Roasted Tomato Curry with Confit Garlic

I’ve taken a classic Thakali Kolambu (tomato curry) and put a bit of my own spin on it. I’ve roasted the tomatoes to bring out a deeper flavour and, in the same tray, confited a bulb of garlic to add in a sweet aromatic note that is surprisingly mellow in flavour. Everything comes together in one tray and there’s barely any washing up!

Time to create: 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • Onion - 1 (diced)

  • Tomatoes - 1kg (cut into quarters)

  • Turmeric - ¼ tsp 

  • Curry powder - 1 tbsp

  • Garlic - 1 whole bulb

  • Coconut milk - 200ml

  • Tamarind paste - 1 tbsp

  • Oil - sunflower or coconut

  • Black mustard seeds - ¼ tsp

  • Cumin seeds - ½ tsp

  • Fenugreek seeds - ¼ tsp

  • Curry leaves - 10

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan.

  2. Add the onion and tomatoes to a tray. Add a sprinkle of salt, turmeric and curry powder. Mix well.

  3. Cut the top off the garlic bulb to reveal the top of each clove. Place it in the middle of the tray of tomatoes and onions and top with half a tomato. Place in the oven for 20 minutes.

  4. Add oil to a small saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Once they start to spit, add the curry leaves and fenugreek seeds and remove from the heat. Mix well.

  5. Add the fried spices to the tray of tomatoes along with the coconut milk and tamarind paste. Squeeze the garlic out of the bulb into the tray. Mix well, then roast for another 20 minutes.

  6. Serve alongside other curries or on its own with rice, naans or rotis.

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