Looking to dodge the tomato price surge in India and still whip up your favourite dishes? Fret not! We’ve got some juicy tips to rescue your taste buds from the growing tomato inflation. Or actually, this home chef does! Here are ingredients a home chef recommends in place of the pricey tomatoes.
Home Chef’s Local Ingredients To Replace Pricey Tomatoes
The rising tomato prices have affected everyone around the country. Putting everyone in a tough position, no one is safe from the wrath of the pricey tomatoes. Be it a home cook, restaurant, or even a roadside stall. But in Pune, Home Chef and YouTube Vlogger Nilima Nitin has found her own solutions for this pricey problem.
She has smoothly embraced alternatives to enhance the taste of dals and curries, ensuring no one felt the absence of tomatoes too keenly, reports The Indian Express. Even as tomato prices stabilize, incorporating alternatives regularly for their unique character and diverse flavours is a wise approach.
As per the report, according to Nilima, these alternatives not only enhance the taste but also boost the volume of dishes. In rich gravies, she recommends increasing onion paste and incorporating nut pastes like cashews or magaj. That is watermelon or poppy seeds. She believes they can be a great option.
Also read: With Tomato Prices Soaring, These 5 Canned Tomato Alternatives Are Your Saviour
What Are The Ingredients You Need?
Don’t worry, we don’t believe in gatekeeping and neither does home chef Nilima. She also shared 4 other ingredients you can use to make a pocket-friendly meal. So without much further adieu, here are the chef’s best alternative recommendations:
1. Tamarind
The chef suggests using tamarind as an alternative. When preparing tamarind pulp, she says it shouldn’t be treated like a chutney, where jaggery is added. Instead, she suggests soaking the tamarind in warm water for a few minutes, squeezing the pulp, and then pouring it directly into the dal.
2 . Kokum
The chef also recommends using Kokum as an alternative to dal. When added to sabji, it alters both the colour and taste. In Maharashtrian cooking, Kokum is commonly used and unlike tamarind, it reduces acidity while providing a sour taste. Kokum can be cooked or directly added to dal along with jaggery, says the chef in the report.
3. Curd
Adding curd to any dish requires careful attention to avoid curdling. It is essential to keep the flame low and continuously stir the mixture, says the chef in the report. Curd should be added after sautéing the onions and cooking the main masalas. Often, the masalas are mixed with curd and then added to the onions, stated the chef.
4. Amchoor Powder/ Dried Mango Powder
Lastly, Amchoor powder. According to the chef, Amchoor adds flavour without increasing the body of the sabzi or dal. It also does not alter the colour of the dish. Being in powder form, Amchoor doesn’t require cooking. It works best in paneer sabzi and mixed vegetable curries. Helping in preserving the tanginess and providing sourness without affecting the dish’s colour.
Do you have any such alternatives that you’ve been keeping a secret? Share it with us in the comments and help your fellow Indians out!
Cover image courtesy: Canva