DIY Tomato Jam (Thakkali Jam Recipe)

This tomato jam recipe is very easy and nice something different from regular jams always use roma or bangalore tomato for the recipe its less sour and has lot of flesh. My grandma always used to make this jam during tomato season. this jam compliments well with biryani, roti or bread.

Ingredients:
500 Grams Tomato
1 1/3 Cups Sugar
Red Food Color (Optional) I did not use food color
1/2 Tsp Sodium Benzoate
Salt

First Step:

• Wash the tomatoes thrice.

Always buy ripe and firm tomatoes it should not have any green or yellow color and avoid buying tomatoes which have brown spots if you use such tomato you cannot preserve the jam for long...

Second Step:

• Score the tomato.
• Heat a pot of boiling water and add the tomatoes with in 10 mins the skin will peel remove the tomato from the boiling water and place in ice cold water or normal cold water.
• Peel the tomato and add to the blender blend to a smooth puree.

Third Step:

• Add the tomato pulp to a fine mesh sieve and extract the smooth puree .

Fourth Step:

• Add the puree along with the sugar to a heavy bottom pot.
• Place the pot on low flame.
• Constantly keep stirring the tomato place a cover if it splutters while boiling.
• After 20 minutes of boiling the tomato should reduce constantly keep stirring and add a pinch of salt.
• The consistency of the tomato should get twice as thick.

Fifth Step:

• Remove the jam from heat and allow to cool.
• Add the sodium benzoate mix well and transfer to a plastic or glass container.

Allow the jam to rest for 2 day before use...always store the jam in glass or plastic container or glass bottle. 

Recipe video

DIY Tomato Ketchup

 As you all know that my previous post was tomato puree...coming series i will try to show different variations using tomato puree...east or west any where in the world people just love tomato ketchup its so simple and easy to prepare at home...try to buy roma or bangalore tomato for this recipe and make sure you dont use tomatoes with black spots or little bit of green or yellow it should be ripe and firm...this ketchup can be stored for a year in the fridge.

 Happy Days....do you know....Tomatoes Give Any Skin Type a Healthy Glow....:)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 Kilos Tomatoes 

100 Grams Sugar

100 Grams Onion

25 Grams Garlic

1 1/2 Tbsp Chilly Powder

1 Tbsp Garam Masala 

1 Bay Leaf

1 Tsp Sodium Benzoate

5 Grams Salt

50 ML Vinegar

100 ML Water

• Wash the tomatoes in 2 tbsp vinegar water wash at least thrice.
• Use ripe and firm tomato dont use tomato with spots or green color ketchup will spoil fast.

• Use a heavy bottom pot preferably nonstick pot for this recipe.
• Chop the tomatoes into small pieces.

• Add garlic and onion to the chopped tomato.
• Mix all the ingredients well add water and place a cover and allow the tomato garlic and onion to cook till well done.

• Allow the tomato to cook till mush.
• Add to a blender and prepare smooth puree.

• Using a sevie strain the tomato puree remove all the seeds skin bits of garlic and onion.
• Add the tomato puree back in the heavy bottom pan and place on low flame.

  

• Add the sugar, chilly powder, bayleaf , garam masala and salt to the puree mix well and allow to boil on a low flame.
• Place a cover if the sauce splutters.
• constantly keep stirring.

• After 15 minutes of constant stirring  the sauce should have reduced to 1/3 consistency.
• Keep stirring until the sauce coats the spoon as shown in the picture.
• Remove the bayleaf.

• Allow the sauce to cool before adding vinegar.

• Add vinegar to the sauce and mix well.
• Allow to rest for another 10 minutes.

• Add the sodium benzoate and mix well.

• I reused the ketchup bottles.
• Its simple to recycle and help our mother earth if you buy ketchup and chilly sauce bottles once they are empty wash with soap water and then wash the bottles with hot water and sun dry its perfect to store oil or any sauce...:)

• Fill the bottles with ketchup and i must say this looks professional...what do say...:)
• Store in fridge can be used even after 1year...dont wait so long serve with any snacks or burger and Enjoy...:)

I enjoy my ketchup with just potato chips some time i have a weird taste i will have ketchup with idly and dosa...I've simplified the process of ketchup making some people may not agree with my recipe but this works perfect for me and best part about this recipe is you can make more and get fancy glass jars tie a ribbon and gift to a friend or your fav teacher on teacher's day...:)

Please note do not use the ketchup for 2 days after mixing benzoate allow the ketchup to rest after 2 days you can use for any dish...dont store ketchup in steel or any other metal container it may cause chemical reaction and you may fall sick...always use glass and plastic container to store any product when your using sodium benzoate or vinegar.

