitter
- 5 medium tomatoes about 500 g, ripe and red, chopped
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- 2 tsp Sannam chilli powder up to 1 tbsp for a hotter pachadi
- 4 garlic cloves peeled
- marble-sized tamarind about 5 g, seeds removed
- ¼ cup coriander leaves (optional) roughly chopped
For the tempering
- 1 tbsp oil
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp urad dal
- 2 dried red chillies broken in half
- 1 pinch asafoetida hing
- 1 sprig curry leaves
Method
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a kadai on medium-low heat.
- Fry the urad dal, chana dal and methi in oil till golden; lift them out. This takes 2–3 minutes; stir all the time, as methi burns fast and turns bitter.
- In the same oil, add the chopped tomatoes and stir for a minute on medium heat.
- Cook the tomatoes with turmeric and salt till soft and the juice dries up. Cover for the first 5 minutes, then cook uncovered, stirring now and then, about 12–15 minutes in all, until the tomatoes are pulpy and oil shows at the edges.
- Switch off, stir in the tamarind so it softens in the heat, and let everything cool for about 5 minutes.
- In the stone roti or a mixer jar, first grind the fried dals and methi to a coarse powder.
- Grind the dals, garlic, tamarind, chilli powder and tomatoes coarsely. In a mixer, add the garlic, chilli powder and cooked tomatoes to the dal powder and pulse 4–5 times without water; stop while it still has texture. Stir in the coriander leaves, if using.
- Taste and adjust: a pinch more salt, or a little more chilli powder pulsed in, if you want it hotter.
- Spoon the pachadi into a bowl. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds; when they splutter, add the urad dal and fry until golden.
- Add the red chillies, asafoetida and curry leaves and stir for a few seconds.
- Temper with mustard, red chillies and curry leaves; pour over. Mix it in just before serving.
Tips
- Cook the tomatoes till the juice dries up so the pachadi keeps longer and does not taste raw.
- Ripe, deep-red tomatoes give the best colour; if yours are sour, cut the tamarind to half.
- Pulse, do not run the mixer: a coarse pachadi is how Andhra homes like it, and a smooth paste loses that texture.
- Sannam chilli powder gives medium heat. Start at 2 tsp and add more after tasting; the heat settles a little as the pachadi rests.
Variations
- Green chilli: replace the chilli powder with 4–5 green chillies, fried with the dals.
- Onion-tomato: fry 1 sliced onion until soft before the tomatoes go in.
- Hotter: use 1 tsp Teja chilli powder in place of 1 tsp of the Sannam; Teja is very hot, so go slowly.
- Without garlic: leave out the garlic and add a pinch more asafoetida to the tempering.
Serving
Mix a spoonful into hot rice with a little ghee, or serve alongside dosa, idli, pesarattu or upma.
Storage
Keep it in a clean, dry glass jar in the fridge and eat within 4 days. Always use a dry spoon.
Questions
How do you make Andhra tomato pachadi?
Fry urad dal, chana dal and methi in oil, cook chopped tomatoes with turmeric and salt until the juice dries up, then grind everything coarsely with chilli powder, garlic and tamarind. Finish with a mustard, red chilli and curry-leaf tempering.
Why is my tomato pachadi bitter?
Usually the methi seeds burnt or there were too many. Use only ¼ tsp for 500 g tomatoes and fry them on medium-low heat, lifting them out as soon as they turn golden.
Can I make tomato pachadi without tamarind?
Yes, if your tomatoes are sour enough. Taste after cooking; ripe, sweet tomatoes need the small piece of tamarind for balance.
How long does tomato pachadi last?
About 4 days in the fridge in a clean, dry jar, as long as the tomatoes were cooked down well and you use a dry spoon.
