Sundried Tomato Pickle Step by Step Recipe

Think raw tomatoes taste good? Wait till you try this tangy sundried tomato pickle. Moreover, this pickle is homemade and can be made easily with few ingredients. A great sun dried tomatoes Indian recipe, this pickle can be consumed with roti or rice. Let's look at an easy sun dried tomato pickle step by step recipe.

How do you sun dry tomatoes?

Wash the tomatoes thoroughly. Next, cut them into halves or quarter. Further, sprinkle some salt over the tomatoes. Keep them under direct sunlight to dry.

Are sun dried tomatoes healthier than regular tomatoes?

Studies show that sun dried tomatoes have a higher concentration of lycopene that helps fight certain types of cancer including of the skin. Furthermore, the antioxidants present help fight free radical damage.

Ingredients:

Desi Tomatoes/ Regular Tomatoes– ½ Kg 
Chili Powder – 100 gms
Tamarind – 25 gms
Rock Salt - 15 gms
Sesame oil – 50 gms

For Seasoning:

Mustard – 5 gms
Broken Urad dal – 5 gms
Rock Hing – 1 small piece
Curry leaves – 2 Strands
Red Chillies (Optional) – 2

Method:

Wash the tomatoes and wipe dry.
Next, cut into four parts and stack them nicely on a flat vessel.

Place the tomatoes under the sun after covering them with a net. Start as early as possible.
(Note of caution – Try to remove the tomatoes from sun around 3 PM)

Further, Ccontinue to sun dry the tomatoes for one more day.

Also, grind the tomatoes in the smooth paste and sieve if too many seeds are visible. 

Make a thick pulp from the Tamarind.
Next, heat Jaggery with little water and remove dirt if any and keep aside
In a thick bottom pan pour 3/4th quantity of sesame oil, add mustard & let it sputter. Next, add Urad dal,  hing, curry leaves and  red chillies.
Further, pour the tomato paste into the oil let it cook for 10 mins on a medium flame. Close the lid to avoid sputtering.
Next, add salt to taste & cook for 5 mins more with lid closed
Finally, add Tamarind paste and Jaggery, stir nicely and close the lid. Occasionally stir and cook for another 20 mins, slowly add the remaining oil.

Switch off the flame & serve with hot rice & dal, curd rice, idly, dosa or even phulkas.

If you are looking for more Indian style pickle ideas, look at this article

Recipe Courtesy: Shri Bala

Shri Bala is a Chartered Accountant & Company Secretary and an Author of the fiction Y?Me . . . based on a Chef's life post 26/11. She is a food aficionado with in depth knowledge of South Indian Vegetarian food. She recently conducted a South Indian Food Festival under the aegis guidance of Executive Chef Ashish Bhasin of Trident BKC Mumbai.