An Express Tomato Roast

Sunday, August 12th, 2007

Filed Under India - Kerala, Side Dish - Gravy, Tomato

A long time ago, I spent three miserable lonely months in Schaumburg, IL , friendless and car-less. The days were spent working, nights watching I love Lucy and Bewitched reruns on Nick@Night. Food was the last thing I wanted to think about those days. The only store at a walkable distance was a Foodmart at a gas station. So, my regular meal was ice cream and twinkies. But when the cravings for rice gets really bad, I’d put on my chef’s hat and make a big pan of the quickest dish I could whip up, a tomato roast! I’d also make a large pot of rice, and then for about a week, come dinnertime, all I have to do was scramble an egg, and my superfast dinner was ready! Believe it or not, I had the exact same dinner at least 50% of the days I was there! I was already thin when I got there, but I got reduced in half, in these three months!

You’d think that this would have turned me off this dish for ever. But no, surprisingly I get all nostalgic whenever I think of the tomato roast. The memories of the three horrible months in Chicago, where I was really alone for the first time in my life; the three months when I first realized that Siv is the guy for me, absence does make the heart grow fonder, but that is the story for another time! I went back to India, thinking I’d never go to US ever again, but then I got this amazing opportunity which was too great to pass up for my career, and I was back here in six months. But this time it was different, I was here in Seattle with a ton of friends, and it almost felt like I was in a different country, and this time I lived on junk food, and blotted up like crazy! Happy and fat go hand-in-had, I guess.

But coming back to the dish in question, over time I’ve modified the recipe a bit. But even now when Siv is out on a business trip and I don’t feel like going out with friends, this is my express meal - Rice, tomato roast and scrambled eggs! This tomato roast goes very well with chapattis as well. Oh, and I put ketchup in this dish too… shh…

Ingredients

2 cups bite sized tomato pieces
3-4 slit green chilies
1/2 cup sliced onions
1.5 tbsp diced garlic pieces
1 tsp grated ginger
a few curry leaves
3/4 tsp red chili powder( cayenne pepper)
3/4 tsp coriander powder
1/8 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1-2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1-2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp oil
salt to taste

Method

In a deep pan, heat oil and add the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start to splutter add the onions, garlic, ginger, green chilies and curry leaves and saute till the onions are translucent. (2-3 minutes)

Add the red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and garam masala and saute on medium-low heat till the spices start to brown. (3 minutes)

Add the tomato pieces, and mix well while slightly breaking the tomato pieces with the back of the spoon. Cook for a while (4 minutes)

Add the ketchup and soy sauce and mix well, and let it heat through (1 minute)

If you add the 5 minutes to cut the vegetables, the hot and spicy tomato roast is ready in about 16 minutes.

Before you start with the preparations, start cooking the rice. After the tomato roast is ready, scramble an egg, that should take about 5 minutes.

This is my contribution to the Summer Express Cooking Event hosted by Mallugirl at Malabar Spices.

Comments

37 Responses to “An Express Tomato Roast”

Asha on August 12th, 2007 6:27 pm

Do you like Twinkies or is it just what you got to eat? Sounds crazy lonely there in IL!
HeHe! I used Catsup too in a dish,coming up next at FH.It adds a little a flavor too!:)
Looks like a quick little meal,tasty too.Rent a movie and have fun.Little away time fro hubby is good for the heart in every way!;D
indosungod on August 12th, 2007 7:06 pm

Sig, ah the affairs of the heart.
Love your tomato roast, my mom whips this almost the same way minus the ketchup and soy sauce when I want a quick side dish. Quick meal exactly.
Aruna on August 12th, 2007 7:19 pm

Sig, I feel ya, Initially when I came to US, I stayed in a hotel, which didnt have a restutarant, no shops near by, there were a few fast food corners near by, But since I was new to the country didnt venture going out, for 3 weeks I ate bread & Jam, my life was soo miserable, towards the end, I used to vomit even by seeing it. Joys of Life!!!
Tomato roast looks good Sig!!!

themistressofspices.wordpress.com
Suma Gandlur on August 12th, 2007 7:26 pm

Being lonely without a car makes you feel terrible in USA. Right? I love Schaumburg and it is a great place to live with a large community of desis. The only thing is we should have friends at any place.
I make that tomato roast but add only chili powder to it.
Sia on August 12th, 2007 8:44 pm

LOL sig… that was quite funny story. i canvery well relate to ur story. i too was like u when i had to leave my family for the first time n move to strange place with no friends or family members for many days. i almost went crazy. well, forget abt my story as i am more curious to know the story of judai from siv;)
lovely tomato roast, i can eat it as a dip with chips:)
musical on August 12th, 2007 8:52 pm

