Tomato Curry (Tamatar Curry)
While the world is debating over the fact that whether a tomato is a vegetable or fruit (berry to be precise), here’s a special Tomato Curry recipe from the Goan cuisine which you must absolutely try. The Tomato Curry is perfectly spiced with a hint of tang and earthiness of coconut. This recipe is also vegan friendly. So, you should not waste any more time and get going with this lovely recipe made with fresh, plump tomatoes.
More on Tomato Curry
This Tomato Curry recipe is a family recipe, a special of my mother. It has the coastal flavors of ground spices and coconut, and I have been making it for many years now.
When there are no other vegetables in the kitchen, I go for this vegan Tomato Curry as tomatoes are always available as a default option. Two more Goan curries that I make without vegetables is this coconut based Sorak Curry or this Solkadhi.
Curry and rice is a meal I have grown up with. So, whenever I prepare this Tomato Curry, I pair it with steamed rice and I don’t really need anything else to go with this combination. What’s more is that this curry packs a punch of flavors.
This Tomato Curry recipe is similar to my recipe of Goan Curry with Mix Vegetables. The main difference is that the tomatoes add a slight element of tanginess in this curry of tomatoes.
This curry made with tomatoes does not have cumin in the masala paste but is added later. The subtle sweetness of the coconut and the heat of spices like red chilies beautifully balances the tanginess of the tomatoes.
I like this curry mild, and not hot or spicy. Hence, I always use dried Kashmiri red chilies which are mildly spicy and basically impart a bright red color to the curry. Depending on the type of dried red chilies, the taste and flavor of the curry changes from being a bit smoky to hot.
You can also add about a tablespoon of chopped fresh coriander leaves while grinding the masala paste. This brings in a fresh herby touch to the curry recipe.
Like most of the coconut-based curries, this curry also goes well with steaming cooked rice or chapati. Accompany a light side vegetable salad or a pickle with it. You can also have some stir-fried or pan-fried vegetable dish, by the side.
How to make Tomato Curry
Make Tomato & Spices Paste
1. Take all the ingredients to be ground in a wet grinder jar or a sturdy blender:
- ½ cup tightly packed chopped tomatoes
- 4 to 5 dried Kashmiri red chilies, broken and seeds removed
- 2 to 3 small to medium garlic, sliced
- ⅔ cup tightly packed grated fresh coconut
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 1.5 tablespoons chopped onions
- 5 whole black peppercorns, optional
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
2. Add 3 tablespoons water and grind to a smooth paste. There should be no small chunks or pieces of coconut in the paste. Keep aside.
Make Tomato Curry
3. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan or pot. Add 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds and let them crackle. Then, add 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds and fry till they crackle and change color.
4. Add 1 tablespoon chopped onions or shallots and sauté till translucent on medium-low heat.
5. Then, add 6 to 7 curry leaves, 2 dried red chilies (seeds removed) and 1 pinch asafoetida (hing). Stir to mix.
6. Add ½ to ⅓ cup chopped tomatoes.
7. Sauté the tomatoes for 3 minutes on low heat.
8. Add the prepared tomato-coconut-spice paste.
9. Stir and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes on low heat.
10. Add 3 cups water.
11. Season with salt as required.
12. Bring to a complete boil first without a lid. Then, simmer the curry on low heat, again without a lid.
13. Simmer till you see oil floating on top of the curry. About 12 to 15 minutes on low heat after the first boil. Stir at intervals.
14. Serve the Tomato Curry hot with steamed rice, Jeera Rice or chapati.
Step by Step Photo Guide Above
Ingredients
For the Tomato-Spices Paste
- ½ cup chopped tomatoes – tightly packed
- ⅔ cup grated fresh coconut – tightly packed, or ½ cup tightly packed chopped fresh coconut
- 2 to 3 garlic cloves – small to medium-sized
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 1.5 tablespoons chopped onions or shallots
- 4 to 5 kashmiri dry red chilies – broken and seeds removed if you prefer
- 5 whole black pepper – optional
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 3 tablespoons water for grinding the masala paste
Remaining Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds – black
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon chopped onions
- 6 to 7 curry leaves
- 2 dry red chilies – stalks removed
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing), optional
- ½ to ⅓ cup chopped tomatoes – for sautéing
- 3 cups water or as required
- salt as required
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves for garnish, optional
Instructions
Making Tomato-Spices Paste
- Rinse and chop the onions, garlic and tomatoes.
- Break the dry red chilies and deseed them if you prefer.
- Grate the coconut and keep aside. You can also chop the coconut into small pieces.
- Take all the ingredients to be ground in a wet grinder jar or a sturdy blender – chopped tomatoes, broken red chilies, garlic, coconut, coriander seeds, chopped onion, whole black pepper and turmeric powder.
- Add 3 tablespoons of water and grind to a smooth fine paste. There should be no small chunks or pieces of coconut in the masala paste. Keep the ground paste aside.
Making Tomato Curry
- Heat oil in a pan or pot. Add mustard seeds and crackle them.
- Then add cumin seeds. Fry till they splutter. Add onions and sauté stirring often till translucent
- Then add curry leaves, dry red chilies and asafoetida(hing).
- Stir and then add tomatoes. Sauté them for 3 minutes.
- Add the ground masala paste and sauté for 1 to 2 mins, stirring often.
- Next add 3 cups water. Season with salt as needed.
- Bring to a complete boil first without a lid. Then simmer the curry on a low heat, again without a lid. Stir the curry at intervals.
- Simmer till you see oil floating on top of the curry. About 12 to 15 minutes on a low heat after the first boil.
- Garnish with coriander leaves and serve Tomato Curry hot with steamed rice or chapathi or jeera rice.
