Tomato Saar Recipe

Tomato saar is a tangy curry made using tomatoes commonly in Konkan and Coastal Maharashtra.

This curry is made on the days when you do not consume garlic and onion. Generally, coconut is ground while making this Saar but you can skip it like me. 

 

Contents:

• Tomato Saar and me
• Why MSK Tomato Saar Recipe
• Let’s get started
• For Your Questions
• Some of the curries we love
• Recipe card
• Pin for later

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Why MSK Tomato Saar Recipe:

Make this recipe as Saar is

• Easy
• Delicious
• No-onion, no-garlic recipe
• can be made vegan and gluten-free too
• Pairs well with rice or pulao

Let’s get started:

Ingredients:

These are the ingredients you will need. For quantities please check the recipe card.

• Tomatoes
• Cumin seeds
• Chilli powder/ red chillies
• Jaggery 
• Clarified butter
• Curry leaves
• Salt
• Water

Method:

• I prefer to pressure cook my tomatoes. But you can also chop them roughly and boil them in an open pan.
• Let the pressure drop naturally. Cool, the tomatoes there will be some liquid in the pan of tomatoes. 
•  Peel the tomatoes if you wish then transfer them to the mixer grinder. 
• Add the jaggery, salt and some cumin seeds. Cumin is optional but I like the aroma, in case you are using red chillies add them to the mixer and grind fine. 
• Transfer to the pan. And heat it.
• Add the water that has collected in the tomatoes and run the mixer again. This will remove all the residue of the tomatoes.
• Check the thickness of the mixture in the pan, you will need to thin this out. Add water to the mixer and run the mixer again. Add the water to the pan.
• Check for seasonings.
• In a separate pan heat, the clarified butter add the cumin seeds, curry leaves and chillies.
• Pour over the Tomato saar. Your Saar is ready.

Substitutes:

• If you want a vegan curry use an odourless refined oil in place of clarified butter.
• I like to use a combo of red chillies and chilli powder but you can use only one of them.
• I add cumin seeds and curry leaves while grinding. The cumin for aroma and some curry leaves go into the tummies and not adorn the edge of the plates.
• If the girls are around I peel the tomatoes before making the curry.

Variations:

• If you add fresh coconut to the cooked tomato while grinding the taste is amazing. The curry thickens with the addition too. The amount of jaggery you add will need to be lesser.
• You can always add a tempering of garlic. Grind some with the tomatoes for added flavour.
• To make a vegan version use vegetable oil that is odourless.
• To make gluten-free avoid the asafotida.

Equipment:

• Pressure cooker
• 2 Pans
• Mixer 
• Small pan for tempering

How to serve:

• Serve steaming hot tomato saar in a bowl, to taste check, you see.
• Serve with steamed rice with a vegetable and some ghosali kappa on the side
• Or like me serve with jeera rice.

How to store:

• You can keep the saar in the fridge for 2-3 days. I tend to discard stuff after that. Never tried freezing it but I guess you can store for about a month. Thanw and use immediately.

For Your Questions:

Protips:

• Use red jucy tomatoes for a better curry.
• Let the tomatoes cool down before grinding them.
• Grinding a few curry leaves gets the healthy leaves in the tummies. Without complaints.

Some of the curries we love:

Recipe card:

Nutritional Disclaimer: I am not a certified nutritionist and make no claims to the contrary. Please check with your nutritionist for your dietary needs and restrictions. Ultimately you are responsible for your decisions.

Recipe Video:

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