Watch my demo video and try this recipe...:)

DIY Tomato Puree

Hi Everybody ...its very simple to prepare tomato puree and store in fridge for winter...its almost been 11 years since i did my course in food and preservation its very nice to learn how to store essential food products for a year...I normally focus of certain vegetables that are easy to store for winter or for any emergency cooking...you'll never know when your running out of tomatoes while cooking its best you always have tomato puree in store its especially very effective for working women do try to make this puree in bulk and store it for a rainy day...:)

Lets get started...

I have used 2 kilos tomatoes these are farm tomatoes some people call them and roma or bangalore tomato make sure you buy nice ripe tomato to preserve. 

Wash the tomatoes thrice...twice with clean water and third time with 2 tbsp vinegar this will help remove all the pesticides.

After washing all the tomatoes allow to drain then score the skin into cross as shown in the picture.

Add enough water to blanch the tomatoes in a heavy bottom pot.

Add the tomatoes to the boiling water with in 10 to 15 minutes you can see the skin from the tomatoes peel switch the stove off drain the water and add ice cold water or just normal cold water to the tomatoes this will stop the cooking process in the tomatoes...

Peel the skin of the tomato and cut into half remove the seeds and add to the blender make a smooth puree.

Heat a heavy bottom pot again preferably nonstick pot add the tomato puree to the pot constantly keep stirring while preparing the pureeand allow to reduce till 1/3 .

Allow the puree to cool before adding any preservatives 1/2 cup of vinegar or lime juice can also be added to the puree but i normally wont add either of it since i dont know the amount of sour content needed while cooking anyother dish like curry we can always go wrong...so i prefer to use sodium benzoate or citric acid.

Once the tomato puree has cooled add 1/2 tsp citric acid or sodium benzoate always use a glass or plastic container to store the product since we are adding preservatives...storing the product in metal container can cause  chemical reaction.

Always use the product after 2 or 3 days since the preservative can cause health issues like soar throat and fever.

can be stored in fridge or freezer  upto 1 year. 

Hope this post is useful for everyone i will be doing more recipes with tomatoes and preservation if you have any request or question you can always mail me and feel free to suggest and communicate on my face book fan page i would love to hear from you...♥

Mutton Keema Biryani

Thanks to my cousin sister veena she gave me a wonderful recipe we enjoyed i served biryani with kababs eggs and raita it was super duper tasty and very nice for rainy weather....mom and dad loved it so much they asked me to prepare this biryani again...:)

Ingredients:

500 Grams Keema(lamb mince)

500 Grams Basmati Rice

1 Large Onion (roughly chopped)

1 Large Tomato (roughly chopped)

3 Green Chilly (slit)

2 Tbsp Ginger & Garlic Paste 

3 Tbsp Yogurt 

1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder

1 Tbsp Coriander Powder

1 1/2 Tbsp Red Chilly Powder

4 Cloves

3 Pods Cardamom 

1 Inch Cinnamon Stick

1 Bay leaf

Fist full coriander and mint leafs (finely chopped)

1/2 Lime juice

4 Tbsp Ghee

3 Tbps Oil

Salt to taste. 

How to prepare ginger and garlic paste:

I would normally take equal measure  1/3 cup of ginger and garlic and add 1 tbsp of fennel seeds and grind to a smooth paste i will not add water while grinding to a paste rather add 2 tbsp vinegar and 1/4 tsp salt this paste will remain fresh in the fridge for 2 weeks preserve in a glass airtight container.

For 1 coffee glass rice i have added 1 1/2 Cup water. for 1/2 kilo rice the measure was 3 glasses rice i added 4 1/2 glass water. if you have chicken or mutton broth add 3 cups mutton broth and 1 1/2 cups water. mom some times will add regulare skimmed milk instead of water you can do that as well so you'll add 3 cups of broth or water and 1 1/2 cups milk.However i added 3 cups mutton broth and 1 1/2 cup water.