Nutrition
This Tomato Curry recipe post from the blog archives first published in September 2014 has been republished and updated on 30 April 2024.
Hi, I’ve been cooking from your blog since 2013 and love it. I’m going to start trying some recipes like this one that has coconut. Can I use coconut powder if that’s all I have? If so, how much?
Hi Nicole, good to know and thanks for sharing that. Yes of course, in any recipe that has fresh coconut, you can easily substitute with coconut powder or unsweetened desiccated coconut. In this recipe you can add about ⅓ cup of coconut powder.
Thank you! Off to cook 🙂
Welcome and I hope you liked the dish.
Hi
This is my favorite blog for recipes.
I tried this recipe today.
It came out great .
Thanks a lot for ur recipe posts.
Welcome Aruna. Thanks for your positive feedback for blog.
Hi Dassana…i tried this today. .its awesome like ur other recipes..thank u. N yes i am loving all ur videos.
Welcome Richa. Thanks for sharing positive feedback.
The most perfect recipe ever !!!! Thanks a lot…
thankyou so much sonam 🙂
Hi! I’m trying this recipe for the very first time. And the dish looks yum and when I and my family taste it,it would be yum too.
Before grinding the ingredients,do they need to be roasted or saúteed or something?
thanks. no need to roast the ingredients. in goan cuisine, the ingredients are not roasted and ground fresh.
Ah okay! Thanks a lot! The dish came out yum! Thanks for sharing a lovely recipe!
thanks for letting me know janani 🙂
Hi. I have tried a couple of recipes from your site, and they have turned out absolutely fab.
I have a general doubt though. When we simmer gravy or curry without the lid, the curry tends to splash around. Any tip u can suggest to reduce this mess.
Thanks a lot!
its best to use a deep pan or pot, to simmer gravy or curry. also keep on a low or medium flame.
Tried this out tonight ,it was really tasty! Your website has taught me to cook good, vegetarian Indian Food, and I am so happy for this! I also made some of your paneer recipes and Aloo Palak! Thank you very much! Greetings from Norway!
Oscar
welcome oscar. nice to know this. thanks for sharing your positive feedback.
Hii dassana,
Can I use coconut cream instead of fresh coconut, as fresh coconut is not available right now.
Thanks
welcome ràsika. yes you can use.
It was awesome all my relatives ate like anything thanks
welcome rashmika
I do not have a grinder jar, but this sounds amazing! Can I use a blender or a food processor? I have both of those… thank you!
welcome molly. you can use any of them. but they should be powerful. because grinding coconut is tough.
Hi reading your recipes since yesterday. Amazing – so extensive n intensive. Got all I wanted except VEG Parsi Curry which has coconut, raw peanuts, dahlia (channa) til, khus khus, etc. Could u please post the recipe. Thank you. Kashmira
PL first recipe site I enjoyed reading n told my sisters n friends about.
thanks kashmira. i have added your request in the recipe request sheet. will take some time to add the recipe. also convey my thanks to your sisters and friends.
Hi Dassana, your recipes are too good
yet simple to make. I tried most of them n just loved making them.Thanks.
I am a goan too .
good to know ashwini. thanks for the feedback too.
Garam masala
which is the best brand of garam masala.
best is to make homemade garam masala.
I like all dishes u have mentioned here… U really make it simple and easy for us… Right now I m looking for fish curry Goa style, also know as Maashaychi kadhi or Maashacha Kalvan. Please if u can put its recipe here. I have always tried to make it but landed up with spoiling the dish… 🙂
thanks manjiri. you can try the following goan curry recipes and replace fish with the veggies. but the fish just has to added to the curry and cooked.
1 – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/vegetable-curry-recipe-goan-vegetable-curry/
2 – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/mushroom-caldin/
This looks delicious. Is there another name or substitute for asafoetida? I can’t find it anywhere.
Thanks 🙂
thanks. asafoetida is called as ‘hing’ in hindi. generally onions and garlic are used as substitutes for asafoetida.
Hi dassana, I made this curry a couple of weeks ago and it was lovely. My husband a proper Sikh and avid meat eater was loving this veg dish. I did feel though that the curry tasted even better the following day! Thanks for sharing !
welcome neetu. glad to know this. thats a big compliment.
Hello Dassana,
Today i cooked tomato curry. it tastes good but:
1) its very watery.
2) my paste was not as smooth as u had mentioned…b’coz i did not have fresh coconut, i used dry one…so i can feel coconut in the gravy…can i use cashew nuts in place of coconut next time…plz tell me how to make lil more thick gravy…
the curry is not watery. if you would have simmered more, the watery consistency would have reduced. for dry coconut, you will have to grind really well. also adding warm water while grinding dry coconut helps. i think you use dry coconut slivers or pieces. dry coconut slivers or pieces gives a much intense coconut taste and flavor, then fresh coconut or coconut powder. cahshew nuts will change the whole taste of the curry. it will be like a punjabi curry.
Thank you so much…
You are the best.. very soon i am going to be a married and your website and recipe helps me a lot to cook and make excellent recipe…
welcome pooja. wishing you a happy married life. glad to know that you liked the website and recipes.
Can I use crushed coconut(dried)?
dried coconut will give a different flavor and taste. but you can still try this curry. soak the dry coconut in hot water for 30 minutes. just about cover the coconut with water. this softens then and then while grinding you add both the coconut and water.
Your recipe says 2tbsp oil but in the image the oil seems much more that 2 tbsp. Just saying.
sujay, its 2 tbsp oil only. could be photo illusion.
Any particular reason why the text is black background and grey text? Just curious, I think it is good for the eyes though I would like white text in black background better.
teresa, no particular reason. its the default color of the software which shows the recipe instructions.