Vegetable Platter: Pickles

Raw Tamarind Thokku | Hunase Thokku

Those in the South, especially from the Karnataka & Andhra region will know what Thokku is & how dear it is to them. Thokku is a semi dry chutney made with various seasonal produce like raw mangoes, Tamarind, Tomatoes, Gooseberry. They are usually made in huge batches & is meant to be stored for a long time. If stored well, a Thokku can stay good for a couple of years.

Now that it is Tamarind season in Namma Bengalooru, I bought some nice & tender tamarind to add it to Gooseberry Pickle & the rest was used up to make this amazing Thokku.

You Will Need:

250 grams of tender Raw Tamarind
12-15 Green Chilies or Ripe Red Chilies - I used Green Chilies
1 tsp Fenugreek seeds/Methi seeds
Salt as per taste - Usually about 4-5 Tablespoons
A big pinch of Turmeric Powder
4 tbsp Oil - I used Groundnut Oil

How To:

Wash & Clean Tamarind. Spread it on a kitchen towel & pat them dry. While buying tamarind, choose the ones that are tender as they can be chopped easily & will have less fibre to discard.

Chop tamarind into tiny pieces & discard the rough outer skin. Pound the tamarind with a pestle to remove any seeds.

Heat the oil along with a pinch of turmeric & set aside to cool

In a blender, grind green chilies & fenugreek seeds into a fine paste. Add salt & chopped tamarind & grind into a slightly coarse paste. Mix well with a spatula & add oil & whizz for a couple of times.

Store in a clean & dry, air tight jar & consume as needed. I usually refrigerate the those & it stays well for almost a year

The best way to eat Thokku is to mix it with hot steamed rice & a little bit of groundnut oil.

Unlike Chutney, this those is slightly on the spicier side & will not go well with Idli/Dosa as it. You can take a couple of spoonfuls of those & grind it with grated coconut & a little bit of water to get a chutney like consnitency. Add mustard seeds tempering & use it to go along with idli/dosa

These gorgeous planks that I have used in these photographs are given to me by Mallika. She writes a beautiful food blog called Veg Bowl & It's always a pleasure when fellow bloggers turn into friends. She was also generous enough to send me a few other props. Only a fellow blogger will understand how thrilled I was :) Thank you Mallika. I will treasure them