South Indian Tomato Pickle

I never had tomato pickle until I was working in Chennai, India. I was mighty impressed by it! The bright colored spicy sour pickle goes well with crispy dosas, curd rice or any curry. The subtle combination of sweet, spicy and tangy is a great way to spice up any south Indian dish.

When I came to California, I found a few brands at local Indian grocery stores. They are fairly descent pickles, especially for the price. I wouldn't make this recipe unless you have extra tomato pulp from making your own homemade tomato sauce. That being said, homemade Tomato pickle is sooo much better than the commerically available tomato pickle!

To be honest, this recipe was an afterthought---I was eager to try out my new  Kitchenaid Stand-Mixer Grinder/Slicer/Strainer set.  I had made homemade tomato sauce two weeks ago.  The strainer separated the juice of the tomato from the flesh, pulp, skin and seeds. This made the solid remains of the tomato relatively free of moisture. I thought it would be a real shame to throw the  pulp, skin and seeds away. I was thinking of making tomato bread out of it, but then I remembered I was low on Tomato Pickle, so I decided my hand at making South Indian Tomato Pickle with it. I scoured the web and found two recipes for tomato pickle: One, Divine Taste, called for sesame seed oil. The second, Gayatri Vantillu's, didn't call for sesame seed oil, so I went with the latter! It came out delicious, although I made some adjustments to the recipe.

The solid remains of the tomatoes  are salted and left for a week in a jar. The tomatoes are then squeezed of their juices and dried out for an additional week. Tamarind, chili powder and fenugreek seeds are added to the salted tomato juice.  A masala of fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds and red chilies is added to the pickles. Lastly, the sun dried tomatoes are incorporated back into the pickle.

That being said, you can make this recipe either with regular tomatoes or the remains of the tomatoes like I had. If you are using fresh tomatoes, you just need to increase the salt content to draw out the water in the tomatoes (I would stick with the 6 tablespoons & 1 teaspoon salt). If you are using tomatoes that have been juiced, I would reduce the amount of salt (maybe try 5 tablespoons).

I used tomatoes from my tomato sauce, so they were fairly dried out. I used 6 tablespoons of salt, which was too much. I had to cut the saltiness down by adding 2 teaspoons of sugar at the end, and it came out fine!

Ingredients
Tomatoes 3/4 lbs to 1 lbs
Turmeric  1/4 tsp
Salt  6 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon (use less salt if you are using tomatoes that have been juiced)
Tamarind, 1 tablespoon
Fenugreek seeds 1 tablespoon
Red Chili Powder 4 tablespoons or to taste

Masala
Mustard Seeds 1 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds 1/2 teaspoon
Asafoetida powder  1/8 teaspoon
Red Chilies 2
Oil


Directions

Wash and dry the tomatoes and run them through the KitchenAid Strainer attachment, as detailed in my blog post, Homemade Tomato Sauce with the KitchenAid. Have two bowls set up-one directly underneath the mixer to collect the juice, and a smaller one in front of the mixer to collect the solid parts of the tomatoes.

Take the liquid part of the tomato juice and use it to make tomato sauce. Use the solid pieces for this pickle recipe.

Add turmeric powder and salt to the tomato solids. Put the tomatoes in a glass jar with an airtight seal. Seal the jar and place in a warm, sunny part of the house. Let the tomatoes sit for 1 week (7 full days).












After a week, the salt should have drawn out a lot of the liquid from the tomatoes. Drain the tomatoes, reserving the juice in a separate bowl. Squeeze the tomatoes, separating the liquid from the solid. I used a piece of cheesecloth for this. Really wring out as much juice as you can. When I was making mine, I yielded about 1.5 cups of juice and 1 cup of tomato solids.

Take the tomato solids and place them on a cookie tray. Lay them out as evenly as possible so to form a single layer of tomato peels. They should be fairly dried. Set aside.












Add 1 tablespoons (or 50 grams) of tamarind to the tomato juice. Mix the tamarind in with a fork or your fingers. It should turn a nice red color! If there is a seed in the tamarind, remove it. Take the tomato and tamarind juice mixture and blend it in a food processor until smooth.








Add the chili powder to the juice mixture and blend in the food processor for a few minutes.  Taste and add more chili powder if you like it spicier! I used 4 tablespoons of Korean Kimchi Chili Powder. Transfer the juice mixture to a glass jar with a seal on it (the jar you intend to store the Tomato Pickle in).

Dry roast the fenugreek seeds in a cast iron skillet. Allow the seeds to cool and then grind into a fine powder. Add the ground fenugreek powder to the juice mixture.

Make the masala by heating oil in a small frypan. Add the asofoidia powder, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds and red chilies. Stir fry for a few minutes, until their aroma is released but before the chilies start to turn black and burn (they should retain their red color). Add the masala to the juice mixture.  Store it in the refrigerator until the tomatoes are dried out (2-3 days).






Drying out the tomatoes

Note the Dried Mikan Tangerine peels on the left,
tomatoes on the right!

