Ripe Green Tomato Savory (Hare Tamatar Ki Sabzi)

Ripe Green Tomato Sabzi

I used to see green tomatoes in vegetable shop and used to wonder ‘Why do they pluck tomatoes before they ripen up’. I did not show any interest in those firm, shiny green tomatoes, reason was simple "when I have choice of luscious, red tomatoes then why should I purchase green ones". This was till I did not know the true value of Ripe Green Tomatoes.

These tomatoes are low in calories, rich in potassium, protein, and vitamin A and C. They are also rich source of Iron and Calcium. This variety of tomatoes remains green even after ripening. Thus they are named "Ripe Green Tomatoes".

Years later (Feb 2020) my daughter Namita's friend Deepti Malvadkar brought fresh vegetables and Sapotas from her farm. What do I see? Yes you guessed correctly Ripe green tomatoes! having glowing skin urging me to cook them while they are fresh and nice.

I proceeded to cook them. Hope you all also like the recipe and enjoy the Green Tomato Sabzi.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 4 small servings

Nutritional Value Of Sabzi made from 500 gm. Of Ripe Green Tomato (Approx.)

Energy: 135  Cal

Cholesterol:  0

Sodium: 75 mg

Potassium: 1040 mg

Carb: 25.5 gm

Fibers: 5.65gm

Sugars: 24.85gm

Protein: 5.05 gm

Extremely rich in

Vitamin A, C

Calcium and iron

Ingredients Required For Making Ripe Green Tomatoes Sabzi:

• 500 gm. Ripe Green Tomatoes

Ripe Green Tomatoes

• 1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• 1 Teaspoon Fennel seeds
• 1/2Teaspoon Nigella Seeds
• 1-2 Green chilies
• 25 gm Jaggery
• 1/2Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Coriander Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Cooking Oil
• Salt to taste

Direction For Making Ripe Green Tomatoes Sabzi:

• Wash the tomatoes and cut them to long wedges of half centimeter thickness.

Tomato Wedges

• Cut onion to long thin slices.
• Heat oil in a thick bottom wok/pan, when the oil is hot lower the heat and add
• Nigella seeds
• Cumin seeds
• Fennel seeds
• Once the seeds have spluttered add 
• Finely chopped Green chilies
• Finely chopped ginger
• Finely chopped garlic
• Onion slices
• Cook for 2 minutes on medium heat.

Ready for adding tomato wedges

• Add tomato wedges and cook for  a minute or so on medium heat. 

Tomato wedges added 

• Add
• Turmeric powder
• Coriander powder
• Chili powder
• Salt

Spices added to Tomato wedges

• Mix nicely and cover the wok/pan.
• Cook for 5 minutes with stirring in between, making sure tomatoes do not stick to the bottom.
• The juice of tomatoes is enough to cook them so no extra water is required to be added.
• After 5 minutes tomatoes will be almost cooked. Add jaggery pieces and mix.
• Do not cover. Cook with continuous stirring till all jaggery pieces dissolve and get mixed with cooked tomato pieces.

Ready to be served

• Remove the cooked sweet and sour sabzi in serving dish.

Ripe Green Tomato Sabzi

• Serve along with da-chawal/parantha/Khichadi/pulav.
• This sabzi makes amazing side dish.

Tips:

• Do not over cook, else the sabzi will become gooey.
• Always check the hotness of green chilies before adding.
• Break jaggery to small pieces for fast and complete mixing.

Suggested Variations:

• Coarsely pounded roasted groundnuts can be added to give a different texture and nutty flavor.
• Organic jaggery can be used. But it will change the color og the sabzi.
• In the absence of jaggery sugar can be used.

