Tomato curry

There is no doubt that tomato is my all time favourite curry. Although, it actually falls on fruit categories. However, I do not eat it like a fruit , I mean raw like other fruits. I love it as a curry king. Curry king is because, we can add this on lentil, on any curry, on meat and make a pickle of it raw or cooked or barbecue and then make a curry of it. curry also can be made with so much varieties. You can add anything here and then call it tomato curry with. You can add this on salad and what not. List goes on, it all depends on your mood and choice and do as you wish. There is no limit to its use.

When I first read, tomatoes falls on fruit categories; my first reaction was disbelief. I thought it was a curry king. Tomato is the only fruit, that out cross all other fruits  grown on earth. It sure does not surprise me at all. I guess there are plenty of people on this planet, who loves it as much as I love it.

Whenever I see my favourite Italian chef, David Roco on my TV set  using plenty of tomatoes on some food when he cooks, it only gives me a feel, how sparsely we use tomatoes on our curries or any specific food. But perhaps we can not compare TV food and the foods we eat at home specially, when no camera is focusing on our plate.

But today I am not going to talk about its various use and purposes. I remember one such incident behind, why I like it so much. I am quite  not sure, that it  could be because of that reverse psychology; behind this and me liking this curry or maybe not; but who knows, why I like this curry so much and make this one, one of the most eaten curry of my life.

This story is something Radha [Pandey] didi, just could not forget it from the conversation she heard, and when she used to talk it, it just stayed in my mind, like forever. Satyal Dijju, as we used to call her regardles of the position she held in the office; was one of the highest ranking officer at the NCO. Her full name is Bhubeneshwory Satyal, she was the Manager of one big department. As a child, I have passed thousands of times in front of her office, reading the  position she held, umpteenth times, yet now I do not remember what was her position then.

Officer of that kind of high ranks, normally do not take part in, what curry we eat or not. It normally falls on House mothers to decide, what curry at what day and time. Sometimes even room nannies can take this decision, based on what we have on our kitchen garden and which one should be used first. So my mind runs fast how come she gave her verdict that, “they [we] should not have tomato curry”, adding that, “when we, at our home do not eat it.” I am guessing now, she must have been just around and one of the house mother must have asked her permission and that must have been her reaction.

Personally, I do not remember having tomato curry during my stay in the Bal Mandir. But I have very bad memory power and its just one of the curry. Perhaps it was not my favourite curry then. But that line just stamped in our mind and it seems that it’s not easy to forget it even after so many years passed by.

Its not very unusual, to hear the staff members of the NCO, pass such comments on our food. They sure would have passed such type of comments on our dress also, if only it would not have been the donations from rich nations, I bet we grew up wearing a lot more better dress than most of the staff of NCO, with some exception.

Here is one more children home, I am associated, and this line, “they eat a lot better, than what we eat at our home”, from staff should have given me some food to think better.

It feels good to say this now, that we were not their children but then, that is the point from where on the quality of the food or dress keep deteriorating; until it comes to the point it matches as of to staff’s children get as their salary can provide to their own children, or a little worse than they get a chance to wear or eat, if they are to buy things all on their own. Thank God it was not the case always like that.

Thank God ! donors were more generous to meet our needs, than those greedy or discriminating staff towards our needs.

Oh, by the way I would like to tell how I make my favourite tomato curry :

Take 250 grams of tomatoes, and then big three garlic clove and equal amount of ginger, take medium sized spanish onion [red] and the most important timur and they call it chinese black pepper also. Some green chilli and salt to taste.  First, I fry one big garlic finely chopped on the hot oil and then I add all the finely chopped onions. stir  it  and then add the paste of ginger and garlic until you get a nice smell of it or it becomes fried properly. Now add  chopped tomatoes and green chilly and then season it as you like. make it like achar and then just add a bowl or two water to make it more soupy; so that I don’t have to make lentil extra. Sometimes I fry some soyabean nuggets on other pan and then add it in just before I add water and then I let it boil for about 7 minutes and then keep it for about extra 10 minutes so that the nuggets soaks all water in it and it becomes juicy. This new try gives me different taste on different time.