Learn how to make Instant Andhra Tomato Pickle ~ Instant Andhra style tomato pickle flavoured with spices, tamarind and garlic tempering It is always hard to come back to England after a fun filled trip to India! The colours, weather, buzz, noise, and the sense of never being alone are just other things you miss apart from family and friends. The holiday is always too short when one visits home!!! Juicy, firm, red Tomatoes for Instant Andhra Style Tomato Pickle This holiday with our family was one that finally helped us in taking one of the big and most important decisions of our life. I will talk about it in one of my next posts in coming days. For now all I want to talk about is food... The food cooked by our loved ones and the few I cooked for them, like this Instant Andhra Tomato Pickle! Spicy and tangy Instant Andhra style Tomato Pickle While on holiday in India, I was approached by the good people at one of the biggest brands of cookware in India, Nirlep. The brand Nirlep has been offering quality products in India and abroad since 1968 and it still continues to be one of the top cookware brands. Nirlep is the first ever company to produce non-stick cookware in India and has produced more than 12 million pans in the last 44 years! It is also the first brand produce non-stick flat griddle (tawa) to the world. Their wide range of products from non-stick cookware, pressure cookers, induction cooktops and gas stoves at different price ranges from Rs.180 to Rs.7645 to suit every budget. Instant Andhra Tomato Pickle served with Paratha and Yogurt Nirlep sent me two products for testing, Nirlep Hard Anodised Ebody Handi and Ebony Induction Compatible Kadai. The products were well packed and they reached me within 2 days of shipment from their warehouse. Both the products came with instruction manual and a snug fitting stainless steel lid and a glass lid respectively. During my short stay, I have extensively used the Ebony Handi as it is a perfect cookware to cook the gravy based dish and this review is all about how I found this little product. Nirlep Hard Anodised Ebony Handi (Image courtesy Nirlep India) The hard anodised Ebony Handi is a traditional belly-shaped pot with steel rod riveted side handles and a stainless steel lid. The hard anodized surface makes it scratch resistant, thus allowing free use of metal spoon, spatula etc which is what we use extensively in Indian cooking. It is excellent product for healthy cooking as it can be used without or with very little oil due to non-stick coating. The hard anodised technology allows the even distribution of heat and hence I found it really good product for making the bhuna paste which takes pretty cooking time. The elegant matt finished handle gives a better grip. It does not warp and boasts of stain free exteriors that can last for a lifetime and it sure is a value addition to any contemporary kitchen. You can check their wide range of products and buy from Nirlep online shop. I have always been very particular about choosing my cookware and never compromise on the quality as I believe in long-term investments. Investing in the cheap and the wrong kind of cookware can be a potential hazard, not only in terms of money, but also in terms of health which is always my prime concern. As I honestly believe in the magic of slow cooking, the hard anodised Ebony Handi is the perfect fit for my kitchen to cook my favourite slow cooked dishes like Dum Aloo, Rajma, Dal Makhani and many other. With it's fitted lid, you can be sure that all the nutrients are retained during the long cooking process. The round pot helps in even distribution of heat by circulating the steam around the pot and also makes sure that the food doesn't burn quickly. My only complain is that the handle is bit too small and does get heated up during cooking making it bit clumsy to hold on to when there is lot of stirring to do. Overall this is a beautiful looking cookware which can double up as a serve ware and requires little elbow grease to clean. This little handi with its snug fit lid is oven safe too and hence is perfect for any Dum-Phukt cooking style. Considering the quality of the cookware and it's usefulness, I do recommend it if you like your dum style slow-cooked rice or curries. Tomato for Instant Andhra Tomato Pickle Now the exciting news is Nirlep has agreed to GIVEAWAY their products to THREE lucky readers of Monsoon Spice. The winners can choose either a frypan, tadka pan or a gift coupon. The giveaway is open to anyone with Indian shipping address. Even if you live abroad, you can win this giveaway for your loved ones back in India by entering the giveaway! This contest is closed now! Thank you all for participating. Three lucky winners were chosen at random from random.org and the Nirlep giveaway contest winners are Sita Lalita Aishwarya Congratulations winners! Please email me your contact details to siakrishna[at]gmail[dot]com ASAP so that