Receta Minty Tomato Baskets in Veggie Gravy – Mom is Cooking
Never knew the worth of mom’s cooking until I started to cook myself. All of a sudden the spices did not impart the same flavors, veggies did not taste as fresh as they did when she cooked with them and there was always something missing in the final recipe. Could not figure out the reason for quite a long time, till I discovered the secret ingredient in all her recipes and that is ‘The love‘ which she pours every time in it when she cooks.
We do differ in many aspects of life and cooking, which include her love for oil and chilly and her ways of parenting. But then such differences are what makes life more spicy and worth living And yes I do love you Mom!
My mom is on a cooking spree from when she found out that I write and post recipes..and every day she is dishing out some unusual and scrumptious treats which I don’t remember eating for a long while. My drafts are bursting out with her numerous authentic Rajasthani recipes.
Am glad that I belong to a very colorful and lively city of Rajasthan in India, which is also famous for its exotic & scrumptious regional cuisine. Some of the authentic recipes & food ingredients such as Gunda, Ker Sangari, kachri, Kheej, green Fenugreek seeds are so very unique to this state. And since I shifted to Chennai after my marriage I did not get much chance to cook with these ingredients in my home. My vacation here is a great opportunity to revive those recipes long forgotten.
Mom sitting pretty near her kitchen garden!
This is her favorite place to sit and read newspaper after her daily morning walk to the lakeside near our house. A self made working woman since very early age, has come up in life quite courageously bringing us single handedly after my doctor father’s early demise.
She is quite active now also with her kitchen garden loaded with many local and exotic veggies and flowers. And yes, she never fails to keep an Hawk’s eye when my son plays with his ball in there. Grrr..half of my time goes in sorting out the differences between the grumbling nanny and her stubborn grandson
The passion for cooking has not dampen yet, she can dish out a scrumptious spread for many in a wink at 70 also! She made this exotic tomato recipe in cauliflower gravy the other day which is quite easy and quick to cook. And can be a great party treat or to impress those special guests who like your cooking.
Ingredients;
(serve 2)
- 4 tomatoes for filling
- 1 cup grated cauliflower
- 1/4 cup fresh peas
- 2 potatoes
- 1 onion
- 1 green chilly
- 1′ Ginger
- 4-5 clove Garlic
- 1/2 cup fresh tomato puree
- 1 tbsp coriander leaves
- 2 tbsp. Mint
- 2 tbsp Oil
- 1/4 cup of water
- Spice mix;
- 1/2 tsp crushed Black pepper
- 1 tsp. red chilly powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1/4 tsp. Turmeric
- Salt to taste
How cute the hollow tomato look!
Method: Wash the tomatoes and the cauliflower. Grate the cauliflower and keep it apart. Chop the top of tomato as shown in the picture and keep the slice for cover. Scoop the inside seeds and pulp of tomato and make it hollow. Boil the potatoes in water, cool and mash it slightly.
Peel the onion and slice it finely. Grind ginger and garlic to a fine paste. Dice the green chilly into fine pieces.
Heat oil in a wok and add sliced onion and fry it till it is translucent in color. Add ginger garlic paste and the diced green chilly fry it for a minute. Pour the tomato puree and all the spice mix into the seasoning and stir fry till the oil floats over the ground masala.
Sizzling in the pan..
Add grated cauliflower, mashed potato, shredded fresh coriander leaves, mint leaves and fresh peas into the gravy and let it fry for another 8-10 minutes.
Take out 1/4 of this cooked gravy to be filled into the hollowed tomato boats. Fill the same in the tomato and cover it with the sliced tomato top.
The inside story!
Add water into the rest of the gravy and let it boil for a minute.Place the filled tomatoes gently into the cooked gravy. Cover it with a lid and cook for just 2 minutes. At this stage you need to flip over the tomatoes taking care that the filling should stay intact into the tomatoes. Cover it and cook for another 2-3 minutes at slow flame.
Blushing beauties!
Garnish the cooked Minty Tomato baskets with fresh coriander and mint leaves. Serve this exotic curry with any Indian flat breads such as Cottage Cheese stuffed Naan, Kulcha, Rumali rotis or chapattis.
Notes;
She never discard the stalks of cilantro (Dhania) which is more flavorful than the leaves and uses it to garnish her dishes with it.
The skin of the tomato can be removed before eating, it will come out easily after its cooked.
Arrange the tomatoes in a baking dish and bake the recipe for about 15 minutes at 200°C. Baking will make the cooking easy and quick and will keep the stuffing intact in the tomatoes.
You can avoid the mashed potato in the recipe and still get a delicious version of the recipe.
Cook the recipe on the stove top and then arrange the tomatoes in a baking dish, grill it for 20 minutes. This version will make the tomatoes slightly charred and give a smoky taste.
The most important tip she gives for the recipe is that use all freshly grind spices if possible. She has a small mortar and pestle and does her grinding in it. Coriander, cumin, peppercorn and aniseed smell wonderful when freshly ground.
Happy Mother’s Day! A small scrumptious tribute to you mom with your recipe Minty Tomato Baskets in Veggie Gravy shared with the world here, thanks for everything, love you.
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