Hare Tamatar Til chi Bhajee (Green Tomato Curry)

We keep getting offered green tomatoes in our produce basket. And I keep swapping them out for other things because I have no idea what to do with green tomatoes. Well... fry them, I suppose. But my understanding is that they're meant to be sliced, breaded, and fried, and that sounds very labour-intensive (not to mention not terribly compatible with my current calorie-restricted diet). So, what does one do with green tomatoes besides frying them? Make curries, apparently!

Once I noticed this curry recipe in the book, I eagerly ordered a few green tomatoes for it. The results were excellent; a bit nutty, mildly spicy, and very satisfying.

Hare Tamatar Til chil Bhajee

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. peanut or canola oil
• 1/4 c. raw peanuts, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 450g unripe green tomatoes, cut into large chunks
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground kashmiri chilies or cayenne
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 c. water
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp. sugar

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add peanuts, sesame seeds, and cumin seeds and cook, stirring constantly until nuts have browned (1-2 minutes).
3. Add the tomatoes, salt, ground chilies, and turmeric and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add water and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until some of the water has evaporated and sauce thickens slightly (6-8 minutes).
6. Add cilantro and sugar, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomato is tender but not mushy (8-10 minutes).