Traditionally Modern Food

Traditional Recipes with a Modern Twist

  • Home
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • Postpartum recipes | Pathiya samayal
  • Toddler friendly Recipe
  • Oven/Microwave Oven Recipes
  • Humbly Honored
  • Contact me
  • Privacy Policy

Thakkali Thokku | Tomato Pickle

July 27, 2014 By Vidya Srinivasan 50 Comments

51shares
Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

Tomato thokku | Thakkali thokku | pressure cooker thakkali thokku | pressure cooker tomato thokku | one pot tomato pickle | easy cooker thokku recipe | easy tomato thokku recipe | tomato pickle step by step pictures and video recipe. Check out the tomato  thokku video and If you like the video pls SUBSCRIBE to my channel

Thakkali Thokku is a traditional South Indian pickle/side dish prepared with tomatoes. Tomato thokku made using  pressure cooker is super easy. Tomato pickles taste great with tiffin items like idli, dosa, uthappam, upma, chappati, etc. It tastes good for weeks. Tasty make-ahead pickle /side dish variety.

Tomatoes are a perfect combination of tanginess and mild sweetness. I can’t imagine a grocery trip without buying tomatoes. Be it a gravy/chutney/soup/rice tomatoes always make the dish extra special.

Tomato thokku is one of my childhood favorites. Growing up I was not a big fan of pulikaichal. Next to mango pickle tomato pickle was my favorite. Those days I use to eat pickles almost every day. Irrespective of whatever rice accompaniment Amma makes. I always like mixing a little pickle with rice and having it for curd rice.

Before marriage, I have never tried preparing thakkali thokku. In Amma’s absence, I try to cook something, but she always makes tomato thokku and pulikaichal before travel and keeps it in the fridge. A couple of years back I tried it for the first time.

Tomato pickle was the first pickle I ever tried. I was so worried about how it will taste, but We both finished the jar in no time. It is a bit time consuming but taste subsides the stirring effort. Recently I updated the pressure cooker version which makes it easy. Less time near the stove.

Also, check out tomato onion chutney and tomato kurma

Tomatoes can be chopped finely and made thokku or rough chop and grind. Both Aammas usually grind it so I follow the same procedure. I have heard from a friend that thokku can also be prepared but boiling the tomatoes in hot water, peel the skin; Cool, and grind. I am yet to try that method. Tomato thokku doesn’t require lot of ingredients.  Tomato thokku tastes great with dishes like Semiya Bagala bath or restaurant-style curd rice or tiffin varieties etc. It tastes amazing with plain rice as well!

pickle recipe collections

Thakkali Thokku (Tomato Pickle)

Thakkali Thokku is a traditional South Indian pickle prepared with tomatoes.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Comment
Course: Pickle
Cuisine: Indian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 3
Author: Vidya Srinivasan

Ingredients

  • Ripe tomatoes - 10 - 12
  • Red chilli powder – 1 tbsp + 1/2 tsp adjust according to your spice level
  • Sesame oil - 3 tbsp
  • Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
  • Fenugreek seeds / powder - 1/4 tsp
  • Jaggery – 1 tbsp heaped
  • Salt - as needed

Instructions

  • Put tomatoes in a blender and blend without adding water
  • Add oil to a wide pan (while boiling, tomatoes tend to spit spill outside). When oil is hot, add mustard seeds and fenugreek and let it splutter. Add tomato puree and sauté occasionally
  • When tomato puree reduces to half, add red chilli powder and salt
  • Keep stirring once in a while. Add jaggery after the raw smell of Chilli powder goes off
  • Cook till water evaporates completely and the tomatoes become thick

Pressure cooker method

  • In a wide mixing bowl add chopped tomatoes, salt, Chilli powder and pinch of turmeric powder
  • Grind them without adding water Add oil to the pressure cooker when oil is hot add mustard seeds and let it splutter
  • Add the blended purée and cook for about 1 minute till they start bubbling
  • Cook for 25 - 28 whistles for 25 minutes and let the pressure settle down
  • Open the cooker and mix well
  • Depending on the tomatoes variety it will be watery
  • Add jaggery and mix well
  • When thokku comes to your desired consistency add fenugreek powder and mix well 
  • Switch off and let it cool down 
  • Store it in a airtight container

Video

Subscribe to my YouTube channelCheck out Traditionally Modern Food!

