Tomato Saar

This is one of my favourites. I had it as a child at my doctor aunt's place and fell in love with it instantly. This is one dish that I don't recollect Amma making. But like the Samaithu Paar (Cook and See) book by Meenakshi Ammal that lists out recipes for Tambram (mostly Iyer) cuisine, Chitrapur Saraswats have their version in "Rasachandrika" by Ambabai Samsi. I have very limited tolerance for spice and so my recipes have far less chillies than traditional CS (fondly called Amchis) households use. While I picked up the list of ingredients from the book, the proportions have been modified.

Tomato Saar is similar to Rasam, but then again, it is very different. Because of its soup like consistency, this makes for a good appetizer. But it can also be mixed with rice (and as discovered by my friend last evening, it tastes good too).

Ingredients:
5-6 large Tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp grated Coconut
2 Green chillies, slit
1 small lemon sized ball of Jaggery
Salt to taste

For Tempering Version 1

1 tbsp Cooking Oil
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
½ tsp Asafoetida (Hing)
7-8 Curry Leaves

For Tempering Version 2

1 tbsp Cooking Oil
3-4 Small Garlic Pods, crushed slightly

In a pressure cooker, place all the ingredients except those for the Tempering, and add 2-3 teacups of water. Pressure cook for 3 whistles. When done, blend the contents in a liquidizer and strain. Bring to a boil.

In a small kadhai, heat the oil and add the ingredients for tempering based on your preference. (If using mustard seeds, add the curry leaves after the mustard has spluttered.) Add this to the boiling mixture and serve.

P.S. After 4.5 years, I managed to get a better picture of this dish.