Nirlep can send you your prize. If I don't hear from you by 20th Feb, 2014, a new winner will be chosen from the list. So hurry up! :) Instant Tomato Pickle Now coming to the recipe of Instant Andhra Tomato Pickle, I chanced upon this recipe at Sailu’s blog few months ago. Since then I have made this pickle twice already with few variations and it has become my family’s favourite recipe. I am a huge fan of Andhra Sundried Tomato Pickle which I tasted for the first time at hostel during graduate days. My best friend was from Andhra and her mother’s Gongura (Sorrel Leaves) Pickle and Sundried Tomato Pickle was out of this world! It is a very labour intensive process and took few days to prepare it. But this recipe of Instant Andhra Tomato Pickle is really good if not better than the Sundried version. Sinfully spicy ~ Andhra styled Tomato Pickle Juicy tomatoes slow cooked for up to an hour and then blended with aromatic spices and tamarind to give it spicy and tangy note. And then the tempering of whole spices with curry leaves and garlic makes this Andhra style Instant Tomato Pickle a truly sensational experience for taste buds! It goes well with Dosa, Idli, steamed rice and even with chapattis and parathas. I have added a spoonful with wraps and even sandwiches and it was sensational! The vibrant red hued Instant Andhra Tomato Pickle is sure to win your heart if you like your pickles super spicy and full of flavour. Juicy red tomatoes for Tomato Pickle Spices used in Instant Tomato Pickle Ingredients used in Instant Andhra Tomato Pickle Instant Andhra Tomato Pickle (Instant Andhra style tomato pickle flavoured with spices, tamarind and garlic tempering) Prep Time: 10 mins Cooking Time: 50-60 mins Recipe Level: Easy/Beginner to Intermediate Spice Level: High Makes: About 2-2½ cups Recipe Source: Sailu’s Food Shelf Life: Up to 2 months in refrigerator Serving Suggestion: With Dosa, Idli, steamed rice and even with chapattis and parathas (Read notes) Ingredients: 8-10 large Tomatoes, cored and thinly sliced 1 small lime sized Tamarind Pulp (Adjust as per taste. Read notes) 1½ -2 tbsp Salt (Adjust as per taste) 2-3 tbsp Oil (Preferably Sesame Oil) Spices Used: 2 tbsp Red Chilli Powder (adjust as per taste) 1 tsp Methi/Fenugreek Powder (Read notes) ½ tsp Haldi/Turmeric Powder For Tadka/Tempering: 1 tsp Mustard Seeds A generous pinch of Methi/Fenugreek Seeds 3-4 Dry Red Chillies, halved 8 large (cut them to slices) or 15 small cloves of Garlic, peeled and lightly crushed 2 springs of Curry Leaves 2 tbsp Oil (Preferably Sesame Oil) Instant Andhra style Tomato Pickle Method: Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan and add sliced tomatoes. Cook the tomatoes on high heat for about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium high and continue to cook till you see little oil separating in the edge and the tomatoes release their juice and turn mushy, about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook the tomatoes as the oil separates from them and the paste starts to thicken. It can take anything around 45 minutes to 55 minutes for the tomatoes to cook. Turn off the heat and add tamarind pulp and close the lid. The tamarind will soften with the heat of cooked tomatoes. Let the cooked tomatoes cool down completely to room temperature before mixing them well. Once cooled, add salt and grind the cooked tomatoes along with red chilli powder, turmeric and fenugreek seed powder. In a pan, heat oil for tempering. Add mustard seeds and methi seeds and cook then until the methi seeds turn red and mustard seeds pop and splutters. Add dry red chillies and curry leaves and saute for few seconds. Add crushed garlic and turn off the heat. Leave it aside for 4-5 minutes to cool it. Once cool, add the tempering to the tomato paste and mix them well. Transfer the Tomato Pickle into clean, dry and sterilised airtight jar and refrigerate. Serve this delicious Instant Andhra Tomato Pickle with steamed rice and dal and enjoy! You can also serve it with roties, dosa, and idlies. Instant Andhra Tomato Pickle ~ Instant tomato pickle flavoured with spices, tamarind and garlic tempering Sia’s Notes: The best kind of tomatoes for this Instant Andhra Tomato Pickle are the sour ones. Use tamarind only if the tomatoes are sweet without any tang. The amount oil used in the pickle is slightly more than the usual amount of oil I use in other recipes and this is mainly due to the fact that the oil here acts as one of the preserving agent and hence improves the shelf life of the pickle. To make methi powder, dry roast the methi seeds until they turn light red in colour. Cool them completely before crushing them to powder in pestle and mortar. It goes well with Dosa, Idli, steamed rice and even with chapattis and parathas. I have added a spoonful with wraps and even sandwiches and it was sensational! Make sure you use firm, red and juicy tomatoes for this Instant Andhra Tomato Pickle.