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Tamatar kut
टमाटर कट: Hyderabad's smooth, tangy tomato curry with sesame and a curry-leaf bagaar
Tamatar ka kut is a Deccani dish from Hyderabad's old Muslim and Kayastha kitchens: tomatoes cooked down, sieved smooth and thickened with roasted sesame and gram flour, then finished with a sizzling bagaar of curry leaves, garlic and dried chillies, with halved boiled eggs often slipped in. It is served with khichdi or plain rice, particularly on a Sunday. The common mistake is skipping the sieve; seeds and skins make it coarse, and the kut should be velvety. Chef's tip: roast the gram flour until it smells like biscuits before it goes in, so there is no raw taste.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the kut
- 1 ½ lb ripe tomatoeschopped
- 1 ¼ cups water
- 2 tbsp white sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp gram flour (besan)
- 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
For the bagaar
- 2 tbsp ghee
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- 4 garlic clovessliced
- 15 curry leaves
To serve
- 4 boiled eggs, halved (optional)optional, leave out for a vegetarian kut
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander (optional)chopped
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Simmer 1 ½ lb ripe tomatoes in 1 ¼ cups water for 12 minutes until completely soft. Blend and push through a sieve, pressing hard; discard skins and seeds.
15 minStep 2: Dry-roast 2 tbsp white sesame seeds until it pops and smells nutty, then grind to a powder. In the same pan roast 2 tbsp gram flour (besan) over low heat for 3 minutes until fragrant.
5 minStep 3: Whisk the sesame and besan into the tomato with 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste, 1 tsp red chilli powder, ¼ tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp sugar. Simmer 8–10 minutes, stirring, until it coats a spoon like thin custard.
10 minStep 4: For the bagaar, heat 2 tbsp ghee, add ½ tsp cumin seeds and ½ tsp mustard seeds, then 3 dried red chillies, 4 garlic cloves and 15 curry leaves and fry until the garlic is golden. Pour onto the kut and cover for 2 minutes.
3 minStep 5: Slip in 4 boiled eggs, halved if using, scatter 2 tbsp fresh coriander and serve with khichdi or rice.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 140 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 14 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tamatar kut take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of ripe tomatoes?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
- What can I use instead of white sesame seeds?
- Poppy seeds or finely chopped pumpkin seeds, same amount.
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