Cover the tomato peels with a single piece of cheesecloth. The best way to sundry tomatoes is in your car.  Leave your car outside, windows shut. It took 3 full days for the tomatoes to dry out.Your car will stink like tomatoes, but you should already be having some tangerine mikan peels drying out there as well, so it is no biggie! The car will trap the natural heat of the sun, the glass will magnify the heat, and there is very little chance for bugs and other critters to get into your car. Keep them in the back seat for a minimum of 3 days or up to a week (I live in Oakland CA and we have been blessed by some sunny weather of late, adjust the amount of time depending on how much sun your neighborhood gets).

After 3 days or so, the tomato peels should be fairly dried out. Give them a feel with your fingers, if they feel wet or moist, then give them a few more days in the car. Once they feel fairly dried out, bring them out of the car.

Just to make sure that they are fully dried, pop them in the oven on the lowest possible setting (170 F on my oven) for about 30-40 minutes. Check on them fairly regularly, mixing them around with your fingers and feeling that they are fully dried.















Add the dried tomatoes to the pickles in the jar. Mix with a fork to distribute the dried tomatoes evenly.

Taste the mixture. If the tomato pickle tastes too salty to you, add sugar (I added 2 teaspoons of sugar).

Store the pickle in the refrigerator. It will keep for a long while.

Guacamole

This guacamole is a great dip for chips. It also works great as a condiment for beef tacos, fish tacos and enchiladas.


Ingredients
2 avocados
1 small onion, finely diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lime, juiced
Salt and pepper to taste.
1 tomato, chopped







Directions
Cut the avocado in half lengthwise. The best way of doing this is with a pairing knife. Cut into the top of the avocado and cut down till you hit the stone. Using the knife, guide the blade around the stone, cutting through the opposite side you originally cut on.

Take the avacado in the palm of your hand and twist the top half with your other hand counter clockwise. It should come off easily.

Cut a small wedge into the stone and dig your knife in. Be very careful doing this, because the stone is very slippery with avacado flesh. I have cut myself doing this and it hurts.

When the knife is is place, twist the knife counter clockwise while firmly holding the avacado. The stone should come out.

With a pairing knife, make incisions into the avocado length and width wise.
















Take a spoon and nudge it in between the flesh and the skin. Scoop out the flesh, it should fall off in cubes.

Add to a bowl. With a large pestle, mash the avocado.

Add the remaining ingredients except the tomato. Adjust the lime juice and salt to fit your preference.

Lastly, add the tomato and give it a gentle stir.

Enchiladas with Cilantro Rice

These enchiladas are delicious! A few days ago, I had made some homemade tomato sauce with my KitchenAid juicer. I had lots of tomato sauce as a result, so I decided to make the enchiladas. They were superb!  Chicken is cooked in a spicy tomato sauce and then shredded. The cooked chicken is then rolled in a fresh tortilla with cilantro rice, covered in cheese and more hot sauce is added. It is then baked for 10 minutes. The result is pure deliciousness. I got this recipe from a blog called Annie's Eats, which I highly recommend.  She's got good recipes!Although the Cilantro rice was my own addition, but it gives some filling and texture to the enchiladas.


Ingredients
1 batch of Cilantro Rice
1 medium onion, chopped fine (I used a food processor)
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons Korean chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups homemade tomato sauce (or 1 15 oz can tomato sauce if you don't have any)
1 cup water
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
Salt and pepper
1 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
12 8 inch tortillas (I used a green chili tortillas from a brand called Mi Abuelita Bonita "My Cute Grandmother")
Cooking spray

Condiments
Guacamole
Fresh salsa
Salsa Verde

Directions
Add some oil to a large pot. Add the jalapeno peppers and onions. Stir often for 8-10 minutes, until the onions have lost their raw taste and have turned transparent.

Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin and sugar. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the tomato sauce, water and chopped tomato.

Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.

Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 12-20 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked (160 F). Remove from heat and set aside.

Strain the sauce in a large mesh bowl into a medium bowl, pressing down to extract as much juice as possible. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. With a fork, shred the chicken in the mesh bowl and set aside.








Shred the chicken with a fork and add to the bowl with the other solids.













Preheat oven to 425 F.

Spray a baking dish with olive oil spray. Stack the tortillas on a plate and microwave for 30-60 seconds.

Spoon a little bit of the chicken mixture onto the tortilla. Spoon a little cilantro rice on the tortilla.










Roll into a cigar shape and place on the baking dish, folded side down. Continue until your plate is full! Lightly spray the tops of the tortilla with olive oil, and place in the oven for 7 minutes, or until the tortillas start to brown slightly and turn crispy.











Reduce the oven temperature to 400 F. Remove the tortillas from the oven. Pour the tomato sauce over the tortillas.
















Sprinkle with shredded cheese.

















Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 5 minutes more. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes.

To serve, spoon some guacamole, fresh salsa and salsa verde over the enchilada.

Cilantro Rice

 Chicken with Cilantro rice,
the beginning of an  Enchilada 

This is a Peruvian dish. My lovely and adventurous wife went to Peru to complete a nutrition analysis and one of the local families she was working with gave her this recipe. Its a very simple dish--cilantro is blended into a paste, water and cumin powder are added and the whole thing is cooked in a pot or in your rice cooker. 

