Today I’m sharing my recipe for Green Tomato Pickle. This is a recipe I came up with as a way to use up the basket of green tomatoes I came back with from the market. We love green tomatoes. We get tomatoes the year round in India but green tomatoes seem seasonal at the market. I usually find them in plenty in the winter months.
The grocers at my local market get huge boxes of tomatoes which are usually green or half ripe. These store well as they keep longer while they ripen. So when other shoppers pick out the red, ripe tomatoes, my grocer recognizes me as “the woman” who specially asks for the green ones! He has been selling me vegetables and fruits for so many years now that he keeps the green tomatoes for me when he gets them. No one I know seems to buy or cook with green tomatoes here.
I have seen that Americans, Southerners especially, love Fried Green Tomatoes. Those are basically slices of green tomatoes that are battered and fried till crisp. Most green tomatoes are nothing but unripened tomatoes. There are a couple of varieties of tomatoes though, that stay green. The nice thing about green tomatoes is that unlike ripe ones, they mostly keep their shape after cooking. They’re a bit sour/ astringent but this disappears when they’re cooked.
I understand that the worst place to put unripe tomatoes is in the fridge. This is because tomatoes stored below 10C (50F) do not develop flavour as the cold stops the chemical process required for it. That means it is best to use one’s green tomatoes stash as quickly as possible. Otherwise they will start ripening and turning yellow. It’s a good thing that I have a good collection of green tomato recipes to use them up. I even have a recipe for a delicious Spiced Green Tomato Bundt Cake!
I have previously posted a Green Tomato And Onion Curry and a Green Tomato Khorma. Now it’s the turn for my Green Tomato Pickle. You can adjust the amount of chilli powder you add to the pickle. The powdered jaggery is added to balance the tartness of the tomato so you can adjust that too but the pickle shouldn’t taste sweet.
Green Tomato Pickle
Ingredients
- 10 large green tomatoes
- 1/4 cup sesame seed oil
- 5 tsps Kashmiri chilli powder (adjust to taste)
- 2 tsps mustard seeds
- 1/4 tsp fenugreek powder
- 1/4 tsp asafetida powder
- 1/2 to 1 tbsps powdered jaggery (or brown sugar)
- Salt to taste
- 2 sprigs curry leaves
Instructions
- Cut the green tomatoes into quarters, and each quarter into half. You can cut them smaller if you prefer. Add the chilli powder and salt and mix well. Keep aside.
- Now heat the oil in a wok. Add the mustard seeds and when they splutter, turn down the heat to medium. Add the asafetida powder and curry leaves and stir once ensuring they don't burn. Immediately add the tomato pieces. Stir well and allow the tomatoes to cook for about 5 minutes. They should soften without losing the skin or becoming mushy.
- Add the fenugreek powder and jaggery and mix well. Allow to cook for another minute or so and take off the heat.
- Allow to cool, bottle and refrigerate when not using. This pickle will keep in the fridge for a week. If kept outside, it will spoil as the water content of the pickle is on the higher side.
Asha says
YUM! Last Summer I had so many green tomatoes, I had to cook almost for 3 days to use them all before the first Fall cold hit! I will try this next summer! 🙂
Happy Cook says
Here we get green toamtoes in summer, and than too not in abundence.Hi hi like a kid in a candy store in the market. I loved that expresion.
Ben says
I love markets, too. All that fresh produce and delicious flavors lingering in the air… too bad we don’t have markets in this part of the world 🙁 Great recipe!
Elra says
Delicious Aparna! In summer I grow my tomatoes, and very often pick the green one and make indonesian dish with it. I never attempt to make Indian pickle ( I heard the process is long), but your recipe seem pretty manageable. I shall try one day!Cheers,Elra
Ashwini Kenchanna says
Looks Yumm. I too love green tomatoes..but i don’t know what to do with it, so I usually use it in regular curries.. This ia a great item to make out of it.. Thank you..
Vaishali says
I can well understand- and share- the feeling of being enthralled in a market full of fresh vegetables. It is truly a thing of joy.I use green tomatoes in masial, usually, but a pickle is a great idea. It looks delicious.Hope you’ve had a good start to the year, dear Aparna, and wish you a very happy 2009.
