Description
A fragrant and creamy Tomato & Coconut Curry featuring a blend of toasted spices, fresh tomatoes, and rich coconut milk, simmered to perfection for a comforting and flavorful dish. Served best with steamed rice, this curry balances tangy tamarind and sweet palm sugar for a delightful taste experience.
Ingredients
Scale
Spices
- 1 heaped tsp cumin seeds
- 1 heaped tsp coriander seeds
- 1 heaped tsp fennel seeds
- 1 heaped tsp black mustard seeds
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
Others
- 2 tbsp sunflower or rapeseed oil
- 10 curry leaves
- 3 large onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 green chilli, finely chopped
- 1kg large ripe tomatoes, cut into quarters
- 250g cherry or baby plum tomatoes
- 400ml can coconut milk
- 2 heaped tsp tamarind paste
- 2 heaped tsp brown or palm sugar
- Cooked rice, to serve
Instructions
- Toast the Spices: Tip the cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds into a large, dry frying pan over medium-high heat. Toast them until fragrant and lightly browned, then immediately remove from the heat. Roughly grind the toasted seeds using a pestle and mortar or spice grinder to release their flavors.
- Prepare the Base: Drizzle the sunflower or rapeseed oil into the pan. Add the curry leaves and let them sizzle for about a minute to infuse the oil. Then add the thinly sliced onions and fry for around 5 minutes until they’re lightly golden and softened.
- Add the Seasonings: Stir in the black mustard seeds, ground toasted spice mixture, ground turmeric, sea salt flakes, crushed garlic, and finely chopped green chilli. Fry everything together for another couple of minutes to blend the flavors and soften the garlic and chilli.
- Add Tomatoes and Coconut Milk: Add all the quartered large tomatoes and cherry tomatoes to the pan. Fry them with the spices and onions for about 1 minute to start breaking them down. Then pour in the coconut milk, tamarind paste, and brown or palm sugar, stirring to combine.
- Simmer the Curry: Reduce the heat and let the curry simmer gently for 25 minutes. During this time, the tomatoes will become very soft and the sauce will thicken slightly, balancing the tangy and sweet flavors.
- Season and Serve: Taste the curry and adjust the seasoning with additional salt or sugar if needed. Serve the hot curry alongside cooked rice.
Notes
- If you have spare curry leaves, fry them in a little oil until crisp and sprinkle over the finished curry for extra texture and flavor.
- The curry can be made milder by reducing or omitting the green chilli.
- Use palm sugar for a more authentic, caramel-like sweetness, or replace it with brown sugar if unavailable.
- This dish pairs beautifully with basmati or jasmine rice.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Indian-inspired
Keywords: tomato curry, coconut curry, vegetarian curry, Indian-inspired curry, stovetop curry, tomato coconut recipe