Lets Prepare:

• On a medium flame heat a handi add 2 tbsp ghee and 2 tbsp oil add the ginger and garlic paste to the oil and fry a bit add the spices cardamom, cinnamon and cloves fry add the onion tomato and green chilly together and fry till the onion and tomatoes soften.
• Add the chilly powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder to the onion and tomato fry.
• Add yogurt and fry the masala till the oil surfaces to the sides
• Add the mince meat and combine the masala and fry the meat.
• After frying the meat for 5 minutes you can see moisture content from the meat depending on the moisture add 1 to 2 cups water and add salt cover and cook the meat till well done.
• If there is moisture in the meat put it on medium flame and allow the moisture to evaporate.
• wash the rice thrice. if you want you can soak the rice for 10 minutes.
• Heat a pressure cooker add oil and ghee fry the bay leaf add washed and drained rice fry for 5 minutes on a low flame.
• Add the cooked meat to the rice and mix well add water and and salt coriander, mint and lime mix well and cover.
• Once the pressure starts to build place the whistle and cook exactly for 5 minutes.
• Mix all the ingredients once before serving...Serve hot and Enjoy...:)  

watch my demo video...enjoy...:)

Keema Vadai

Ingredients:
500 Grams Lamb Mince
1 Medium Onion (finely chopped)
1/2 Cup Roasted Bengal Gram
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Coriander & Mint (finely chopped)
Oil for frying
Salt to taste.

Vadai Masala:
6 to 8 Green Chilies
10 Pods Garlic
1 Inch Ginger
1 Tsp Fennel Seeds
1 Inch Cinnamon
4 Cloves
2 Cardamom

First Step:

• In a blender add chilies, garlic, ginger, fennel, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom grind till coarse paste.

• Add the roasted gram dhal to the masala and grind with out adding water.
• Add mince meat, salt and egg to the ground masala and pulse 2 to 3 times till well combined.

Second Step:

• Reserve the meat in a bowl.
• Add the finely chopped coriander, mint and onion check for salt add if needed mix all the ingredients till well combined and allow to rest for 10 minutes in room temp.   

Third Step:

• Add enough oil in a wok for frying heat oil on medium flame.

• Wet your palms with water take medium size meat ball and flatten the meat ball in your palm gently drop the flatten vada in the hot oil.
• Fry the vada on medium flame very gently turn the vada and fry till golden brown drain the vada on paper towel and serve hot...Enjoy...:)

We normally serve this vada for lunch or for coffee/tea its super snack item one must try this recipe and also can be baked if you do not like frying typical south Indian recipe...:)

Video demo in English...Enjoy...:)

Cream of Rice/Arisi Upma

Arisi Upma is a classic southindian tiffin. 

Ingredients:

1 Cup Cream of Rice/Rice Rawa

1 Large Onion (chopped into medium cubes)

5-6 Dried Red Chilies

2 Sprigs Curry Leafs

1/2 Cup Grated Coconut

1/2 Tsp Cumin seeds, Mustard seeds, Split Chick peas, Split Black Gram

1 Pinch Asafoetida

3 Tbsp Oil

Salt to taste.

The above mentioned ingredients serves 2 to 3 people. due to some errors while recording the video i have not shown a clip when i was dry roasting the rawa however I've mentioned on the blog. I've also used regular steel coffee tumbler to measure the rawa and used 2 glasses of rawa to prepare upma.

Lets Prepare:

• Heat a wok and dry roast the rawa till light pink color remove from flame and reserve in a plate.
• In a pot boil 3 cups of water.
• Heat the same wok add 3 tbsp oil add mustard seeds to splutter.
• Add cumin black gram and chick peas fry a bit.
• Add asafoetida and onion fry till transparent add curry leafs fry.
• Add grated coconut and salt fry till light pink.
• Add the roasted rawa and fry mix all the ingredients till well combined.
• Gently pour the boiling water to the rawa and mix well place a cover and allow to cook on low flame.
• After 5 minutes the upma should be done mix again check for salt add if needed mix well and serve hot with pickle...Enjoy...:)