Bhagara Tomato

BM #135 Week 2 Day 3 - 

I used to wonder what can be made with these teeny tiny tomatoes other than eat them as salad, of course!. Then on one fine evening, my sister's mother-in-law got this for an impromptu pot-luck and all of us there just polished off the whole dish!! 

Curious as I am, I asked about the recipe and since then, this has become fairly a regular dish at home. I tweaked the original recipe as told by Aunty to suit our taste.

This is a perfect gravy for any flatbread and goes well even with any kind of Pulao.

Ingredients -

Grape tomatoes 1/2 lb
Milk 1/2 cup
Turmeric 1/4 tsp
Dhania-Jeera Powder 1 tsp
Amchur Powder (Dry Mango Powder) 1/2 tsp (Optional if the grape tomatoes are sour)
Jeera 1/2 tsp
Salt as per taste
Oil and Jeera for seasoning
Chopped coriander leaves for garnish
For Gravy -
Onion Chopped and Sautéed 1 medium
Tomato 1/2 (Optional)
Cashews 1 Tbsp
Almonds 1 Tbsp
Walnuts 1 Tbsp
Poppy seeds 1 tsp
Sesame seeds 1 tsp
Coconut (grated or powdered) 1 tsp
Ginger Garlic paste 1 tsp
Green chillies 2-3 (or as per taste)
Cloves 3-4 (or as required)
Cinnamon 2 inch piece
Cardamom 2
Pepper corns 4-5
Fennel (Saunf) 1/4 tsp (Optional)

Method of preparation -

Grind all the ingredients in the 'For Gravy' list.

In a hot pan, pour some oil and jeera. After the jeera is a little brown, pour the gravy mixture and saute till oil oozes out.

Add Turmeric, Dhania-Jeera Powder, Amchur Powder, Salt to the above mixture. Also add a little water if it starts getting burnt.

Slightly slit all the grape tomatoes and add them to the gravy and cover with a lid so all the flavors get mixed and the tomatoes get cooked well(about 4-5 min).

When the gravy comes together and oil oozes out, add a little milk and let it boil for a couple min to make a silky gravy! Adding cream also is a great idea and it makes the curry rich! (great for parties!)

Switch off the flame , garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve it hot with roti/naan or with rice!

Serves 4 Adults
Preparation Time 30 min