Food talk
This chutney is different

For millions, tomato exists only as the favourite genie in the sauce or the ketchup bottle. Seldom is this versatile vegetable allowed to perform solo, says Pushpesh Pant

Chef’s special Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes Serves 8-10 Ingredients Tomatoes (chopped in large pieces) 500 gm Green chillies 6-8 gm Raisins (soaked in water) 50 gm Sesame seeds (ground) 1 tsp Cumin seed (ground) ` tbsp Red chilli powder ` tsp Sugar 2 tbsp Oil ` cup For baghar Whole red chillies 6 Mustard seeds tsp Cumin seeds  tsp Oil 3-4 tbsp Salt to taste Method Wash and slit the green chillies. Heat oil and lightly fry the green chillies. Re move and grind to a paste. Heat oil again. Add tomatoes, sugar and salt and cook for about two minutes. Add the ground chillies, the ground cumin and sesame seeds. Mix and cook over low heat till the water dries up and the oil comes to the surface. Add raisins. Heat about three-four tbsp oil for baghar. When hot, add the whole red chillies, cumin and mustard seeds. When the chillies turn a shade darker and the mustard seeds begin to splutter, pour the baghar over the chutney. Enjoy with rice or roti—needs just daal to make a memorable meal.

Tomatoes are so easy to fall in love with. Colourful characters, plump and juicy yet firm to touch; they can so easily transform a lackluster meal to an unusual treat. Countless are gravies—both vegetarian and non- vegetarian—that rely on the good old tomato to provide body and a pleasant hue, not to forget a mildly sour taste.

Can you imagine a salad without tamater or for that matter the plight of the chef if tomato absents itself from the ‘soup brigade’? The tang in the rasam owes much to it as does the delightful teeny crunch in the bharata. It is surprising that seldom is this versatile vegetable—fruit to be technically correct—allowed to perform solo.

True, the Hyderabadi kitchen repertoire has tamater ka kut and baghar ke tamater and once upon a time bharwan tamater was a much sought after shaakahaari delicacy but for millions it exists only as the favourite genie in the sauce or the ketchup bottle. It is only recently, and that too only in the metros ‘n’ mini metros that the trendy foodie biradari has become aware of the joys of sun-ripe tomatoes but we digress.

We still are unable to fathom why the belayati begun, as it is called in Bengal with good reason as tomatoes originally from Peru have reached us via Spain and Italy where they were once known as golden apples, has not been allowed to standalone and shine? After all, it is fast cooking and does not present a cleaning and cutting challenge that is bothersome to cope with. And, here we must register our reservations about going easy on packaged vinegar-laced puree or mindlessly grating the tomato skin and all to use everywhere all the time. Nor should the juicer-blender be pressed into service every time to reduce the poor thing to a pulp.

Believe you us the difference in taste screams out in the finished product. As our ustadji said years ago ‘Aab maarna zaroori hota hai’— there should be no kachcha taste in the curry. If the excess moisture is not evaporated, the raw taste will jar. Scald/grill on open flame and skin—do whatever but annihilate the treacherous liquid content if you wish to enjoy the real taste of tomato. Tamater tonk is properly ‘cooked’ chutney from Bengal that has inspired the recipe we share with our readers this time.

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