Such a cute post, Sig :-D. Being alone in a new country is quite stressful…..Ooh, but lovely recipe!
Mishmash ! on August 12th, 2007 9:49 pm

that write up sums up all the loneliness and the separation u had !! but I still cant imagine how u lived on ice creams and twinkies…I would have gone mad…..coz i dont like ice creams much

Shn
Sharmi on August 12th, 2007 10:29 pm

living all alone in this country, I cannot imagine but have seen lot of my friends who came that way. Would love to know your’s and Siv’s story;)
the tomato roast looks yum with that rice.
Cynthia on August 12th, 2007 11:26 pm

I love the Shhhhh (lol)

Living alone and without friends, that’s a bummber.
Suganya on August 13th, 2007 12:08 am

This is such a versatile recipe. I can have this with bread, rice, roti or even pasta.
Anita on August 13th, 2007 2:58 am

That’s super easy - especially after the addition of ketchup. What’s in the other green bowl - scrambled eggs?
Priya on August 13th, 2007 3:43 am

That was a nice little tale attached to the recipe
I love tomato roast…and your addition of ketchup, garam masala and soy sauce is new to me…it already sounds yummm and I’m surely going to try it.
Shantanu on August 13th, 2007 4:14 am

Interesting, but I would probably leave out the ketchup

Re: Lonely in the US, this is a feeling shared by a lot of people when they moved to the US for the first time. I still see some of the youngsters home-sick for the first few months, but as they begin to make friends and get into their groove, I guess it gets better.
sra on August 13th, 2007 4:33 am

ICe-cream and twinkies, with bouts of rice, tomato and egg, and you became half your size? What metabolism, Sig! I envy you!
Sig on August 13th, 2007 5:05 am

Asha, I liked twinkies at that time, and yes that is just one of the few options I had :)… waiting for the FH post

Indo, I started adding the ketchup and soy sauce much later, trying to recreate a taste I had somewhere… it does give a nice touch

Aruna, so then you know exactly what I am talking about… .. i wish there were some fastfood joints where I was… I used to walk a lot in the cold, but there really wasn’t anything nearby

Suma, I’m sure Schaumburg is a nice city with good company… i am sure I’d have been miserable regardless of the place, if I didn’t have anyone to hang out with…

Sup…, it is sooo hard to be friendless right… esp in a strange city… and siv and my story, i have to cook something in the theme, to get into that story… :D… good to see you girl…

Musie, thanks sweetie..

Shn…, i love ice-cream, but it was too much of a good thing, but sometimes when you get that hungry, you will have to go for the only edible thing in the house

Sharmi, yep, it sure is horrible the first time… with no friends… but when you are with at least one good friend, it makes a big difference! And as I told Sup, our story has to accompany a recipe if I can think of one that fits the theme

Cyn…living alone is actually a good thing sometime… , but without friends, that is the bummer

Suganya, yep, this will be great with bread… its tangy and spicy, so yep very versatile..

Anita, I add ketchup for the color and the texture :D. and yep, that is scrambled eggs in the other bowl..

Priya, it is a totally experimental recipe that got evolved over time… I pretty much add everything I add to meat dishes, to get it as close as I can to a non-veg curry

Shantanu, you are so right! My second visit to the US was the best ever, I didn’t ever want to go back… just because of the people I hung out with… that makes all the difference!

Sra, I used to have all these, but only when I got hungry… sometimes I used to just have one meal… :(, anyway this was a looong time ago… I have gained all that back and then some…
Meeta on August 13th, 2007 5:52 am

What a lovely dish. Twinkies would not really get anywhere near me but I can relate to the ice cream and the tomato roast. Simple and easy.
Bharathy on August 13th, 2007 7:11 am

I cant wait to try this,Sig…it sounds too good!!I am booking…err sorry book marking this one,,:)
Raaga on August 13th, 2007 7:25 am

I also add ketchup Sig… in what I’d call gourmet Italian :-)))

my french bread pizza recipe stands testimony to that fact.

And when I first moved to Gurgaon, 8 years ago, that is how I felt. Friendless and transportationless. Forget the car and all, no transport whatsoever.

No fridge, no mixie, no nothing… and I made a very similar tomato curry and eat it with rice.

