Spring Onions With Tomatoes

Sometime back, I experimented with a vegetarian recipe. It was a Gujarati dish that I accidentally came across while in a small, nondescript-looking restaurant that we had stopped by while looking for some vegetarian fare. Living in a big city, I have discovered that you don't necessarily have to go to a big, pretentious place to get good food that sets your taste buds clamoring for more. So, more often than not whenever we decide to eat out, we find ourselves looking out for quaint little eateries that are unpretentious and humble enough to advertise their expertise through the medium of their food and service alone. And I am glad to say that we have not been disappointed too often. So, on this particular occasion when I found myself looking at a vegetarian menu that bespoke an impressive array of dishes, I decided to go for something that I had not tried out before. I ordered a dish that comprised spring onions and tomatoes as the main ingredients. Humble you might say, and possibly rather uninteresting. However, when it arrived piping hot at the table accompanied by Ajwain ke Paranthe, the effect was rather dramatic. The dish was consumed in no time and I was left licking my fingers in satisfaction that a sense of adventure had turned out rather well!

So, it was no surprise that the next time I went to the supermarket, I picked up a bunch of spring onions and a packet of tomatoes. My stomach had sent out enough reminders until I grew impatient to try out the dish for myself. I searched the Internet and found both the recipe as well as the name of the humble yet delicious dish. It's called rather pompously - Dongdi Tameto Ne Shaak - in it's Gujarati avataar and in simple English we can call it Spring Onions with Tomatoes. To make this dish you will need to wash and chop up a few tomatoes and a bunch of spring onions - the quantity is per individual need but the tomato-spring onion ratio as I saw it is, roughly a couple of medium-sized tomatoes to a bunch of spring onions. I prefer simplified cooking with a fair idea of what I need rather than exact measures down to each gram, and the idea of approximating quantities appeals greatly to my style of cooking. And with the exception of cakes and other bakes, I feel once you get the hang of a dish in your mind and can recall at will what it tastes like, you probably won't need a measuring instrument!

So, there I was with a some chopped tomatoes and spring onions put aside. Next, I made julienne of some red onions, got a couple of green chilies and mid-sliced them, and lastly finely chopped some garlic cloves. I was ready to get started with the dish and I proceeded to heat a pan and add some mustard oil. When the oil got hot enough I sputtered some mustard seeds and zeera (or cumin seeds). Then I quickly added the red onions, green chilies and garlic and sauted until the onions turned golden. Adding the green chilies was an improvisation that I found useful to cut back on the red chilly amount as too much of the red type of chilly is not really a favorite with one's gut. (For that matter, any type of chilly would be frowned upon by those who do not prefer chilies. However, this dish is not meant for that category of the populace and would be better enjoyed by those who can manage a bit of spiciness in their food.)

Next, all the regular dry masalas went in, namely the powders of turmeric, red chilly, coriander and cumin. Dry roasting these for half a minute, I added the chopped tomatoes and stirred adding a bit of water to mix the contents well. Here, let me add that if you prefer the tomatoes a bit mushy then, the it's best that they be cooked for a few minutes with the lid closed. Else, it's time to add the spring onions and then give all the contents a good mix. Remember, we are adding the tomatoes as one of the main ingredients and not as part of the masala mixture as is the case with most dishes in the North. So, there is no need to keep stirring until the tomatoes are completely mashed and the oil starts to show. Once the sprig onions are added and you have stirred the contents, simply close the lid and cook for about 10 minutes. While the dish is cooking, wash and finely chop up some coriander leaves for garnishing and keep aside. Once the dish is cooked, turn off the heat and add the garnish. And there you have Spring Onions with Tomatoes! The dish can be had with hot steamed rice, chapattis or paranthas, depending on what you prefer. It's all up to what you like best. So, get creative with your food and try to cook what you enjoy. Bon appétit!