Description
A vibrant and creamy Tomato & Coconut Curry combining toasted spices, fresh tomatoes, and rich coconut milk, simmered to perfection. This flavorful vegetarian dish is aromatic, mildly spiced, and pairs wonderfully with steamed rice for a comforting meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Spices
- 1 heaped tsp cumin seeds
- 1 heaped tsp coriander seeds
- 1 heaped tsp fennel seeds
- 1 heaped tsp black mustard seeds
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
Vegetables & Herbs
- 10 curry leaves (plus extra for frying, optional)
- 3 large onions, thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 green chilli, finely chopped
- 1kg large ripe tomatoes, cut into quarters
- 250g cherry or baby plum tomatoes
Liquids & Others
- 2 tbsp sunflower or rapeseed oil
- 400ml can coconut milk
- 2 heaped tsp tamarind paste
- 2 heaped tsp brown or palm sugar
- Cooked rice, to serve
Instructions
- Toast Spices: Tip the cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds into a large dry frying pan set over medium-high heat. Toast them until fragrant and lightly browned, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove immediately to prevent burning and roughly grind using a pestle and mortar or spice grinder.
- Sauté Aromatics: Drizzle the oil into the same pan. Add the curry leaves and sizzle for about one minute to release their flavor. Then add the thinly sliced onions and fry for around 5 minutes until lightly golden.
- Add Spices and Seasoning: Add the black mustard seeds, ground toasted spice mixture, turmeric, sea salt flakes, crushed garlic, and chopped green chilli to the onions. Fry this mixture for another 2 minutes, stirring to combine and let the spices bloom.
- Add Tomatoes: Tip in all the quartered large ripe tomatoes and cherry or baby plum tomatoes. Fry for one more minute to start softening the tomatoes and mixing the flavors.
- Simmer Curry: Pour in the coconut milk, then add the tamarind paste and brown or palm sugar. Stir well to combine all ingredients. Reduce heat to low and simmer the curry gently for 25 minutes until the tomatoes break down fully and the sauce thickens slightly.
- Adjust Seasoning and Serve: Taste the curry, then adjust seasoning with extra salt or sugar if needed. Serve the hot curry over cooked rice. Optionally, fry some extra curry leaves in oil until crisp and sprinkle them on top before serving for added texture and flavor.
Notes
- Toast the seeds carefully to avoid burning which can cause bitterness.
- Simmer gently to allow the tomatoes to soften and flavors to meld without drying out the curry.
- Extra fried curry leaves make a wonderful crispy garnish enhancing the flavor and presentation.
- Use ripe tomatoes for a naturally sweet and rich curry sauce.
- Adjust the green chilli quantity based on your preferred spice level.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Indian
Keywords: tomato curry, coconut curry, Indian vegetarian recipe, tomato coconut curry, easy curry, stovetop curry
