Creamy Stuffed Tomatoes

CREAMY STUFFED TOMATOES

Hi everyone. I hope you all are enjoying winters and making delicious and fun recipes suiting the season and having a wonderful time altogether. The recipe that I have showcased here is all about tomatoes. Yesterday I went veggie shopping and came back with lots of tomatoes, very red, big-sized and firm. Now seeing so many of these in my fridge gave me an idea and I decided to do something fun and unique with this regular veggie of all homes. So I stuffed them with a tasty filling. I wanted to make a proper main course dish out of it as Indians generally prefer a curried vegetable dish in most of their meals and so I cooked these stuffed tomatoes in a mild and creamy gravy of cashew, almond and poppy seeds. It turned out well and was approved by my family. So let’s start making it…..

Ingredients:-For the filling:-

1. Tomatoes(big sized)-4.
2. Potatoes(boiled and mashed)-3.
3. Broccoli(cut and blanched)-1.
4. Panir(either cubed or grated)-1/2 a slab.
5. Green Chillies(finely chopped)-2.
6. Nuts(Cashews and Raisins) – a few.
7. Onion(finely chopped)-1(big).
8. Red Chilly Powder-1/2 tsp.
9. Garam Masala- 1/2 tsp.
10. Vegetable Oil-1 tbsp.
11. Toothpick-10(for sealing the tops back)

For the gravy:-

1. Onions(made into paste)-1.
2. Ginger-Garlic Paste – 1 tsp.
3. Tomato Puree – 2 tbsp.
4. Cashews and Almonds-4 each.
5. Poppy Seeds – 4 tbsp.
6. Salt – According to taste.
7. Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp.
8. Red Chilly Powder – 1 tsp.
9. Coriander Powder-1 tsp.
10. Garam Masala – 1 tsp.
11. Milk- 1/2 cup.
12. Cheese(grated)- 2 tbsp.

For the tempering of the gravy:-

1. Cumin- 1 tsp.
2. Bay Leaf-1.
3. Kasuri Methi – 1 tsp.
4. Vegetable Oil- 1 tbsp.

STEPS

Step 1

Wash the tomatoes. Cut the tops of the tomatoes and scoop the inside matter out. Keep aside. Wash and boil the potatoes and cube them into very small pieces. Cut the panir in equal small pieces. Cut the broccoli too in equally small pieces and blanch it.

Step 2

To make the filling, take a pan and add vegetable oil to it. Now add the finely chopped onion and green chilly and fry it for three minutes. Now add the salt, red chilly powder, garam masala and fry again. Now add the cubed potatoes, panir, broccoli and fry everything well. Lastly, add the nuts. Our filling is done.

Step 3

Now fill the above-made filling in the tomatoes and seal the tops with a toothpick or two. And you can bake them in an oven till they get a bit brown.

Step 4

To make the cashew-almond-poppy sauce take a pan and add vegetable oil to it. On getting adequately hot add in some cumin, bay leaf, kasuri methi, onion, and ginger-garlic paste and fry for two minutes. Now add the salt, turmeric powder, red chilly powder, coriander powder, garam masala and tomato puree and fry for a minute. Now add in the cashew-almond-poppy paste and fry the masalas for two minutes. Care has to be taken not to over fry the masalas after the addition of poppy seed paste. When the masalas start leaving the edges, and add in half a cup of milk and water and simmer the flame to let the sauce cook for three minutes. Now drop in the tomatoes and cook on slow flame for two minutes. Alternately a different twist can be given to make this recipe. You can bake your tomatoes well and make the sauce as above and putting the tomatoes in a bowl pour the sauce over the top and serve. Both the ways of making the dish are okay.

Note point––Any other kind of filling can be used here, there’s no end to it. You can use panir, shredded cabbage, cauliflower, cheese, mincemeat, mince fish also.

Our Creamy Stuffed Tomatoes are done. Garnish it with shredded cheese and chopped dill leaves. Team it up with tandoori rotis, naan, vegetable pulao and stir-fries of your choice.

Friends do try this recipe at home. Share your comments and feedback. Have a great first week of December. Happy cooking, healthy living!!!