Tomato jam

Ingredients:

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• Ripe and firm tomatoes - 750 grams
• Sugar - 1 cup,heaped
• cinnamon powdered - 1/4 tsp
• ginger grated - 1/2 inch piece
• lemon juice - 4 tsp
• red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Method:

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• Wash the tomatoes well and chop roughly into pieces.
• Add the pieces into a blender and make a puree.
• Add the puree,sugar in a saucepan and stir on a high flame till the sugar melts.
• Add cinnamon powder,lemon juice,grated ginger and cook on a medium flame stirring continuously till it becomes a thick solution.
• Set aside to cool completely and transfer into a bottle.

Have with rotis/puris.

Carrot Palak curry

Ingredients:

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• Carrot - 5
• Palak - 5 small bunches
• onion - 1 big,finely chopped
• Green chillies - 4,chopped finely
• tomatoes - 2,chopped
• ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Jeera - 1 tsp
• turmeric powder - a pinch
• Salt - to taste
• Garam masala powder - 2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Fresh cream - 2 tbsp( optional, you can also add milk)

Method:

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• Peel off the skin and grate carrot.
• Wash the palak well and chop well.
• Heat oil in a kadai.Add jeera,when it splutters,add onion,ginger garlic paste,green chillies and saute for few seconds.
• Add tomatoes and saute for few minutes.
• Add chopped palak and saute for sometime.Add grated carrot,turmeric powder,coriander powder,salt and saute till the raw smell goes off.
• Sprinkle garam masala powder and add fresh cream.
• Mix well till it gets blended well with the carrot sabzi.

Serve hot with rotis.

Cream of tomato soup

Amidst the hike in petrol prices now...one thing I found which is really cheap are the tomatoes....Here in Hyderabad ,you get 3 kgs of tomatoes for just 5 rupees!!!So its the time for tomato pickles ,soup,jam and lots more.....here is the recipe for tomato soup in hotel style..

This recipe serves 5 bowls.

Ingredients:

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• Fresh ripe tomatoes - 10 medium sized (any variety,I have used the country ones)
• onion - 1 big
• Garlic pods - 6
• cinnamon - 1 inch piece
• pepper corns - 10
• Fresh pepper powder - 1 tsp( can be added later as per taste)
• salt - to taste
• butter - 1 tsp
• oil - 1 tsp
• turmeric powder - a pinch
• sugar - 2 tsp( add more if the tomatoes are very sour)
• corn flour - 1/2 tsp dissolved in water
• Fresh cream - for garnishing

If you get celery ,you can add it for additional taste.

Bread croutons:

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Chop the bread slices into cubes and roast it in a non stick pan with 1 tsp of ghee/butter.

Method:

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• Wash the tomatoes well and chop them roughly into pieces.Chop the onion too.
• Heat a saucepan ,add butter and oil.
• When its hot add cinnamon,onion, garlic pods,(celery if available) and saute till it turns translucent.
• Add the chopped tomatoes,turmeric powder,pepper corns and saute for few seconds till the raw smell goes off.
• Add little water , 1 tsp of milk and cook covered for 5 to 10 min till the tomatoes get cooked completely.
• 
  
• Set aside to cool.After it cools down to room temperature ,strain the excess water and keep aside.
• Add the residue in a blender and make a puree.
• Add the puree with the strained stock in the same saucepan with salt,sugar and pepper powder.
• Adjust water if its too thick.The consistency should be slightly watery.
• Stir and cook till it boils.
• 
  
• Add the corn flour syrup and mix well.Add 2 tsp of fresh cream and switch off in 10 sec.

Serve the yummy soup piping hot .Garnish with bread croutons and a tsp of fresh cream.