Floating Tomatoes with Crunchy Capsicum in Coconut Gravy

Couple of days back , came across an interesting dish which provoked a curiosity to try. More than the dish, the thoughts put in to inventing this dish, considering nutrition, taste, texture ,flavors and lot more. Many thanks to that person who has made this yummy delicious interesting dish. It was a good experience, while making and while serving and while tasting. Along with sharing the recipe , I am sharing here my experience while making this too.

As it was a new dish, there was a sense of being careful and being watchful of using(measurements and the orders) every "known" ingredient. A sense of alertness, concentration, focus to observe how its changing, observing the flavors.Tomatoes I always have either cut or chopped or ground.It was totally new to treat them as this.Many years even after cooking, personally creating a dish , taking nutrition, taste, textures and pouring lot many thoughts is still a tedious thing for many of us. This recipe is one personal invention of some blessed soul , through who , our family could enjoy this delicious recipe and thanks from the bottom of the heart , through whom I could learn this recipe and also learn "How cooking should be " and experience the joy of making , serving and enjoying the taste and flavors of it.

Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

• Small Ripe Tomatoes - 1/2 kg
• Onion - 2( finely chopped)
• Capsicum - 1( optional) (small cubes)
• Green Peas - 1/4th cup(optional)
•  Raw Coconut - 1/2( grated)
• Green Chilies - 2-3
• Ginger - A small piece
• Garlic - 2 cloves
• Coriander leaves - to garnish
• Milk - 1/2-1 cup
• Oil - to saute - 1-2 tsp

Dry Ingredients:

• Mustard Seeds - a pinch
• Jeera -                a pinch
• Fenugreek seeds - a pinch
• Kasoori Methi - a pinch
• Seasame seeds - 1 tbsp
• Cloves -     2
• Haldi -             1 tsp
• Chilly powder   -   1-2 tsp( depends)
• Corriander powder - 2 tsp
• Jeera Powder -      1 tsp

Preparation:

Grind coconut with milk and sesame seeds in to a fine paste.

Cooking Method:

Take a heavy bottomed pan , add oil, add mustard seeds, let it crackle, add jeera, fenugreek seeds, kasoori methi. Saute it.

Add green chilies , chopped ginger, garlic, green peas and saute it for a min. Add onion, saute until they become translucent.

Add capsicum cubes , saute for a minute and add all dry ingredients one by one and mix them well. Keep stirring.

Once the raw flavors are gone, add the coconut paste in to the mixture and give it a good mix and keep stirring.( else it would get burnt ).

After it is cooked add sufficient water and bring to good boil, closing the lid, so that the aromas of all the ingredients gets in to the dish.

Once its done, drop the tomato halves one by one, and place them beside every other piece. Simmer the stove and keep the lid closed. Tomatoes should be immersed in the gravy , so that the gravy gets inside the tomatoes.

In two to three minutes , tomatoes gets cooked. Keep watching , it should be softened , cooked yet holding the shape, for that is the beauty and success of this dish. 

Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve hot with rotis, naan or with white rice.

Yummy rich curry is ready.

Behind the scene:

Keep an eye and watch out for the tomatoes for they will get cooked very easily. It should be cooked, yet holding the shape. That was the interesting part in cooking this dish.