Baked, Stuffed Tomatoes with Cold, Spiced Yogurt

This relaxed weekend lunch involves a cold bowl of yogurt and tomatoes packed with flavour.

My family loves yogurt. We have it almost every day. And we use it in various ways - to marinate, in a gravy, mixed with cucumber, mixed with fried lady fingers (bhindi), with rice to name a few. But this one caught everyone by surprise!

I am a huge tomato fan. I love to use tomatoes in almost everything I cook. This recipe was taking shape in my mind for a while and it finally came through over a weekend.

TIP: The green chutney recipe I use is versatile. You can make it anytime you want and use it across recipes.

The various flavours of this recipe work so well together that I’ll happily have this for lunch over and over again! The tartness of the tomatoes and yogurt clubbed with the crisp, charred exteriors of the tomatoes and the sharp spice of the green chutney are a festival of flavours in every bite.

The ingredients are simple. The steps are simple. The taste is out of this world.

INGREDIENTS

For the GREEN CHUTNEY

• 2-3 spring onions (the greens - retain the onion heads for the tomato stuffing)

• 1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves

• 1/3 cup curry leaves

• 2 green chillies

• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste or 3-4 pods of garlic finely chopped

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• A pinch of salt

• The scooped out pulp of 5-6 tomatoes

For the STUFFED TOMATOES

• 5-6 firm tomatoes

• Heads of the spring onions

• A pinch of salt

• 1/3 cup melted butter

• 1/2 cup grated cheese

• 1.5 cups breadcrumbs, if available or try using powdered oats

For the SPICED YOGURT

• 2 cups of yogurt

• A pinch of salt

• 1 tbsp oil

• 1 tsp mustard seeds

• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder

• 2 green chillies, finely chopped

METHOD

Cut the tomatoes in half along the length and scoop out the pulp from the tomatoes. Keep aside.

For the GREEN CHUTNEY

1. Place the tomato pulp in a blender.

2. Add the spring onion greens to the blender with the tomato pulp.

3. Also add coriander leaves, curry leaves (I tend to use whatever leafy greens I find in my fridge including mint leaves, basil leaves, parsley whenever available - except fenugreek leaves).

4. Add green chillies, ginger garlic paste or 3-4 garlic pods finely chopped, olive oil (optional) and a pinch of salt.

5. Blitz into a purée.

6. Transfer the remaining green chutney into a pan and let it cook till all the water dries up.

For the STUFFED TOMATOES

1. Preheat the oven at 180 C.

2. Place the tomatoes, cut side up, in a greased baking dish.

3. Finely chop the white heads of the spring onions and sauté with a pinch of salt till they turn light brown.

4. Add equal quantities into the tomato shells.

5. Add 1 tsp of the green chutney into each tomato shell.

6. In a bowl, mix the melted butter, grated cheese and breadcrumbs or powdered oats.

7. Top the tomato shells with this mix.

8. Bake in the preheated oven at 180 C for 30 minutes.

For the SPICED YOGURT

1. Blitz the yogurt in the blender with a pinch of salt.

2. Heat the oil in a small skillet and add mustard seeds (rye), red chilli powder and finely chopped green chillies.

3. Turn off the heat.

To SERVE

1. Pour the yogurt into your bowl and dot with the chilli mustard oil.

2. Add a couple of small dollops of the cooked green chutney.

3. Place the baked tomatoes onto your yogurt bowl and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe.

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Everything you see here has been consumed by my family and friends, and hence, is tried and tested on a bunch of loyal guinea pigs.

HAPPY BAKING!

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