Sweet, savory, tangy, sour, chewy: everything comes together in this well balanced thakkali thokku. Every ingredient listed below is very important for the perfect balance of flavors. If you don't want to buy asafoetida or don't have it handy, squeeze half a juice of lemon. The flavor profiles are very different but still tasty.
Ingredients
5 ripe and juicy tomatoes
1 large red onion (using shallots will not caramalize as much as a red onion)
1 tsp fenugreek powder (roast fenugreek and grind it to a fine powder)
1 tsp asafoetida
2 tsp sesame oil
6 tbsp sunflower oil
1/2 turmeric powder
1-2 tsp red chilli powder
2 sprigs curry leaves
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp urad lentils
10 cloves of garlic
1/2 - 1 tsp salt
1 tsp jaggery (if the tomatoes are not sweet)
Heat the sunflower oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and urad lentils. Wait until they crackle. Add the garlic and stir for 1 min. now add the finely chopped onion and let it cook on medium high for about 6 - 8 min. Allowing it to caramelize will deepen the flavor of the entire pickle. When it looks slightly dehydrated, add the tomatoes and curry leaves. Add turmeric, red chilli powder, asafoetida and roast for 30 - 45 seconds. Now let it cook down for 20 min. Keep stirring it at medium high throughout. You should see it release a lot of liquid in the beginning, then slowly mashed and blending together and eventually the oil will start floating to the sides. this is an indication that its fully cooked. 2 - 3 min before it is fully done, add the fenugreek powder and stir well. Add salt and remove from heat.
Hold a glass jar until running hot water for 2 min. Shake it dry and keep it ready to store the pickle.
Adjust the pickle for salt and sugar. If it is not sweet enough to balance the spice, add a tsp of jaggery and mix well.
Now pour this in to the jar through a funnel. It will be thick and chunky. Once all of it is in the jar, add 1 - 2 tsp of sesame oil which will not only preserve it but elevate its flavors.
So delicious with dosais. But good with almost anything! Try it with fresh goat cheese.
