In many of my gravy recipes, I have emphasized the importance of making gravy based recipes for chapathi or roti. Dry palyas/sabzis are nice but you want something to make your chapathis or rotis even more enjoyable. Especially when you are packing a lunch dabba to office or school. So here we are with another delicious tomato based gravy with due importance to tomato, tomato salna.
A salna is usually made for a biryani or parotta. But this tomato salna goes really well with all kinds of rotis! Tomato salna like any other salnas’ has a fresh and fragrant spice base, freshly roasted and ground! The procedure is pretty simple, once you get hold of all the spices. Simple readily available spices usually found in the kitchen pantry go into this tomato salna. I referred to this wonderful recipe and loved the idea of making a plain gravy!
In fact in this tomato salna recipe, the gravy itself is like the base of some paneer curry like paneer butter masala for instance. But this is simpler as no further steps are required. Optionally, add fresh cream for a full round up of all the flavours! Enjoy your lunch with tomato salna and spice up your menu! Also try tamatar kaju paneer, one of my favourite and popular recipes from FOI 🙂
- 1 diced red onion
- 1 Tsp oil
- 3 chopped tomatoes
- 1 garlic
- ½" ginger
- ¼ Cup grated coconut or pieces of coconut
- 1 Tsp poppy seeds/gasa-gase/khus khus
- 2 laung
- 1-2 green elaichi
- 1 Tsp saunf
- 1 Tsp jeera
- 10 mint leaves
- Salt to taste
- 1 Tbsp ghee
- ½ Tsp red chilli powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- Finely chopped coriander
- 1 Tbsp fresh thick cream (optional)
- In a pan, heat little oil
- Gather all the whole spices in a plate, jeera, saunf, dhania, elaichi and laung
- Fry the spices in oil till aromatic
- Add roughly chopped ginger, garlic and fry
- Next add chopped onion and fry for a minute
- Add the diced tomato and fry
- Once the tomatoes soften, add chopped mint leaves and shredded coconut
- Mix, and next add poppy seeds
- Fry well, let it this mixture cool
- In a mixer jar, add this mixture
- Grind into a thick paste/chutney with water as required
- Next in a pan, heat ghee and add turmeric and red chilli powder
- Pour the prepared tomato paste into the ghee
- Mix this very well
- Add salt to taste
- Allow this to come to a light boil
- Garnish with chopped coriander and finish with fresh thick cream
- Serve hot with chapathi or paratha!
It can also be finished with thick well whisked yogurt instead of cream
Sprinkle little garam masala at the end for extra punch in flavour
Tomato Salna Stepwise:
In a pan, heat little oil
Gather all the whole spices in a plate, jeera, saunf, dhania, elaichi and laung
Fry the spices in oil till aromatic
Add roughly chopped ginger, garlic and fry
Next add chopped onion and fry for a minute
Add the diced tomato and fry
Once the tomatoes soften, add chopped mint leaves and shredded coconut
Mix, and next add poppy seeds
Fry well, let it this mixture cool
In a mixer jar, add this mixture
Grind into a thick paste/chutney with water as required
Next in a pan, heat ghee and add turmeric and red chilli powder
Pour the prepared tomato paste into the ghee
Mix this very well
Add salt to taste
Allow this to come to a light boil
Garnish with chopped coriander and finish with fresh thick cream
Serve hot with chapathi or paratha!
