Tomato Nilava Pachadi is a tangy, spicy tomato pickle made in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana that can be preserved at room temperature for a few months. It is served with Idlis, Dosa, or then rice.
Over medium heat, dry roast the fenugreek seeds till they start to change colour and become aromatic. Transfer into a plate.
Over medium heat, dry roast the mustard seeds till they start to crackle. Add to the roasted fenugreek seeds.
Let the roasted seeds cool completely and then powder them.
Cooking the Tomato
Chop the tomatoes into 1/2" pieces.
In a large pan, over medium flame, heat 3 tbsp of sesame oil.
Add the tomatoes pieces and stir-fry occasionally.
Once the tomato pieces soften a bit, add the tamarind.
Over medium heat, let the tomato and tamarind cook till the tomato pieces are completely stewed. Stir every 2 or 2 minutes.
Take off the heat and the let the cooked tomato-tamarind mix cool completely.
When the mix is cool, grind to a coarse paste.
Getting the Tempering Ready
Over medium flame, heat 1/4 cup oil.
Add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds and wait till they crackle.
Add the red chillies and asafoetida.
Turn off the heat and let the oil cool to room temperature.
Mixing the Tomato Pickle
To a large enough bowl, mix the chilli powder, turmeric, salt, and mustard+fenugreek powder.
Add the ground tomato paste and mix well.
Add the cool, tempering with all the oil and mix well.
Store in an air-tight and dry glass bottle.
Notes
I used old tamarind (dark brown in colour) which is quite tangy. If you are using new tamarind (lighter brown in colour), reduce the quantity a bit because otherwise the pachadi will have a slightly sweeter overtone.