TOMATO-OMPODI SWEET SOUR CURRY

INTRODUCTION

INGREDIENTS

This curry is exotic for southern pallet and I am sure people who love to try out different curries with their Chapathi/Rotis , would love it. Sweet and sour taste would also go down very well with children's taste .This curry tastes best with Parotha / Chappathi / Poories and Rotis.Take care to select slightly sour Tomato variety.Or else you may have to use a little vinegar in addition (a spoonful ) This curry is prepared in two stages. One stage involves making Tomato curry with watery gravy and the second stage involves making fresh OMPODI and cooking it in sweet-sour gravy. Try out and enjoy!!

FOR TOMATO CURRY
Ripe Red Tomatoes 350 gms.
Curry leaves 2 sprigs
Dhania Powder 1 spoon
Jeera Powder 1/2 spoon
Turmeric Powder 1/4 spoon
Chilli powder 1 spoon
Asafoetida 1/2 spoon
Jaggery 10 to 15 gms..
Salt to taste
Oil 3 spoons
Mustard seeds 1/4 spoon
Jeera seeds 1/4 spoon
Clove 4 to 5 nos.
Cinnamon 2 Nos. 1" sticks

FOR OM PODI

Kadalai Maavu/Besan 1/2 cup
Chilli powder 1/4 spoon
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Salt 1/2 spoon
Water ........little to make ompodi dough
 Make a workable dough of Ompodi consistency after adding all the ingredients , mixing the spices thoroughly and keep aside to be used later. You will need Ompodi Machine/Murukku machine.Use only medium sized Ompodi sieve .

METHOD OF PREPARATION

Dice all the Tomatoes except two. Make paste of two tomatoes in a mixi and set aside. Take oil in a kadai and add Mustard and broken chillies, when Mustard starts to Crackle, add cloves and Cinnamon , after 5 seconds, add Asafoetida and immediately add Tomatoes (diced and paste both). Now add curry leaves and turn briskly till tomatoes start becoming soft. Now add salt, Chilli powder, Turmeric powder, Jeera/Dhania powders. Let it get cooked on slow flame for about further three minutes. Add one cup of water and allow to boil (curry) Smear a little oil on the inside of Ompodi Machine and insert the ompodi Dough. It will be just enough for one machine . 

When the Tomato curry is boiling, Slowly start adding the Ompodi directly in curry (there is no oil frying of ompodi). Add only 4 inches length of ompodi at a time. Slowly turn the curry and after further one or two minutes, add another instalment of Ompodi. Maximum three installments will complete your Ompodi dough. 

Allow the Ompodi to be cooked in Tomato curry for ten to fifteen minutes. The ompodi , on getting cooked, will slightly become thicker. Keep on stirring the curry without breaking the ompodi. At the end, add jaggery or sugar and a little bit of Raw asfoetida powder and give a final mixing stirring and cover the Kadai. 

After 45 minutes, taste for salt/sour and chillies.If you find less, add. You may have to add a little water also since ompodi would have absorbed the water. After adding water, bring it to a boil and serve piping hot. 

The aroma of this curry would really get on to your taste buds and you would be happy to cook this curry again and again. ADDENDUM Please add a little Asafoetida to Kadalai maavu dough also.

ENJOY!!!!!! 

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