Thakkali Bajji – Tamil Style Recipe, Spicy Thakkali Bajji

This tomato chutney is called as thakkali bajji in the Coimbatore region. Its called as “maapilai thakkali bajji” or “tomato chutney fit for a groom”. The mother in law tries to impress the newly married groom with her elaborate feasts at every meal. The spices and coconut in the chutney makes it rich and very aromatic. This recipe is my cousin sister Shruti’s home favorite.

Shruti has to be the naughtiest among us cousins. I still remember this one incident vividly. She was in her 7th or 8th grade at that time and wanted to learn to drive. She was pestering me for a very long time to teach her. One day, I agreed. It was night time after dinner that day. The road was quiet and it must have been 10’o clock or something around that time. We started our trusty old TVS-50-moped and it was decided that she was to sit in the front and me at the back. Even though she was in the front, she squeezed a little to the front, so we both can hold the handle bar and the accelerator. I was supposed to control the speed of the moped. We started slowly. It was a good drive. we would have driven about a 100 meters. Then the rebel in her woke up. She just pushed off my hand and accelerated to the full. We landed in an open ditch straight. She continued her acceleration in the ditch for another 10-20 meters before we fell down completely from the moped and got fully covered in ditch water. I was furious, dirty and in shock. She just started laughing there till her stomach hurt. I dint speak a word. We rescued the TVS-50 and returned back home. My mom was shocked to see us. She made us bath in a liter of Dettol. Looking back at all that now makes me laugh so hard. Good old days. Here is how to do thakkali bajji.

We will need the following spices. Apart from the spices listed below, they also add the spice “black stone flower” called “kalpasi” to this thakkali bajji. It can be hard to come by in a local grocery store. If you can find it, add it to the spice list. Else you can just leave it.

Heat oil in a pan until hot. Add in the mustard seeds. Let it splutter. Add in all the spices. Briefly fry for ten seconds. Add in the onions. Saute until the onions are soft.

Mince the ginger and garlic in a small mixie and add it to the pan. Add in the chopped green chillies.

Fry till the mixture is starting to brown. Grind the tomatoes in the mixie to a paste. Add it to the pan. Add in the chilli powder, turmeric and salt. Add a little jaggery. That little slight sweetness from the jaggery goes well along with the tartness of the tomatoes. Add a cup of water to the pan.

Grind 1/4 cup of fresh coconut and 1/4 cup of water in a blender to a smooth paste. Add it to the pan. Saute for a couple of minutes.

Cover the pan and cook for 4 whistes in a pressure pan. Wait for the pressure in the pan to release naturally. Open the pan and garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with idli, dosa or chapati.

Thakkali Bajji – Tamil Style Recipe

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Thakkali Bajji – Tomato bhaji. Tamil Style Recipe. Side dish for idli, dosa and chapati.

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Yield: 4 persons 1x

Ingredients

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Spices

• 3 red chillies
• 2 sticks cinnamon
• 1 star anise
• 2 cardamom
• 2 cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 marathi moggu (kapok buds)
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• a pinch kalpasi ( black stone flower )

Other ingredients

• 2 tablespoon oil
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 3 Onions, chopped fine
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1.5 inch piece ginger
• 2 green chillies
• 6 Tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon jaggery
• 1/4 cup coconut
• 2 sprig coriander leaves, chopped fine

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Instructions

1. Heat oil in a pan until hot. Add in the mustard seeds. Let it splutter. Add in all the spices. Briefly fry for ten seconds. Add in the onions. Saute until the onions are soft.
2. Mince the ginger and garlic in a small mixie and add it to the pan. Add in the chopped green chillies.
3. Fry till the mixture is starting to brown. Grind the tomatoes in the mixie to a paste. Add it to the pan. Add in the chilli powder, turmeric and salt. Add a little jaggery. Add a cup of water to the pan.
4. Grind 1/4 cup of fresh coconut in a blender with water to a smooth paste. Add it to the pan. Saute for a couple of minutes.
5. Cover the pan and cook for 4 whistes in a pressure pan. Wait for the pressure in the pan to release naturally. Open the pan and garnish with coriander leaves.
6. Serve hot with idli, dosa or chapati.

• Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Category: Side Dish
• Cuisine: Tamilnadu