Indian Tomato Salad

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tomato_saladpI was going to write about a completely different dish, but this salad turned out so fantastic, I had to tell you about it while ripe delicious tomatoes are still sold at markets because, as simple as it may seem, this is one of these rare dishes where average-tasting tomatoes just won’t do. The few other ingredients are there just to highlight the sunny, end-of-summer ripe tomato flavours.

I found this recipe in Meera Sodha’s Made in India, Cooked in Britain, a fantastic book I’ve already cooked from several times and recommend to every Indian cuisine enthusiast. This dish is a very precious addition to my growing list of easy and quick Indian dishes. Don’t be fooled by its simplicity; as I’ve mentioned above, if you use ripe, good quality tomatoes, you’ll discover a sophisticated and addictive side-dish you’ll never get tired of (I made it twice in one day!). Since I happened to have fresh green chilli peppers, I have used them instead of chilli powder to make the result even more refreshing. I’ve also changed the ingredients’ ratio, so make sure you check the original in Meera Sodha’s book.

For those who don’t like fiery dishes, here is another tomato salad I’m crazy for:

Tomato and Shiso Salad
Tomato and Shiso Salad

Preparation: about 10 minutes+at least one hour in the fridge

Ingredients (serves two as a side-dish):

3 medium ripe tomatoes (not too soft)

1 medium shallot

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small green chilli (preferably not as hot as bird’s eye)

salt

leaves from 4 sprigs of coriander

Cut the tomatoes (don’t peel them!) into 0.5 cm/about 0.2 in cubes and place into a bowl.

Chop the shallot and the chilli.

Add olive oil, lemon juice and salt.

Give the salad a stir and place for at least one hour into the fridge.

Sprinkle with coriander leaves just before serving.

Published by Sissi

10 Replies to “Indian Tomato Salad”

  3. Lovely salad! I I don’t know Meera Sodha’s books, but I have recently discovered Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian cooking books. I bought one in a used books store in Bath on our trip to Great Britain and I found it so wonderful, I immediately ordered 3 more on Amazon. No pictures in the books, but truly amazing recipes. I will search for M. Sodha’s books as well, one can never have to many cookbooks… 🙂

    1. Thank you so much, Adina! I totally agree about the cookbooks! I also have Madhur Jaffrey’s books (two) and like them a lot (I recently posted for example a quick & easy aubergine recipe from her Curry Nation http://www.withaglass.com/?p=18643). Meera Sodha’s book has mostly easy daily home cooking recipes (though some dishes are more elaborate than others), there is an African touch from time to time (given her family’s history) and it’s a nice change from every other Indian cookery book I own. I find both authors great, but the recipes have a slightly different approach (though maybe we don’t have the same Madhur Jaffrey’s books…).

  4. A great recipe allows the beauty of each ingredient to shine through and you’ve stumbled upon and tweaked this one into greatness! I was hoping to find some exceptional vegetables in this small Mediterranean village we are staying at but so far, no luck, even though we are surrounded by millions of acres of greenhouses! We shall continue to explore.

    1. Thank you so much, Eva, for kind words. Very weird indeed! I hope you will manage to find a source of delicious seasonal produce. Have fun in the sun!

    1. Thanks a lot, MJ. I have had this salad at least 5 times since I posted it and I still love it so much. Fresh green chilli makes it amazing too.

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