It's delicious! This dish works really well when paired with a mole. It also works great as a filler for fajitas, enchiladas or tomales. 

Ingredients

1 cup of uncooked white rice

1 bunch fresh cilantro (stems removed if you want to be fancy)

1/2 cup of water

1/2 cup Homemade Chicken Stock

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon minced garlic (optional)

Wash the rice and add to the rice cooker. 

Blend the water and cilantro in a food processor, it should turn into a green liquid. Add to the rice cooker. 

Add the chicken stock, cumin and minced garlic to the rice cooker. Give it a good stir and follow the directions for cooking rice in the rice cooker. 

If you don't have a rice cooker, pour the blended cilantro water, chicken stock, cumin and minced garlic into a saucepan. Add the rice and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed. Give it a good stir every now and then to make sure the rice is not sticking to the pan. 

The rice should come out cooked and green!

 

Miso-Citrus Marinade

This is a classic miso and sake marinade from Ming Tsai. The addition of the ponzu lends an acidic element which helps it "cook" the marinade into fish and animal protein. Its delicious!

Makes 5.5 cups

1 cup sake
1 cup ponzu sauce
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups shiro miso (light miso)
3 tablespoons peeled and minced ginger
1 cup grapeseed or canola oil


In a large bowl, combine the sake, ponzu and sugar. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Whisk in the miso until smooth. And the ginger and whisk in the oil gradually. Store in the refrigerator.

This is excellent on fish, like Broiled Miso-Citrus Salmon

Broiled Miso-Citrus Salmon

I got this recipe from Ming Tsai's Simply Ming. Ordinarily, I am not a big fan of fusion food, but this was really tasty. I made Umeboshi Rice with it as a side, but the color didn't come out very pretty.








Ingredients
4 salmon fillets (5-8 oz), cleaned and deboned
2.5 cups Miso-Citrus Marinade
Freshly ground black pepper
1 plastic bag

Directions
We get a CSA (community supported agriculture) once every two weeks, and they pack all of our lovely vegetables and fruits in these big plastic bags. Instead of throwing them away, I usually keep them for purposes like this! If you don't have a large plastic bag, a ziplock bag will do in a pinch.

Pour 1/2 a cup of the marinade into a separate bowl and set aside. This will be your glaze after the fish is done. Pour the remaining marinade in the bag and gently add the fish. Take out most of the air and tie off the bag. Place in a bowl to prevent contamination from dripping, and refrigerate for 4 hours.







Place a rack in the center of the oven. Place a heavy baking sheet or cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil on the sheet. Place the sheet under the broiler and turn the temperature to broil. When the tray is very hot, remove it and spray with olive or vegetable oil. Do not turn off the broiler.

Remove the salmon from the marinade. Throw the marinade away. Place it on the aluminum foil, flesh side facing up. Pat dry. Lightly season with pepper. Gently flip the salmon and place it skin side up on the tray. Broil for 6-8 minutes, or until medium rare.

Be sure not to burn or char the skin, like I did! If the skin starts to char, lower the oven rack by one notch. It still tasted good!

Serve with the reserve marinade and Umeboshi rice.

Baked (not Fried) Eggplant Parmesan

I got this recipe from a blog called Just a Pinch. This is a delicious and healthy variation on traditional eggplant parmesan. I found this method actually easier (you don't have to deal with frying), healthier and just as tasty!

Ingredients
Eggplant (1 or 2), sliced
Eggs (2 or 3)
Homemade breadcrumbs
Dried herbs (Oregano, Basil and Sage)
Fresh Parmesan Cheese
Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
Homemade tomato sauce

Equipment
1 bowl for egg wash
1 small square baking pan (9x9 in) (for breading the eggplant)
2 cookie sheets (for baking the eggplant), greased with olive oil
1 rectangle baking pan (9 x13 in) (for baking the whole dish)

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 F.


Grease a 13 x9 glass baking dish with olive oil.


Scramble eggs in a cereal bowl.

Place homemade breadcrumbs in the square baking pan. Sprinkle in the fresh herbs and mix with your fingers.








Slice eggplants fairly thinly.

Grease a baking sheet.

Set up your stations. Have the eggplants to the far left, followed by the egg wash, the breadcrumbs and the cookie sheets. You can do this with one cookie sheet, but it goes faster with 2.

Dunk the eggplant in the egg wash. Lift out and let most of the egg wash come off. Dredge in the breadcrumb mixture on both sides.

Place on the cookie sheet. Continue to bread the eggplants until the sheet is full. Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes.

As the eggplant is baking, start in on breading the
next batch.















Pour a thin layer of tomato sauce on the rectangle baking pan.

When the eggplant is done, remove from the oven and place on the rectangle baking pan in a single layer with the tomato sauce.

Put the next batch of breaded eggplants into the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

Place a layer of shredded cheese over the eggplant.

Continue to bread and bake eggplants, then layer eggplant, cheese and sauce until you run out of eggplants.

Make sure the last layer is a nice layer of cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil and pop it into the oven at 450 F for 20 minutes, or until the top layer of cheese is brown and melted.

Delicious!