
tomato thokku recipe with step by step photos. i remember having readymade mango thokku a couple of times before. never had tomato thokku. so decided to prepare it.
tomato thokku is a simple and easy recipe and i finished making it pretty soon. you can serve it a side condiment with any south indian meal. it also tasted great with the chana dal khichdi, that i had made. you could have tomato thokku with idli, dosa or even just plain bread or plain boiled rice.
generally thokkus are made in large quantities, but i have made this tomato thokku recipe to go for some 3 to 4 days. increase the ratio of ingredients proportionately, if you want to last it for weeks or months. tomato thokku can be stored in the refrigerator for nearly 2 to 3 weeks time. if you want to serve for a long time, just add some more oil in the recipe.
if you are looking for more south indian recipes then do check masala dosa, poha idli. rava dosa, quick vegetable sambar, rasam, medu vada, tomato sambar and uttapam recipe.
tomato thokku recipe details card below:

tomato thokku tecipe – a south indian style tomato pickle
- 3 medium to large ripe red tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon tamarind, seeds removed. (you could use tamarind paste)
- ½ inch ginger (adrak), chopped
- 1 teaspoon urad dal
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds (rai)
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1 red chili (sookhi lal mirch)
- 10 to 12 curry leaves (kadi patta), chopped or whole
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder ( i used less amount, use more if you want the thokku to be spicy)
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- salt as required
- In a blender, puree the tomatoes with tamarind.
In a pan, heat oil. add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and urad dal. fry till they sizzle and pop.
now add chopped ginger and fry till the raw smell of the ginger disappears.
add the curry leaves and red chili. fry for a few seconds.
add turmeric powder, hing and red chili powder and mix very well.
all the frying should be done on a low flame, so that the spices do not get burnt.
add the tomato-tamarind paste and mix very well.
season with salt.
simmer on a low flame for 5 minutes or till the mixture thickens.
once cooled, store tomato thokku in a clean, dry, airtight jar.
tomato thokku can be kept in the refrigerator and stored for 4 to 5 days.
how to make tomato thokku recipe :
1. measure all the ingredients and keep everything ready.
2. in a blender, puree 3 chopped tomatoes with 1 teaspoon tamarind or ¼ teaspoon tamarind paste.
3. the tomato puree should be smooth. there is no need of adding water while grinding.
4. in a pan, heat oil.
5. add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and 1 teaspoon urad dal.
6. fry till they sizzle and pop.
7. now add ½ inch chopped ginger.
8. fry till the raw smell of the ginger disappears.
9. add 10 to 12 curry leaves and 1 dry red chili.
10. fry for few seconds.
11. add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, a pinch of hing and ¼ teaspoon red chili powder.
12. mix well. all the frying should be done on a low flame, so that the spices do not get burnt.
13. then add the tomato-tamarind paste.
14. stir the mixture very well.
15. season with salt.
16. simmer on a low flame for 5 minutes or till the mixture thickens. the tomatoes will get cooked and you will see oil releasing from the sides. do stir at intervals.
17. once cooled, store tomato thokku in a clean, dry, airtight jar. tomato thokku can be kept in the refrigerator and stored for 4-5 days. serve tomato thokku with dosa or idli.
Dhanya says
I followed ur recipes regularly
dassana amit says
Dhanya, nice to know this.
Dhanya says
It’s very nice to see the colorful pics & yummy
dassana amit says
Thanks Dhanya
beena says
This does look awesome! I must give it a try ! thanks my mouths already watering 🙂
Familycook says
Dassana, this is one of the best recipes I have seen. I am definitely trying it .
dassana says
do try it and let me know, familycook.
P V Ariel says
Thats really good to hear about this new thokku(pachadi)
best the pic is really fantastic. Yummy!!!!
Thanks for the new invention
lol