Tomato gojju thakkali gojju for Pongal
Tomato gojju is a popular side dish in Karnataka and among ( Tanjore ) Maharastrians also. It is the best side dish for Pongal or ven Pongal as we also say. When served hot with Pongal the taste is heavenly, I should admit !
Let me share the traditional method of preparing this dish
- For this first we have to prepare a masala or powder.
- Dry roast one tea spoon fenugreek and one tea spoon white sesame separately.
- Roast in little oil - one and half tea spoon of urad dhal , 1 tea spoon gram dhal and a few red chillies
- Add khus khus or dry coconut. Dry coconut is grated into fine slices.
Add all the roasted contents to a mixer. Dry grind in the mixer into a powder. It should be fine powder.
Soak a lemon size tamarind in water for half an hour so that the flavour is transferred to the water.
Add oil to a vessel and when the oil is sufficiently hot add mustard and urad dhal to saute
Then add the tomato and curry leaves and allow them to get cooked.
Squeeze the tamarind to get extract and add it to the vessel.
Add salt according to your requirement
Add jaggery. This is the most important ingredient for gojju as it gives a distinct and different flavour to the side dish. The amount comes with experience and the taste we need. If jaggery is more the dish becomes too sweet . However , the dish should have a dominance of sweet taste.
Now take three teaspoons of the masala powder prepared and mix with water and add to the boiling ingredients. This powder is added directly sprinkled over the tamarind / tomato mixture. To avoid formation of solid pieces we dissolve in water and then add
Serve hot with Pongal . It can also be used as a side dish for rice.
While we should welcome new recipes and new experiments in cooking the traditional side dishes and recipes that are invariably healthy due the ingredients that go in should dominate our cooking ideas. Gojju is one of them.
Take a big sized chopped tomato , curry leaves as shown in the picture below. This dish can also be prepared using carrots, mango (fruit ) , moosambi , pineapple , ladies finger , radish, onion . The options are many.
Then add the tomato and curry leaves and allow them to get cooked.
Squeeze the tamarind to get extract and add it to the vessel.
Add salt according to your requirement
Add jaggery. This is the most important ingredient for gojju as it gives a distinct and different flavour to the side dish. The amount comes with experience and the taste we need. If jaggery is more the dish becomes too sweet . However , the dish should have a dominance of sweet taste.
Now take three teaspoons of the masala powder prepared and mix with water and add to the boiling ingredients. This powder is added directly sprinkled over the tamarind / tomato mixture. To avoid formation of solid pieces we dissolve in water and then add
Serve hot with Pongal . It can also be used as a side dish for rice.
