Green Tomato Curry

I made this curry and took pictures long back, but I couldn't post it. Before we left for India I had to pick all the tomatoes from our backyard since the frost was going to hit them anyway. So I ended up with close to 5-6 pounds of green and almost ripe tomatoes. I gave some to friends but I still had quite many left. My first thought was 'fried green tomatoes', but the words deep frying and calories stopped me. Instead I made this masala curry and added hard boiled eggs. I have to say the tanginess of unripe tomatoes works great in this spicy sauce. Serve this with hot rice or roti or grilled bread to make it a complete meal. Also, this sauce freezes very well for later use.

What you need:

(serves 6-8 people)

3 cups chopped green tomatoes

2 cups chopped ripe (red) tomatoes

2 cups chopped onions

1 1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

2 tsp red chilli powder (or according to taste)

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 tsp coriander powder

3 tsp dry coconut powder

1 tsp sugar

3 tbsp oil

6-8 peeled hard boiled eggs

salt to taste

fresh cilantro to garnish

spice mix:

1 inch cinnamon stick

3 cloves

1 eliachi

1/2 tsp sajeera

1 tsp jeera

Steps to follow:

1. Heat a pot and add oil. Keep the heat on medium.
2. Add spice mix and fry for 20 sec
3. Add onion to the same pot and saute for another 2 min till the onions are translucent
4. Now add ginger-garlic paste and turmeric. Stir the mixture.
5. Add chopped tomatoes  (green and red) and sate for 1 min
6. Close the pot with a lid and continue cooking for 8-10 min or so until the tomatoes are completely cooked.
7. Take the lid out and cook for couple more minutes until the tomatoes are slightly browned.
8. Switch the heat off and let the mixture cool a little bit.
9. Blend the mixture into a smooth paste and return it to the pot on medium heat
10. Add red chilli powder and salt. Add water according to the preferred consistency
11. With a knife make small slits to eggs for flavor to seep in
12. Add eggs to the pot and bring the curry to a simmer.
13. Add coriander powder and switch off the heat
14. Garnish with fresh cilanro and serve hot

Our last tomato & methi harvest of 2011