Happy Cooking: Curd Tomato Curry….Indian Masala

This, I guess, is a common quick dish prepared by the housewives of Peshawar Pakistan and surrounding region. I had seen my mother prepare the concoction and have had similar dish at various homes of my near and dear relations. The taste varied as each had own interpretation of the final product. But, I confess all were very good. I am listing below the version I remember seeing my mother make it at home, with slight amendments. One thing, at the time we had a Primus stove and another that used spun strings as wicks and was silent. I have kept that in mind and have suggested the setting of the flame on the gas stove.

We will require the following for FOUR servings:

Red ripe Tomato…………………….500 gm. Washed, peeled, blended.

Onion…………………………………....250 gm. diced fine.

Ginger…………………………….……..30 gm. Diced very fine. (No paste, please)

Garlic……………………………………..06 pods. Each pod mashed and diced.

Fresh green Chili……………….……03. Diced, not too thin, please.

Fresh green Coriander…………...02 tsp diced leaves.

Curry leaves……………………………06 to 08. (Optional)

Hung Curd……………………………….01 cup.

Red Chili powder……………………. 01 tsp. You may increase, as per your taste.

Turmeric powder……………………..01 tsp

Coriander powder…………............01 tsp.

Cinnamon………………………………..02”.

Green Cardamom…………………….04 crushed.

Jeera/Cumin…………………………….01 tsp.

Aamchur/dry mango powder……01 tsp.

Salt……………………………………………As required.

METHODs

a. To peel tomato, make a cross slight cut on the underneath and place the tomato in boiling water for approx. one minute. Remove and place again in chilled/iced water. Remove. And peel away the upper thin skin.

b. Cut & place tomato in blender and blend to liquidize, all but one tomato.

c. Dice fine the single tomato and keep aside.

II. a) In a wok, or any deep vessel, on low flame, pour the oil & on heating put in the fresh green chili. Jeera/cumin seed, ginger, garlic and the curry leaves. Stir fry to light brown.

b) Put in the Onion, half of fresh Coriander leaves and fry on medium flame till it attain light brown hue. Add all the dry masala and stir fry to blend.

c) Pour in the blended tomato and stir on medium flame for two minutes and raise the flame to high to cook the tomato, till it reduces to half the quantity and the oil starts to separate. Reduce flame to medium.

d) Adjust salt. Add the diced tomato and blend on medium flame. Cover to cook for as long as to reduce the mixture further to semi thick consistency. Reduce the flame to low.

e) Switch off the flame. Remove from stove; blend in with soft hands half of the hung curd.

f) In the serving bowl, first put in the remainder hung curd and then cover with the cooked mixture slowly. Garnish with fresh Coriander leaves and serve with light Parathas