Dabbo (Ethiopian Bread)

Dabbo (Ethiopian Bread)

Slices of Bread Made In Ethiopian House hold

Being Indian I am more into chapatti/roti/parantha/puri all sort of Indian bread, thus have only basic knowledge of baking a bread. I was really intrigued by Ethiopian families baking their own bread on regular basis. They bake 3-10 kg. big bread for the consumption of the family members. It was a wonderful experience watching them bake the bread. I wish to share their method of making the bread. They do not use egg, butter, milk in making bread. Bread being staple food along with Injera is eaten during fasting also and any form of animal product is taboo during fasting, also even poorest of the poor can afford to make this bread here. My Ethiopian friend Mulgeeta was kind enough to allow me to take the picture of bread baking and share the recipe.

Preparation Time: 15-20 min.

Fermentation Time: 3-4 hours

Baking Time: 2 hours

Servings: Bread of 3 Kg.

Ingredients Required For Making Dabbo:

• 3 kg. Refined Flour

• 1 Eating Spoon Dry Yeast

• 1 eating Spoon Sugar

• Water

• Banana leaves

Directions For making Dabbo:

• Dissolve yeast and sugar in 2-3 eating spoons of water.

• Add 1-2 eating spoons of refined flour and keep aside for the yeast to rise.

• Sieve the refined flour and add yeast solution.

• Mix nicely.

• Add water in little proportions and knead the flour yeast mixture to make soft dough. 1-1.5 Lt. water is required for making the dough. The dough should neither be hard nor runny. It should be soft and pliable.

• Cover the dough and keep aside for fermenting for 4-5 hours.

• The dough will rise and become pourable, not watery.

• Do not beat this dough, if done so the air trapped in it will escape and the bread will not rise, and will not come out soft.

• Line a bread baking dish with banana leaves (Here they line it with leaves of similar plant called false banana, it is similar to banana but it neither fruits nor flowers).

Bread Baking Dish Lined With False Banana Leaves

• Pour the fermented dough on the in the container lined with banana leaves.

Ashakhale Pouring the Batter for bread

• Sprinkle some Nigella / Sesame seeds and spread the dough uniformly. Make depressions with the fingers.

Bread Dough with Nigella seeds in the baking dish layered with False banana leaves

Making depressions with fingers

• Cover the fermented dough in the bread baking dish with banana leaves.

Covering the dough with false banana leaves

• The oven for making bread here is called Dabbo Miltad and has two different plugins for heating from bottom and top.

Aleminish showing the locally made Dabbo Miltad with two ends to heat top and bottom

Dabbo Miltad from inside

Muluget placing the bread baking dish with bread dough in Dabbo Miltad

• Place the baking dish with bread dough in the bread oven (Dabbo Miltad) and heat it from the bottom.

• After 40-45 minutes check, baking has started and the dough starts rising.

• Bake for another 15-20 min.(Total 55-65 min.). The dough will have risen completely.

Rising Bread after 45 minutes

• Heat the oven from the top now for 30-40 minutes. The top and sides of bread will become golden brown.

• Remove the bread from oven. Remove the top leaves and carefully remove the bread and place on a plate for cooling.

Ethiopian Home Made Bread

Home Made Bread Slices

• Bread here like Injera is kept in Mosab for storing.

Tips:

• Add water in little proportions and knead.

• Kneading has to be done at least for 15-20 minutes after the dough consistency is attained. More the kneading better the bread will be.

• One cup of this dough can be stored in the fridge for future use. For next time you make bread you will have yeast culture with you. Take it out 2-3 hour before making the dough and allow the yeast to multiply and grow. Use this for fermenting rather than dry yeast.

Suggested Variations:

• Instead of refined flour Mixture of whole wheat flour and refined flour in 1:1 ratio can be taken to make the bread healthier.

• Barley flour can be added in 3:1 ratio.

• Once the pink dots start appearing on the top then, remove the bread baking dish from oven and remove the leaves, polish the top with egg white (Beat 2 egg whites and with the help of a brush polish the top with egg white), then baked for 5 minutes. The top will become shiny and light brown.

• Sugar can be sprinkled on the top 5 minutes before switching off the oven.

• Milk and water mixture in 1:1 ratio can be taken for kneading the flour.

• Add raisin, nuts, dry plum pieces, dry apricot pieces and you will have fruit bread.