Tomato Thokku Andra Style

Tomato/Thakkali Thokku is a spicy, tangy andra-style tomato-based pickle or chutney recipe that can be used as a side dish for steamed rice, idli, dosa, and even for roti and chapati. Tomato Thokku is typically prepared with ripened and juicy tomatoes on a Stovetop pan or Instant Pot pressure cooker.

This Spicy Tomato thokku recipe can be easily stored in the refrigerator for two weeks and without refrigeration for 3-4 days.

My mother shared this recipe, and she learned this thakkali thokku recipe from her friend from Andhra Pradesh.

She prepared it as a side dish for idli, rasam, and rice combination in my childhood days. Also, try my mom's style Raw Green Tomato Chutney.

How to Make Tomato Thokku on Stovetop Pan

Dry roast methi (fenugreek) and mustard seeds for 2-3 minutes until methi seeds turn golden brown on medium-low flame.

Turn off the gas, cool completely, and blend to a fine powder.

In a Kadai, add oil, mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves, red chilies, hing, garlic, and saute.

Add chopped tomatoes, salt, and tamarind extract and cook them on a medium flame until the moisture from the tomatoes evaporates, which takes about 8-10 minutes.

Stir in between to avoid masala from sticking into the Kadai.

Once the oil starts to separate, add red chili powder, mustard-methi powder, adjust salt if needed, and jaggery to the mixture.

Cook until oil oozes out of the tomato mixture.

Tomato or Thakkali thokku or tomato pickle recipe is ready to serve.

**Note: Store in the fridge for two weeks. Without refrigeration, you can store up to 3-4 days.

How to make Andra Style Tomato Thokku in an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

• Dry roast methi (fenugreek) and mustard seeds for 2-3 minutes until methi seeds turn golden brown on medium-low flame in a stovetop pan.
• Turn off the gas, cool completely, and blend to a fine powder.
• In Instant Pot, Turn on SAUTE mode, add oil once hot, add mustard seeds, urad dal, and saute till dal turns light brown.
• Next, add curry leaves, red chilies, hing, garlic and saute for a few seconds.
• Add chopped tomatoes, salt, and tamarind extract and cook on MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK on high for 8 minutes and wait for Natural Pressure Release.
• Once pressure has released naturally, Turn on SAUTE again. Add red chili powder, mustard-methi powder, adjust salt if needed, and jaggery to the mixture.
• Cook until oil oozes out of the tomato mixture and get the desired consistency. **See video for reference.
• The spicy tomato thokku/pickle recipe is ready.

Tips & Variations to Make Tomato Thokku

1. You can replace regular tomatoes with cherry tomatoes. Use ripped red tomatoes to prepare tomato thokku / tomato pickle.
2. You can skip garlic in this recipe and add extra hing(asafoetida).
3. Tomato thokku tastes great when the right amount of oil, red chili powder, and salt is added, so be generous as the sourness of tomato will balance. Increase tamarind quantity if tomatoes are not sour.
4. If you prefer the spicy chutney to be very smooth, you can also blend the tomato and add puree instead of whole chunks.
5. Use Sesame oil for an authentic tomato thokku recipe.
6. Finally, if you are preparing in large quantity, it takes a long time for tomatoes to cook. You can also use an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker to make tomato thokku.

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