Notes

  1. Tamarind puree can be added, if you want it a bit tangy
  2. Store the thokku in the fridge for longer shelf life. If you are going to finish in 1 or 2 days can keep it outside
  3. Keep in an airtight container and use a dry spoon, for the thokku to stay longer
  4. Brown sugar/ white sugar can be added instead of Jaggery
  5. Mustard Seed powder and fenugreek powder can be added along with chilli powder
  6. Thokku stays good for 2 weeks
  7. Always use a pressure cooker which whistles properly
  8. Be it a pan/pressure cooker choose a one which is deep to prevent the thokku from spiling out
  9. For instant pot version cook for 18 minutes and natural release. Cook to the desired consistency 
  10. Thokku tastes the best next day
  11. Let thokku cool completely before storing it
  12. Thokku stays good for two weeks. for long shelf life add extra sesame oil
  13. Depending on the variety of tomato you chose cooked thooku might be watery hence after pressure cooking cook accordingly
Tried this recipe?Mention @traditionallymodernfood or tag #traditionallymodernfood!
Ingredients:

Ripe tomatoes – 10 – 12

Red chilli powder – 1 tbsp + 1/2 tsp (adjust according to your spice level)

Sesame oil – 3 tbsp (Increase oil if you are going to store for more than one week)

Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp

Fenugreek seeds – 1/4 tsp or fenugreek powder – pinch

Jaggery – 1 tbsp heaped

Salt – as needed

How to make thakkali thokku stovetop:

  • Put tomatoes in a blender and blend without adding water
  • Add oil to a wide pan (while boiling, tomatoes tend to spit spill outside). When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds and let it splutter. Add tomato puree and saute occasionally

IMG_8752

  • When tomato puree reduces to half, add red chilli powder and salt
  • Keep stirring once in a while. Add jaggery after the raw smell of Chilli powder goes off

tomato thokku

  • Cook till water evaporates completely and the tomatoes become thick

© TraditionallyModernFood

Pressure cooker thakkali thokku:

  • In a wide mixing bowl add chopped tomatoes, salt, Chilli powder and a pinch of turmeric powder

  • Grind them without adding water

  • Add oil to the pressure cooker when oil is hot add mustard seeds and let it splutter

  • Add the blended purée and cook for about 1 minute till they start bubbling

  • Cook for 25-28 whistles for 25 minutes and let the pressure settle down

  • Open the cooker and mix well

  • Add jaggery and mix well

  • Depending on the tomatoes it will be watery
  • When thokku comes to your desired consistency add fenugreek powder and mix well

  • Switch off and let it cool down

  • Store it in an airtight container
  • Thokku stays good for 2 weeks

Filed Under: Chutney recipe | chutney variety, Dip | jam, Pickle recipe | pickle variety, Pressure cooker recipes, Side Dish, Thokku variety | Thokku recipe Tagged With: Best thakkali thokku using pressure cooker, best thokku recipe in tamil, easy, easy tomato thokku in cooker, how to make, indian tomtao pickle, iyer thokku without onion and garlic, one pot easy south indian cooking, one pot thakkali thokku, pickle, pickle varities, Pressure cooker recipe, pressure cooker tomato thokku, Quick recipes, side dish for chapati idli dosa, simple, spicy tomato pickle, tamil brahmin style tomato thokku, tasty delicious thakkali oorugai, tasty multipurpose thakkali thokku, thakkali, thakkali chutney, thakkali oorugai, Thakkali thokku, thakkali thokku for idli dosai paniyaram, Thakkali thokku recipe, Thakkali thokku recipe in tamil, thakkali thokku seivathu epadi, thakkali thokku using cooker, thakkali urugai, thokku recipe, Tmf, tmf cooking, tomato achar, tomato pachadi, tomato pickle, tomato relish, tomato thokku for chappati, tomato thokku for tiffin varities, tomato thokku in pressure cooker, Tomato thokku recipe, Tomato thokku recipe in tamil, uruga, variety, vidya, vidya recipe, தக்காளி ஊறுகாய் Tomato thokku, தக்காளி தொக்கு, தக்காளி தொக்கு செய்வது எப்படி

« White Sauce Vegetable Pasta
Eggless Dry Fruit Cake »

Categories

Comments

  1. Malar says

    July 27, 2014 at 23:17

    My all time favorite , look at the color , just awesome 🙂

    Reply
    • Traditionally Modern Food says

      July 27, 2014 at 23:18

      Thanks Malar:-)

      Reply
  2. Priya Shiva says

    July 28, 2014 at 00:46

    One of my favorite side dish with dosa and idlis! Love it!

