Tomato kurma | Thakkali kulambu – is a tomato based curry with a slight tanginess made with onions, tomatoes, coconut, gram dal and spices. This tomato kurma can be served with idli, dosa, paniyaram or even appam & idiyappam.
Tomato kurma | Thakkali kulambu
Ingredients
To temper
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp split urad dal
To grind
- 2 big tomatoes roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp gram da
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- ⅓ cup coconut
To make tomato kurma
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 big onion chopped
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 or 2 dried red chillies
- Salt to taste
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- Chopped coriander leaves
Instructions
To grind
- In a mixer jar take roughly chopped tomatoes, gram dal, red chili powder and fennel seeds. Grind them coarsely.
- In the same jar, add grated coconut. Grind everything into a smooth paste. You can also add coconut in the beginning itself and grind everything together.
To make tomato kurma
- Heat oil in a kadai. Once the oil is hot enough, add mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds crackle, add split urad dal.
- Add the onions once the urad dal is browned. Along with the onions add red chillies and curry leaves.
- Mix everything and add turmeric powder and salt.
- Saute everything together till the onions are browned.
- Once the onions are browned, add the ground paste to the kadai.
- Add 1 ½ cups of water.
- Bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiled, simmer for 7 to 8 minutes, covered.
- Switch off the stove once the oil floats on top. You can adjust the consistency of the kurma by adding or reducing the water. If you feel the kurma is thick, you can add a little hot water and cook for a few minutes. On the other hand, if you feel the kurma is runny, you can cook the kurma uncovered till you reach the desired consistency.
- Garnish with coriander leaves.
- Serve with idli, dosa, paniyaram, appam or idiyappam.
Notes
- Always try to use ripe country tomatoes for this recipe.
- You can replace gram dal with cashew nuts or even peanuts.
- You can also add ½ tsp sambar powder along with red chili powder.
- If making it for kids, you can use kashmiri red chili powder instead of the regular ones.
- Tomato kurma stays good in the refrigerator for 2 days. The kurma thickens on cooling. Add a few tablespoons of water while reheating.
How to make tomato kurma
Cooking instructions with step by step pictures
To grind
In a mixer jar take roughly chopped tomatoes, gram dal, red chili powder and fennel seeds. Grind them coarsely.
In the same jar, add grated coconut. Grind everything into a smooth paste. You can also add coconut in the beginning itself and grind everything together.
To make tomato kurma
Heat oil in a kadai. Once the oil is hot enough, add mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds crackle, add split urad dal.
Add the onions once the urad dal is browned. Along with the onions add red chillies and curry leaves.
Mix everything and add turmeric powder and salt.
Saute everything together till the onions are browned.
Once the onions are browned, add the ground paste to the kadai.
Add 1 ½ cups of water.
Bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiled, simmer for 7 to 8 minutes, covered.
Switch off the stove once the oil floats on top. You can adjust the consistency of the kurma by adding or reducing the water. If you feel the kurma is thick, you can add a little hot water and cook for a few minutes. On the other hand, if you feel the kurma is runny, you can cook the kurma uncovered till you reach the desired consistency.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve with idli, dosa, paniyaram, appam or idiyappam.
Recipe notes
- Always try to use ripe country tomatoes for this recipe.
- You can replace gram dal with cashew nuts or even peanuts.
- You can also add ½ tsp sambar powder along with red chili powder.
- If making it for kids, you can use kashmiri red chili powder instead of the regular ones.
- Tomato kurma stays good in the refrigerator for 2 days. The kurma thickens on cooling. Add a few tablespoons of water while reheating.