Tomato Fry recipe Kerala Style

Kerala restaurant style tomato fry recipe made with onion and tomatoes. How to make Kerala tomato fry / onion tomato fry for roti and chapati. Recipe with step by step pictures / images.

There are days where you are so bored to cook and also there is nothing interesting in the refrigerator. I always have onions and tomatoes in plenty. In fact I hoard onions and tomatoes. I think there can never be enough onions and tomatoes in my home or any Tamil home for that matter. We all do that. If in doubt as to what to cook, just start slicing an onion and things will fall in place. I am sure all of you will agree (the no onion – no garlic group – so sorry). This is my go to recipe when I am bored. You all know by this time that we are an idli-dosa household. I make this Tomato fry and do some dosas and dinner is done. I like to make the tomato fry a little spicy. The good thing – this stays good in the refrigerator for up to three days. Just make a big batch and you are good to go. Serve it with chapati, spread it in sandwiches (add some cheese please) or even make tomato rice with it. Do try this recipe at home and I am sure you will like it.

Click the link below to find the recipes on the site that uses the main ingredient as Tomatoes.
Recipes using tomatoes as main ingredient

Here are some of the equipment, utensils and gadgets that will be useful for making this recipe. Click the link to buy them online.
Cast Iron Kadai
Virgin Coconut oil
Turmeric Powder
Red Chilli Powder

Prep Work for Tomato Fry Recipe
Get the onions sliced and the tomatoes sliced too. I like to make the Tomato Fry recipe with equal quantity of onion and tomatoes.

Crush the ginger and garlic in a mortar and pestle.

Here is how to make Tomato Fry Recipe
For the Tomato Fry recipe, I like to use coconut oil. Heat coconut oil in a kadai / pan and add in the mustard seeds and fennel seeds. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add in the crushed ginger and garlic. Saute for a couple of minutes.

The garlic should be slightly brown here and there.

Add in the onions, salt and the curry leaves.

Saute for 4-5 minutes till the onions are soft. I like to cover the kadai with a lid and saute every couple of minutes so it does not scorch at the bottom. Covering the kadai with a lid creates a lot of steam and thereby cooks the onion fast.

The onions need not brown. We are looking for the onions to get soft and juicy.

Now add in the sliced tomatoes and the green chillies. Also add in a teaspoon of turmeric powder and red chilli powder.

Adjust the chilli powder according to your taste. I like to use a combination of green chillies and red chilli powder in Tomato Fry recipe. The green chillies give a sharp bite while the red chilli powder gives nice colour and aroma.

Cover and cook for a good 6-7 minutes.

The tomatoes will become juicy and start to ooze its moisture. Keep sauteing till the tomatoes are cooked and juiced down.

Now, this is not very traditional but I added half a teaspoon of sugar to balance the spicy masala and the sour tomatoes.

Once the tomatoes are juiced down, the tomato fry is done. Do not cook for long. You want it a little on the moist side so you can scoop up the tomatoes with roti or chapati.

Fantastic Tomato Fry Kerala style recipe is ready! Serve it with roti / chapati.