    Reply
    • Traditionally Modern Food says

      July 28, 2014 at 15:01

      Thanks Priya:-)

      Reply
  3. Elaine @ foodbod says

    July 28, 2014 at 01:15

    This looks great, I love that it’s not full of sugar!!

    Reply
    • Traditionally Modern Food says

      July 28, 2014 at 15:01

      Thanks Elaine:-) it’s spicy side dish but having sweet tooth I add little sugar

      Reply
      • Elaine @ foodbod says

        July 29, 2014 at 08:05

        🙂

        Reply
  4. Chitra Jagadish says

    July 28, 2014 at 03:39

    Tomato or mango thokku who say no for this? just by the name thokku – started droooooling. I would go for panniyaram with this. …slurp. …

    Reply
    • Traditionally Modern Food says

      July 28, 2014 at 15:02

      Yes Chitra, cant say no to thokku:-) Do try it dear

      Reply
      • Chitra Jagadish says

        July 28, 2014 at 18:12

        Wil do for sure vidya. …bookmarked it already. …👍👍👍

        Reply
        • Traditionally Modern Food says

          July 28, 2014 at 19:00

          Ok Dear:-)

          Reply
  5. sindhoooo says

    July 28, 2014 at 03:42

    Mmmm, yummy tomato thokku! Must do recipe for all the lazy cooks like me 😉

    Reply
    • Traditionally Modern Food says

      July 28, 2014 at 15:00

      Its easy, do try Sindhu:-)

      Reply
  6. marudhuskitchen says

    July 28, 2014 at 04:41

    This thokku is versatile side dish for any thing ..just love it

    Reply
    • Traditionally Modern Food says

      July 28, 2014 at 15:00

      Yes totally agree:-)

      Reply
  7. Jan Kearney says

    July 28, 2014 at 04:44

    Looks lovely – pinned it to try later 🙂

    Reply
    • Traditionally Modern Food says

      July 28, 2014 at 14:58

      Do try:-) Thanks Jan:-)

      Reply
  8. Charanya says

    July 28, 2014 at 06:12

    Wow. Amazing Color 😀

    Reply
    • Traditionally Modern Food says

      July 28, 2014 at 14:57

      Thanks Charan:-)

      Reply
  9. apuginthekitchen says

    July 28, 2014 at 10:42

    I love tomato condiments. I would love this on a grilled cheese sandwich.

    Reply
    • Traditionally Modern Food says

      July 28, 2014 at 14:56

      Thanks Suzanne:-) ya sandwich is a great idea

      Reply
  10. Nate Kidd says

    July 28, 2014 at 11:09

    This looks really good. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
    • Traditionally Modern Food says

      July 28, 2014 at 14:56

      Happy that you liked it:-) thanks

      Reply
  11. Jeanne Melanson says

    July 28, 2014 at 11:26

    This does look really good. I love things made with fresh garden tomatoes. Thanks for the recipe. Sharing on my Indian Food board on Pinterest.

    Reply
    • Traditionally Modern Food says

      July 28, 2014 at 14:53

      Thanks Jeanne:-)

      Reply
  12. Sony P says

    July 28, 2014 at 16:29

    My fav anytime………looks mouthwatering!

    Reply
    • Traditionally Modern Food says

      July 29, 2014 at 15:30

      Thanks Sony:-)

      Reply
  13. MamaD1xx4xy says

    July 28, 2014 at 19:07

    This looks great. Just picked tomatoes today and may have to try it.

    Reply
  14. lapetitepaniere says

    July 29, 2014 at 00:33

    Simple and delicious Vidya 🙂

    Reply
    • Traditionally Modern Food says

      July 29, 2014 at 15:29

      Thanks Linda:-)

      Reply
  15. Sophie33 says

    July 29, 2014 at 04:50

    Oooh yes, I can make that today with my home grown red tomatoes! Ooh yes! Looks magnificent too! xxx

    Reply
    • Traditionally Modern Food says

      July 29, 2014 at 15:14

      Do try Sophie:-) I am eager to hear from you

      Reply
  16. Traditionally Modern Food says

    July 29, 2014 at 15:31

    Thanks:-) Do try, waiting to hear from you

    Reply
  17. Shruti says

    July 29, 2014 at 18:08

    A few months back, I didn’t know that it’s called thokku 😛 But I absolutely love it… Using it as a spread on plain dosa, having it with paratha, sometimes on sandwich too 😉 Wonderful recipe…

