Fresh ripe tomatoes are mouthwateringly delicious and this easy tomato curry is a wonderful way to cook with them. Requiring just a few ingredients, one pan, and not a lot of time, this is one of my favourite ways to eat tomatoes. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
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This simple tomato curry is one of my favourite tomato dishes. When I travelled in south India in my twenties, tomato fry was one of my favourite dishes. It appears on many menus there and it’s just so good.
This is my attempt to replicate it.
To make it taste really incredible you do need to use fresh curry leaves. Many big supermarkets sell them, or you could try an Asian supermarket.
Failing that you can get dried curry leaves. The taste isn’t quite as good but they work fine. Or you can omit them if you can’t find those either.
Great with homegrown tomatoes
Have you ever grown your own tomatoes?
We usually have a few tomato plants in pots in our garden in the summer and this curry tastes incredible with homegrown tomatoes.
So easy to make
Tomato curry is one of the easiest curry recipes on this blog. All you need to do is:
- get your spices ready
- chop onion, garlic and ginger
- halve your cherry tomatoes
- fry everything in one pan following the recipe below.
Serving suggestions
You can serve tomato curry with rice or an Indian-style bread such as naan, chapati or paratha. Or if you’re really hungry serve with both!
I am obsessed with lime pickle so I always have a spoonful of that on the side.
If you’re looking to make an Indian feast you could also serve it with other curries such as:
- One pot carrot curry
- Red lentil dhal with aubergine and chickpea
- Potato and cauliflower curry
- Sweet potato and beetroot curry
- Potato and spinach curry
- Summer vegetable pilau
- Chickpea and spinach curry
You might also like this homemade tikka paste recipe.
What ingredients do you need?
For full recipe including ingredients list, quantities and method please see the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
To make this tomato curry you will need:
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 4 fresh curry leaves
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves chopped garlic
- Thumb-sized chunk ginger, chopped
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 800g cherry tomatoes, halved (you could also use chopped large tomatoes)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Equipment
You will need a large frying pan* to make this curry. I usually use my wok*.
Make ahead/storage
This tomato curry can be made ahead and reheated. Like many curries, its flavour improves by being made a day or two in advance.
To refridgerate
To store in the fridge allow to cool completely then place in an airtight container and refrigerate for 2-3 days. Reheat until piping hot when ready to eat.
To freeze
To freeze allow to cool completely then transfer to a freezer-proof bag or container. Leave a little space at the top of the container as it will expand while freezing.
Label and date.
Freeze for up to three months. When ready to eat defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat until piping hot.
More tomato recipes
If you have a glut of tomatoes and are looking for more suggestions for what to do with them you might like some of these recipes:
If you love eating seasonally check out my seasonal vegetable guide to July or August.
How to make tomato curry
If you have made this recipe and loved it please consider leaving a comment and rating below.
Please do not reproduce this recipe without permission.
Tomato curry
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 4 curry leaves*
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- Thumb-sized chunk ginger chopped
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 800 g cherry tomatoes halved (you could also use chopped large tomatoes)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon sunflower oil in a large frying pan or wok.
- Add 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and 4 fresh curry leaves and fry for a minute or two until the mustard seeds start to pop.
- Add a chopped onion and reduce the heat. Fry for 10 minutes or until the onion is soft. Stir often.
- Add 2 cloves of chopped garlic and a thumb-sized piece of chopped ginger. Fry for one more minute then add ½ teaspoon turmeric and stir in.
- Add 800g halved cherry tomatoes and fry for 10-15 minutes until starting to break down, stirring often.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve immediately with rice, bread and/or other curries.
Notes
- You can buy fresh curry leaves in many large supermarkets or Asian supermarkets. I usually buy a bag when I see them and store it in my freezer. If you can’t find them you can use dried curry leaves, although the taste isn’t quite the same, or leave them out.
- Nutritional information is approximate and is intended as a guide.
Nutrition
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