Tomato thokku for rice or dosa is one of the popular everyday side dish recipes of South India, which is made with just a few ingredients, including tomato, onion, and chili powder. A simple, basic, but tasty side dish perfect for rice, dosa, and roti.
Tomato thokku-spicy South Indian style thick tomato gravy is one of the popular recipes. This versatile side dish matches any main course, whether rice, paratha, roti, idli, or dosa.
This is one of my favorite recipes because it can be made faster with few ingredients.
Generally, 'thokku' is made by cooking vegetables only in cooking oil. It can be stored for about a week at room temperature. But I used to make them with less cooking oil, which can be refrigerated for about 4-5 days.
How much cooking oil is needed for this recipe?
2 tablespoons of cooking oil or less if you are making it in a nonstick pan; we need the cooking oil required for sauteing the onion.
What is the proportion of onion and tomatoes?
There are tonnes of varieties of tomatoes available in the market. They also vary in their scale of sourness. Generally, the amount of onion and tomato has to be equal. But if the tomato is sour, increase the quantity of onion and vice versa.
I used plum tomatoes in this recipe, so the number of tomatoes was increased by 20% from the regular recipe.
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Pro Tips
- Cook in medium to low flame to get perfect flavorful thokku.
- Add a few sprinkles of salt while cooking the onion. This process makes the onion to cook evenly.
- Add a few sprinkles of salt while cooking the tomato, making the tomato cook quicker and mushy.
- Once the tomato is ¾th done, gently mash the tomato chunks. This gives the tomato thokku a great texture.
- For variations, add green chilies and reduce the quantity of chili powder.
- Add vegetables like green peas, small cubes, potatoes if serving for roti, and parathas.
- Sometimes, I use leftover tomato thokku as a spread for bread sandwiches.
How to make Tomato Thokku
Heat cooking oil in the pan. Add mustard seeds and urad dal. Allow mustard seeds to crackle.
Add chopped onion. And saute in medium to low flame until onion turns pink and translucent.
Once the onion is cooked well, add chopped tomatoes. Cook it till the tomatoes become mushy.
Hint: Add a pinch of salt to cook the tomatoes evenly. Also, gently press the tomato chunks to make them mushy.
Add chili powder and saute for a minute once the tomatoes are cooked and blended well.
Then add water and allow it to cook until it becomes thick or to the desired consistency. Add chopped coriander leaves.
Serve tomato thokku hot with rice, dosa or roti.
The leftovers can be refrigerated for about 4-5 days.
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Printable recipe card
Tomato thokku for rice
Ingredients
- 2 tomato large size
- 2 onion small size
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon urad dal /skinless black gram
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ cup water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Over medium heat, in a pan, add vegetable oil, black mustard seeds, and urad dal.
- Allow mustard seeds to crackle.
- In medium to low heat, add chopped onion and saute until onion turns pink and translucent.
- Add chopped tomatoes.
- And cook until tomatoes become mushy.
- Next add red chili powder and saute for a minute.
- Then add water and salt.
- Allow it to cook until it becomes thick.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro.
- Serve tomato thokku hot with rice, dosa or roti.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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