Green Tomatoes Chutney/ Kache Tamatar Ki Chutney- Father's Day Special

Father- a son’s first hero and a daughter’s first love. When a child is born he/she is hardly able to open the eyes, but when my dad held me in his hands for the first time I was looking at him with wide opened eyes- ah for me it was love at first sight. Papa, as I call him is my world and I am so glad he is my dad. Have you ever wondered why every daughter loves her dad the most? Because he is the ONLY man who will never ever hurt her. My dad is special, he is the best and he is my hero. For me he is never wrong- not when he scolded me, not when he did not permit me to go out with friends, not when he was angry when I scored less in exams, not when he said something I dint like-he was , he is and he always will be right. He smiled at me when I was good, he pampered me with ice creams, he celebrated my every birthday, he always loved me more then my brother, he gave me all I needed- I am a complete daddy’s little girl. Happy father’s day Papa- I love you.

Even though I learnt cooking from my maa but my dad too plays a role there. My dad is one fussy picky eater and is very particular about the colour, taste and flavours of the dish. Impressing my papa is one huge task and only mummy can do it well. Even mummy says that it is papa’s comments, criticism and appreciation that bring out the best out of her kitchen skills. When I first rolled out rotis, they were hard and rubbery but he ate without any complains- I am sure every dad does that :) Kudos to all the dads!

On this Father’s Day occasion I chose to make his favourite and most beloved Green Tomatoes Chutney, or as he call is it Kache Tamatar Ki Chutney which means Raw Tomatoes Chutney. Chutney to marwadi agrawals is like chocolate to a kid. Oh yes we need chutneys with all our meals- green chutney with punjabi aloo parathas; raw mango chutney forpani puris or spicy eggplant/baigan chutney for winters.

In the span of 3 years in London, I never saw green tomatoes in the market, so lately when I saw these petite and raw green tomatoes I had to pick them up. They are very sour and with correct spices it can be transformed to one great dip. I geared up making this chutney soon after marriage in Mumbai where these tomatoes are available easily and even Mr. Husband became fond of it. I prepare it exactly the way my mom does and the way my dad likes. As mentioned above he is keen on colour of the dish as well so mummy uses red chilli powder to enhance the colour otherwise it would look really pale and inedible. Freshly grounded mustard and fenugreek seeds are the soul of this chutney which provides richness and amazing depth of flavour to finished dish. So here it goes:-

Ingredients:

2 cups green cherry tomatoes

2 teaspoon whole mustard seeds/rai/sarso

1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds/methi

2 green chillies/hari micrh

1 teaspoon red chilli powder

1 teaspoon fennel seeds/saunf

1 1/2 teaspoon sugar

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon oil

1/2 teaspoon each of Mustard seeds and fennel seeds

Directions

Using a coffee grinder, grind the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and fennel seeds to coarse powder.

In a bowl, mix the grinded powder with chopped silted green chilies and 2 tablespoon water. Mash it to form a paste like consistency.

Cut the tomatoes in halves. In a pan, heat oil and add mustard and fennel seeds. Let it cook for a few seconds.

Then drop the tomato pieces with 1/2 cup of water. Season with salt and let it simmer at medium heat until it is tender when poked with a fork. Keep stirring to avoid it from getting burnt.

Then, add mustard paste, red chilli powder and sugar, mix properly and allow it to cook for a couple more minutes.

Add fennel powder, stir and let it cook for 1 minute.

Switch off the heat and serve it warm or at room temperature.

Notes:

You can use 4-5 medium size green tomatoes instead of petite ones.

If you prefer less spicy chutneys then don’t use red chilli powder.

This chutney is always semi-thick in consistency but adjust water as per your taste.

Serving Ideas:

Serve with any stuffed parathas.

Great for sandwiches or picnic snacks.

Use as a dip for crackers or nachos