Tomatoes in a pickle??? Yes, this South Indian hot fiery pickle is my way of preserving tomatoes and my contribution to this month's Monthly Blog Patrolling (MBP) event: Preserve It hosted by Coffee of the Spice Cafe.

While browsing through Nupur's Q for Quick Carrot Pickle, i came across this recipe by Saffron of Saffron Hut. It sounded interesting, since i had never heard of or tasted tomato pickle before. But what really compelled me to give it a try was the vibrant red color of the pickle. The best thing about it is that it neednt be cooked in the sun and lasts for a year in the refrigerator according to Saffron. Its ready to be relished as soon as you are done preparing it. The con: you need oil to preserve it. Here's the recipe:

1. Wash and deseed the tomatoes (to remove extra water). Process them in a blender with the green chilies and garlic.

2. Heat about 3-4 tsp of oil in a cooking pan and add the mustard seeds to it. When they crackle, add the asafoetida, curry leaves and the tomato puree. Add salt and turmeric and on a LOW FLAME, keep cooking till the mixture releases oil and turns into the consistency of a jam.

3. Remove from the stove, allow to cool a little and mix in the chili powder. Transfer it to a sterilised jar. Heat the remaining oil and pour it over the pickle to preserve it for a longer time.

Finally, no studying or exams for me for one whole month. You know how precious it is. Its summer holidays for me and so i have ample time on my hands these days while working in the computer lab- Time to browse through mouthwatering recipes that make me hungrier by the minute. And this time i have decided to serve a South Indian side dish- the Cabbage pachadi- inspired from Nupur's recipe.

The word pachadi has different connotations in Southern India. For example, in Andhra Pradesh, pachchadi- yes, with an emphasis on "ch" means chutneys or pickles (a spicier version) which can be preserved for several months. They are generally fried and made using tamarind sauce.In Kerala and Tamilnadu, pachadi stands for raita wherein the veggies are not fried and the base is yoghurt. So cabbage pachadi is nothing else but a salad with a base of yoghurt or tamarind sauce, and tempered with dals and spices. Nupur's pachadi is a Tamil version of the recipe. The only variation that i made to Nupur's recipe was to exclude the milk and the mint (i didnt have any in my pantry).

Makes 4 cups

2 cups finely chopped cabbage (the cabbage is actually supposed to be shredded, but i made a short job of it)

1 cup yoghurt

salt to taste

sugar to taste (optional)

2-3 tsp oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp whole black urad dal

1/2 tsp chana dal

5-6 curry leaves

2 chopped green chilies

1 dried red chili

1. Mix the yoghurt, chopped cabbage, salt and sugar.

2. For tempering, heat oil and add the mustard and cumin seeds. When they start crackling, add the chana dal and urad dal, green and red chilies and curry leaves and pour this mixture onto the cabbage-yoghurt mix. Mix well, garnish with cilantro and serve with rotis.

I served it with gujarati dal, cabbage sabzi and hot rotis.

How it turned out?- The crunchiness of the salad is the best part about it. You can savor the flavors of the cumin, chana and urad dal, curry leaves and chillies individually and collectively as a part of the pachadi.

A closer look at the gujarati dal that i made.

Subsitutes: You can make variations by substituting the cabbage for tomato, cucumber, mango, pineapple, carrot or squash.

I always love reading Nupur's blogs. She beautifully and linguistically showcases recipes in such a manner that compel you to keep reading on and on and on....Another thing about Nupur's blog is that many of her recipes are an everyday, simple fare- easy and quick to make yet very delicious. Here's a list of the recipes that i want to try out from Nupur's recipe index. I wish i could have added many others, but being a pseudo-eggetarian (yes i like my eggs only in cakes), i will have to pass over till i find a substitute.

As i mentioned in a previous post- this was to be my entry for V of Indian veggies at the lovely Nupur's, but i soaked the dal a couple of hours too late. Vaatli dal and ambedal are cousins and the recipes differ slightly. Made from bengal gram/ chana dal, this dish is highly nutritious and a favorite of mine.