All of you must be aware of my little fancy for the lovely tangy tomatoes. I try to use them in whatever form I can, my most favourites being the Tomato Rice and the Tomato Thokku which I absolutely cant live without!!! Yet there are more and more ways  of incorporating this fruit in so many of our preparations and this is one such rich and flavourful tomato makhani gravy. The essence of the dish consists in preparation of the base gravy and of couse can be modified with other veggies like capsicum which lends it a completely different flavour, or panneer which enhances the taste to a different level altogether! I use the little baby potatoes as they are  very comfortably  bite sized and hey, who is not a fan of the lowly potatoes???

Today I got a request from a reader friend of mine to post Gravies/ Sides so here it goes to you Prabha, and hope you like it.

INGREDIENTS:

5 tomatoes.

1 pound of fingerling potatoes or baby potatoes.

3 Bay Leaves.

3 Cloves.

1 Inch Ginger.

1 Tsp Red Chilli Powder.

2 Tsp kasoori Methi

1/2 Tsp Ginger Paste.

1/2 Garlic Paste.

2 Green Chillies slit long.

2 Cups Water.

1 Tbsp Butter

2 Tsp Honey.

1 Tsp Garam Masala.

Salt to taste.

PREPARATION:

• Wash all the tomatoes and cut them into slightly big pieces and in to a vessel. Add 2 cups water, half of the red chilli powder, bay leaves, cloves and the shredded ginger.

• Allow to cook in the the pressure cooker for 2 whistles.
• When cool, strain and puree well. When you puree, add the minimum water to avoid splashing from the mixer jar.
• In a kadai add a spoon of butter and allow to melt. Add ginger paste, garlic paste and the slit green chillies.
• Add the pureed tomato mixture, salt, the remaining red chilli powder, salt and honey. Stir well.
• Meanwhile clean all the baby potatoes, make a small dent on each of them with a fork/prong. This is to allow all the spices/seasonings/salt to permeate in to the potatoes.

• Cook them in the rice cooker until they are just cooked and a little soft to touch still retaining their firmness(Mine took about ten minutes!) .  Set aside.
• Take the kasoori methi in a small bowl and dry roast it in the tava or microwave for about 30 seconds, until it begins to just crackle.
• Add the roasted kasoori methi to the makhani gravy , garam masala and and allow to come together for a few more minutes.
• When done, add the cooked baby potatoes and simmer for 4-5 minutes.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro and fresh cream.
• Serve immediately with soft parathas or Simple Tiranga Pulav.