Tomato Pickle

Ingredients Tomatoes - 8-10 Tamarind Pulp - 1 tsp Red Chilly Powder - 2 tblsp Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp Fenugreek Powder - 1/2 tsp Mustard Powder - 1/2 tsp Salt - 2 tblsp Oil - 2 tblsp For Seasoning Oil - 2 tblsp Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp Curry Leaves - 2 spings Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp   Method 1. Wash the tomatoes, dry it well with a clean kitchen towel and chop it. It is very important for the tomatoes to be dry. 2. Heat oil in a big vessel and the chopped tomatoes, tamarind pulp and salt to it. Cover the vessel and let it cook for half an hour till the tomatoes get completely mashed up. 3. Keep stirring to avoid it from getting burnt at the bottom. You have to be careful as there will be lot of splattering. 4. Add the turmeric powder, chilly powder, fenugreek powder and mustard powder to this. 5. Mix well and simmer till most of the liquid evaporates. Keep stirring at regular intervals. 6. In the meantime, heat the oil for seasoning in another small pan and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida. 7. Add this to the pickle and mix everything. Cook for another few minutes till the oil seperates from the pickle. 8. Let it cool completely before storing it in bottles or jars. You can refrigerate it or store it outside.   Serving Suggestions 1. Use this as a sidedish for rice, idli, dosa, upma, pongal, Kuzhipaniyaram, dhokla etc. 2. Use it as a spread for bread or chappattis. 3. Mix 1 tsp of pickle with 1/4 cup of yogurt to make a dip for chips and bread sticks. Tips     - This is a wonderful sidedish to take for picnics or during long travels.     - If you do not have fenugreek powder and mustard powder on hand, you can skip it. This would be a simple tomato chutney (thakkali thokku).     - The pickle gets tastier 2-3 days after making it.