Tomato Gojju is a South Indian dish featuring tomatoes and onions simmered in a seasoning mix of whole spices resulting in a blend of sweet, spicy, and tangy flavors. Use a tomato variety that has some natural tartness for best results. Served hot with Pongal, Rotis, or as a cold topping for hot buttered toast, it’s a satisfying side dish option. Since the tomatoes are going to cook in their own juices, this is a great way to use up leftover tomatoes that are leaning towards being over ripe.
Toast with tomato gojju as a topping was a popular snack available at neighborhood bakeries in Bangalore when I was a teenager. It was the ‘avocado toast’ of the time in Bangalore!
Tomato Gojju
Ingredients
- 1 lb Cherry tomatoes or diced large tomatoes
- 1 Small yellow onion diced
- 2-3 Green chillies
- 10-12 Curry leaves
- 5 Sprigs Cilantro chopped finely
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds
- 1 tsp Urad dal
- A pinch Hing
- A pinch Turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp Red chili powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp Vegetable or Canola oil
Instructions
Mise en place
- Gather all the ingredients before you start, since the Vaggarnae that we will be making in the beginning goes by very quickly. To avoid burning the Vaggarnae, it is best to have all your ingredients prepped and measured before you start.
Make the Vaggarnae
- Heat the oil in a kadai or heavy bottomed saucepan.
- While it is heating up, add the mustard seeds and cover the saucepan. The mustard seeds will pop for a few minutes.
- Once the mustard seeds are done popping, uncover the saucepan, turn the heat down and add the urad dal.
- Once the urad dal turns golden brown, add the chopped green chillies and saute for 30 seconds till they blister and turn soft.
- Next add the curry leaves, and step back while they sizzle and turn crisp.
- Add the hing and turmeric.
Make the Gojju
- Next add the onions and raise the heat back up a bit. Saute the onions until they turn translucent.
- Stir in the tomatoes, chili powder, and salt and cook until the tomatoes begin to release their juices. Turn the heat down and simmer on low for another 5-6 minutes. Stir often and add a 1/4 cup of water if necessary if the tomatoes don’t release enough juice.
- As the tomatoes and onions cook together, a sauce will begin to form. You want this to happen.
- Taste the gojju and adjust the salt and spice level with red chili powder.
- Turn off the heat and garnish with chopped cilantro.
Notes
- Tomato gojju can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- It is a great topping for toast, or a side dish for Pongal, and Rotis.
- This dish works best with tomatoes that have a bit of tartness. Avoid using tomato varieties, such as heirloom tomatoes, that are very sweet.