Tomato - garlic Thokku

This is lovely side dish that I came across on the net for idli and dosa. It is simple to make and tastes great.

Ingredients:

Red chillies
Fenugreek seeds - few
Cumin seeds
Mustard seeds- few
Oil
Tomato puree - (Use 3 or 4 tomatoes for a serving of 2 people)
Tamarind - small piece
Onion - Finely chopped (1/2 if its small, 1/4 if its big)(Optional)
Garlic pods ( 5 or 6) - finely chopped
Garam masala powder - a pinch
Asafoetida - a pinch
Red chilly powder - 1 tspn (Optional)
Salt to taste
Curry leaves - chopped (Optional)


What to do:

1. Dry roast the fenugreek seeds,mustard (few),cumin seeds and red chilles in a wok.
The fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds gives a very lovely aroma to the dish. Too
many of these will however make it slightly bitter. Make a powder out of these and
allow it to cool
2. Make a puree of the tomatoes and TAMARIND and keep it aside too
3. In the wok, add oil (4 spoons).Yes, this dish uses slightly more oil
5. Once the oil is heated, add mustard seeds(few) and allow it to sputter and then add
Asafoetida and garam masala. Then add finely chopped onion, garlic,curry leaves fry
well
6. Now, add the tomato puree and allow it to boil for 10 to 12 min. You will notice that
the puree changes its colour and slightly thickens after some time.
7. At this time, add the powder made from STEP 1 and salt
8. Allow it to cook. If you see that it is not as spicy as you want it to be ONLY then add
the red chilly powder. Else avoid it
9. Fry the chutney till it is thick and all the water from the tomato is gone

Hint:
1. It takes quite some time for the tomato puree to thicken.
2. You can add coriander leaves at the end to make it more colourful.
3. You can totally avoid onions too
4. You can use it in semi solid form or make it totally dry like a pickle and use
5. This can be stored in a dry air-tight container for 4 or 5 days