Curry Leaf says
I love markets too.Why just markets I actually like any provision store/super market ..its weird I know.I love seeing stacks of veggies or shelf full of provisions or even vessels of diff shapes and size neatly arranged and waiting to be purchased.Even thgh I love seeing things,most of the times I won’t buy anything at all,except veggies ie.Lovely pickle,never made/added green tomatoes in a pickle.I prefer rich red tomatoes thgh.The pickle is too hot & inviting
Madhu says
I like pickles, new way to use greentomatos. Looks beautiful..
Cham says
In my house they say i spent lots of time in market and supermarket. I shop alone! Green tomo i love the tartness… Even withou jagg It should taste heaven! Nice recipe!
Uma says
I like green tomatoes too! But we don’t get that many green tomatoes here. 🙁 Tomato pickle looks so gorgeous and mouth-watering. What a vibrant color!
aquadaze says
Oh i envy you the green tomatoes! Haven’t seen any in the markets here and I do miss them! Your pickled green tomatoes have turned a lovely red!
Rajani says
even Ilike the greener ones more than the soft red ones. my mum used to make tomato sambhar with tart green tomatoes from her garden.not anymore though. simple recipe, i can make it!!
Smitha says
Pickle Yum Yum…
Soma says
Same here Aparna.. I see colors I go nuts… other than that I do not like too much of shopping even regular groceries. Might sound weird but, I love these kinda chutneys on a chewy bread…
Purnima says
Aparna, thks for sharing such a lovely pickle recipe. I too miss the grocers market in Mumbai, here there is a bounty of every veggie known/unknown but the feel of it in homeland market is totally different!
sra says
I love vegetable markets too – the one in Panaji is an ‘especial’ favourite. I haven’t been able to photograph many, though, much as I would like to.
sreedevi says
Aparna,I too love green tomatoes.I make bharta and dal with them.Thanks to your post,I am making a trip to veg market today:)
Aparna says
Asha, welcome back.:)I absolutely agree, Ben. There’s a kind of magic in the air.:)Indonesian. I wonder if it is vegetarian, Elra. Should do some exploring.Vaishali, Shweatha, Cham amd Soma, it’s good to know I’m not the only one. :)Vaishali, mashial sounds interesting.Soma, I think pickles and chutneys are great with bread too.Rajani, I use green tomatoes in sambhar and rasam too.Purnima, nothing’s quite like home. :)Sra, that Panaji market is no more. I miss it as there was something so special about it.The new market is in a huge spacious building right behind the old one.Have a nice time there, Sridevi.:D
Vanamala says
lovely …nice recipe
Lore says
Oooo I love pickles so much I even eat them with soup 😀 so your recipe is right up my alley. Thanks for sending it my way!
bindiya says
i posted a similiar recipe on my blog too, this looks super, will try it out next!
sagari says
wowwww mouthwatering aparna
Simran says
Have you read fried green tomatoes at the whistle stop cafe? That’s when I fell in love with green apples.Lovely pickle
Sunshinemom says
Aparna, this looks great! I have seen green tomatoes and wondered what I could do with them! I like that – don’t leave her loose in the veg. market:))
Bharti says
You are not weird at all! I am exactly like that. I spend the most money on groceries! This pickle sounds really good. I’ll wait for summer time- that’s when I’ve seen green tomatoes around.
Yasmeen says
Spicy pickle! We usually get Spanish green tomatoes called tomatillos here,pickle is a relishing recipe with green tomatoes:)
Seena says
Good! I always loved tomato pickle, but wouldn’t make here much.. loved your version. It has been long since I visit you, Aparna, how are you..? 🙂
Lisa says
Lovely recipe. I’ve been meaning to try my hand at pickles for a while now. This recipe would be a good place to start.
Linda says
Oh my goodness, Aparna — it took me a minute to realise why the green tomato pickle was red! Love that kashmiri chile powder ;)I will refer to this and your other green tomato recipes next fall, I hope, when I have some green tomatoes of my own. Wishing you a most wonderful Happy New Year! 🙂