And twinkies and cupcakes are things from my childhood. I miss them. :-(((
Padmaja on August 13th, 2007 9:28 am

Sig!!
I think thats a sad phase of life when many of us did feel the same!!
I remember i never used to cook but rely on burgers all the time with crisps!!
everyone used to ask me how can i eat everyday!! but i never felt any different!!
Nice simple n tasty meal!!
hey sig, I met shahrukh at somerset house last week, it was an amazing experience!!
Rachna on August 13th, 2007 10:51 am

yeah me wanna know the separation love saga too… i love this tomato roast too…goes with anything na…and great pairing with egg and a carb
Nupur on August 13th, 2007 11:51 am

That does like a very tasty and comforting meal! For a variation, how about patting down the tomato roast after it has cooked, then breaking an egg on it, and letting the egg poach on top until it is cooked?
Any which way, this is my kind of meal
Richa on August 13th, 2007 11:58 am

You lost weight on twinkies & ice cream Wow! all alone that’s a bummer, but i do remember landing here at the peak of winter and feeling all lost
Tomato roast looks so good & definitely quick to make, ketchup does make it tastier And yes i’m all ears for the tales of love…
Sandeepa on August 13th, 2007 1:10 pm

That was a sweet post, tomato roast on a cold Chicago night. I can well imagine.

Looks yummy and I might give it a try even on a warm night when I have company
Mallugirl on August 13th, 2007 1:18 pm

i have never lived alone here and just not having anybody in my house drives me to curd and rice. can’t blame u!! but happier days are on now,right? nice post and nice looking tomato roast.
Amy on August 13th, 2007 8:36 pm

Aw this reminds me of one of my favorite childhood dishes, scramble egg with tomato.
david santos on August 13th, 2007 11:14 pm

I come to congratulate you with your work, very good, and to desire good vacations to you
musical on August 14th, 2007 5:07 am

Just came to ogle at the picture again! those green chillies and the yummy tomatoes, i am making this tomorrow…..with toasted thick crust bread, this would be one fantastic meal!

he he, and i saw SRK scribbled somewhere Lucky Padmaja :).
Nags on August 14th, 2007 5:30 am

thanks Sig! I actually have Picasa in my system, just don’t use to upload pics. Quite stupid, I know

The rice used here is kuthari is it?

NB: I am still trying to get some lychees, atleast canned ones. If I don’t then I will settle for sending in my lychee frappe recipe, which I didn’t want to do cuz its so silly and common

Lemme see..
Sig on August 14th, 2007 5:39 am

Meeta, I can’t do twinkies anymore either… nor can I live on icecream ever again I guess…

Bharathy, thanks

Raaga, yep ketchup is the #1 ingredient for any gourmet food… ;)… I like to keep it the secret ingredient though… :D… Ah… so you too had the similar experience… I guess most of us have…

Padmaja, lol thats my second phase of living alone, eating burgers and fries every day :D, first time no fast food places nearby… And girl.. I am soooo jealous, Sharukh! Wow!

Rachna, separation saga… yep, one day, when I am drunk enough before posting… :)…

Nupur, that is a greatt idea! I’m surely trying that one… and less clean up too, even better

Richa, yep I lost weight on those… wish I could do that now… , and yeah winter never helps when you first land here right? :)…

Sandeepa it is good for pop-in guests, if you ever get some of those.. frozen chapatis and a quick tomato roast has helped me on many occasions

Shaheen, oh yeah, happier days indeed… thanks for the event, waiting for that roundup!

Amy, oh yumm… scrambled eggs with tomato, I used to love that one too!

Musie, welcome back… let me know how you like it… And head on over to Padmaja’s to see some hot SRK pics
Sig on August 14th, 2007 5:42 am

Nags, yep it is kuthari… now with my parents in town we have switched to kuthari… will probably switch back after they leave, since Siv is not a big fan :).
Blogger has some weird issues too hard to troubleshoot… , so try Picassa next time..

And lychee frappe sounds delicious, so even if you find lychees, do send the frappe recipe too…
Coffee on August 14th, 2007 5:44 am

Ok shhhhhh!
Tomato roast and rice sounds heavenly!! Just like another comfort meal.
bee on August 14th, 2007 5:04 pm

that’s a gourmet meal, sig. i can eat that every day.
Jeena on August 14th, 2007 9:04 pm

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Click here for jeenas food recipe blog
Anita on August 15th, 2007 4:36 pm

I made this! It was yum, but didn’t look as pretty as yours - the colour was not as intense. i think it was my tomatoes which were not deep red in colour. And next day I had the leftovers with scrambled eggs!
Anonymous on August 15th, 2007 8:58 pm

Interesting! Very bold indeed to stay all alone in a new country. Hats off to you! I’ll be trying your tomato roast recipe very soon. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

Rg.
Nags on August 16th, 2007 5:29 am

this is exactly how i make dinner on “those” nights when one is just too tired and even more hungry..

great idea for the entry
Padma on August 16th, 2007 7:02 pm

I make the same version minus the ketchup and soy say ans mix it with cooked rice and LOL the tomato rice is ready for my dh’s lunch box with some raita

Nice reading your IL’s blues!