    Reply
    • Traditionally Modern Food says

      July 29, 2014 at 22:04

      Thanks Shruti:-) yes it goes well with so many dishes. Thokku is Tamil word:-)

      Reply
      • Shruti says

        July 29, 2014 at 22:05

        Achchaaaa.. now I’ll tell my hubby tat word n let him ask what it is 😛

        Reply
        • Traditionally Modern Food says

          July 29, 2014 at 22:06

          :-):-)

          Reply
  18. cafegarima says

    July 31, 2014 at 00:13

    Tangy delight 🙂

    Reply
    • Traditionally Modern Food says

      July 31, 2014 at 13:38

      Yes G:-)

      Reply
  19. Liz says

    August 1, 2014 at 19:19

    so pretty!

    Reply
    • Traditionally Modern Food says

      August 1, 2014 at 22:16

      Thanks Liz:-)

      Reply
  20. Anitha says

    August 13, 2015 at 03:33

    Hi vidu..Happened to see ur Facebook page only today… Really proud of u my dear…keep rocking😃..
    Just a small inclusion…Adding some garlic in the oil will give extra flavour and taste to the dish….

    Reply
    • Vidya Srinivasan says

      August 13, 2015 at 15:16

      Thanks for stopping by Ani:-) such a lovely tip will add it in my notes

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Cracked Wheat and Oats Uthappam | Traditionally Modern Food says:
    August 3, 2014 at 23:45

    […] After one side is cooked well, turn and cook the other side. Serve it with any chutney. We had with Thakkali Thokku […]

    Reply
  2. Pulikaichal (Puliyodharai) | Traditionally Modern Food says:
    September 2, 2014 at 23:35

    […] a clean dry spoon. This is one of the most favorite prasadam in temples. It’s good to have Thakkali Thokku/Pulikaichal in fridge, and during busy days these two pastes help a […]

    Reply
  3. Thengai Podi | Traditionally Modern Food says:
    December 10, 2014 at 23:52

    […] Podi is a great rice accompaniment during lazy days. Just like Tomato Thokku and Pulikaichal, this powder can be stored for more than a month, if stored in an airtight […]

    Reply
  4. Chinna Vengaya Thokku (Onion Pickle) | Traditionally Modern Food says:
    August 12, 2015 at 23:00

    […] husband knows some basic cooking, so I prepared Thakkali Thokku, Onion Thokku, Pulikachal, frozen pancakes, frozen […]

    Reply
  5. Set Dosa | Aval Dosa | Poha Dosa | Traditionally Modern Food says:
    October 9, 2015 at 14:49

    […] will be bubbles over flip and cook other side. Serve hot dosa with onion chutney/tomato chutney/ tomato Thokku/ chow chow peel […]

    Reply
  6. Brown Rice Idli/Dosai/Paniyaram says:
    December 15, 2015 at 00:56

    […] after one side is cooked and cook other side. Serve hot dosa with onion chutney/tomato chutney/ tomato Thokku/ chow chow peel […]

    Reply
  7. Gothumai Dosa | Instant Whole Wheat Dosa (Crepe) says:
    March 14, 2017 at 16:39

    […] is perfect for a busy morning breakfast or night tiffin. If you have time make chutney/sambar/thokku,else have it with milagai podi, anyways it is a winner dish, believe […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Get Recipes to your inbox

Click to follow my blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Search for a recipe

About Me!!

Hi, I am Vidya Srinivasan. Thanks for visiting my page. I am a traditionalist when it comes to cooking but I love adding modern twists. Read More…

Let’s Connect

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Follow Vidya's board Traditionally Modern Food on Pinterest.

Traditionally Modern Food

Traditionally Modern Food

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Popular Post

Chocolate chip cookie | chocolate chip  biscuit
Paruppu Rasam | Rasam recipe
Puli milagai thokku | green chilli thokku
Vellai Poosanikai Kootu | White Pumpkin Kootu
Bread Pizza - microwave
Rasam powder recipe  | Rasam podi
Baked Carrot Fries
How to dry Curry leaves in microwave
Paruppu Thogayal | Paruppu Thuvaiyal
Cashew squares | Cashew bite

Archives

Copyright © 2021 · Traditionally Modern Food · ·