Tamatar ka Chokha or Tomato Chokha is an easy condiment made with roasted tomatoes. This is a popular dish from Bihar and can be enjoyed with Litti, Sattu Paratha, etc.
When I planned to make Litti Chokha for the A to Z Breakfast dishes from Indian States, I featured this for Bihar. So while both Litti and Chokha go hand in hand, I saved up this condiment for this series.
This Tomato Chokha is a simple dish make with roasted tomatoes and hardly takes up time. Best part is, this makes a delicious side dish for parathas as well.
So for T under A to Z Indian Condiments, its Tamatar Ka Chokha.
Jump to:
Ingredients
We only need a handful of ingredients to make this dish.
Tomatoes - Ripe and full tomatoes make the best chokha, so ensure you have fully ripen tomatoes when selecting
Green Chilies - We use roasted green chilies so again depending on how spicy it will be, you will have to add it.
Garlic - We add crused garlic and it surely adds up to the flavour.
Seasoning - Salt and oil can be directly added to the chokha. In Bihar, they add mustard oil. However, we are fine with regular cooking oil as well.
Instructions
Since we are going to roast the tomatoes and green chilies directly over the flame, make sure you wash them well and pat dry it.
Roasting the vegetables.
First, rinse tomatoes very well in water first. Wipe them dry.
We can either roast the tomatoes directly over the burner on the stove or on a wired grill rack placed over the flame directly
Roast the tomatoes on all sides.
We can also grill the tomatoes or roast them in the oven. However, you won't get the smoky flavor if you roast it in the oven.
Ensure you keep turning the tomatoes all around for even roasting.
Make sure to char the tomatoes on all sides
Make sure the tomatoes are completely cooked from within. You can check this by inserting it with a knife and the inside is soft.
Likewise, roast the green chilies as well.
Making Tomato Chokha
Once the tomatoes cool, then peel them and remove the charred skin.
Chop them and add the chopped tomatoes along with their juices to a mixing bowl.
Chopped the charred green chilies along with garlic along with chopped coriander leaves
Add cooking oil and lemon juice. Mix well.
Adjust the seasoning according to your choice.
Serve with litti chokha or sattu paratha or as a condiment.
Substitutions & Variations
Some add roasted onions as well. However, that tastes little different. No harm in adding it as well.
You could try roasting it in oven if you want to avoid the stove getting too dirty. Although this way you wont' have the smoky smell.
Equipment
If roasting over stove, we need a wire rack to roast. Else you can place it directly over burner.
I normally use a fork to hold the tomatoes.
A mixing bowl to mix everything together.
Storage
This is a fresh condiment to serve and you can't store it.
Top tip
Always select very ripe and soft tomatoes as you will be mashing it with hands.
Make sure the entire tomato is fully roasted for the best results.
Other Bihari dishes you could check out
Bihari Chana Dal Puri aur Sabji Nasta Thali
Recipe
Tamatar ka Chokha | How to make Tomato Chokha
Ingredients
- 2 Tomatoes medium to large
- 2 Green Chilies
- 1/2 teaspoon Lemon Juice
- 1/2 teaspoon Cooking Oil / Mustard Oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Garlic crushed
- 1 tablespoon Coriander Leaves finely chopped
Instructions
Roasting the vegetables.
- First, rinse tomatoes very well in water first. Wipe them dry.
- We can either roast the tomatoes directly over the burner on the stove or on a wired grill rack placed over the flame directly
- Roast the tomatoes on all sides.
- We can also grill the tomatoes or roast them in the oven. However, you won't get the smoky flavor if you roast it in the oven.
- Ensure you keep turning the tomatoes all around for even roasting.
- The tomatoes should get charred.
- Make sure the tomatoes are completely cooked from within. You can check this by inserting it with a knife and the inside is soft.
- Likewise, roast the green chilies as well.
Making Tomato Chokha
- Once the tomatoes cool, then peel them and remove the charred skin.
- Chop them and add the chopped tomatoes along with their juices to a mixing bowl.
- Chopped the charred green chilies along with garlic along with chopped coriander leaves
- Add cooking oil and lemon juice. Mix well.
- Adjust the seasoning according to your choice.
- Serve with litti chokha or sattu paratha or as a condiment.
Vaishali says
Tamatar ka chokha is one of my favourite condiment , I love it for its flavours. The charred tomatoes lend it a unique taste .
Radha says
Yum! I love the smoky flavors in this chokka. This would be a great accompaniment to parathas,