You know, thakkali sothi is one of those dishes that sneaks its way into your heart before you even realize it. It’s not the most “fancy” curry, but that’s exactly the point—it’s homely, soothing, and has this lovely balance of tanginess from the tomatoes with the richness of coconut milk. I always say, this curry feels like a warm hug on a tired weekday night, especially when paired with fluffy white rice.
My grandmother used to make it whenever someone at home said, “I’m not really in the mood for heavy food today.” Somehow, it always managed to perk everyone up.
What I love most is how forgiving this recipe is. You don’t need a million ingredients, and even if your coconut milk is slightly watery or you add one extra tomato, it still turns out delicious. That’s the kind of recipe I want to keep in my back pocket for busy days.
And honestly, it makes the kitchen smell divine—like you’ve put in way more effort than you actually did. I sometimes sneak in a couple of green chilies for a little heat, because why not? It gives that tiny kick that makes the mildness of coconut milk even more enjoyable.
Honestly, I have never had thakkali sothi in most South Indian homes. Surprisingly, many in South India itself are not aware of this recipe. Most South Indian homes rely on sambhar and rasam as their go to vegetarian curries. Making this seemingly rare yet delicious subtle red curry will definitely bring the necessary variation an Indian homemade cuisine needs.
Ingredients:
- 3-4 Tomatoes
- 1 thinly sliced onion
- 2 medium spicy green chillies
- 4 Shallots
- 2 red chillies
- 2 tbsp grated coconut or dry coconut pieces
- 1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
- A bunch of finely chopped coriander leaves
- A few curry leaves
- 1 inch piece of tamarind
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tbsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp turmeric (haldi) powder
- 1 tsp pepper powder
- Salt to taste
- Oil for tadka (tempering)
Recipe:
Boil tomatoes, sliced onions, slit green chillies in water. Add turmeric to the water. Boil it for 15 minutes.
Keep it to cool and then remove the peel off the tomatoes. It should come off easily.
You must now roughly smash this mixture with your hands. Since the desired result does not have to be a smooth liquid mixture, the use of blender is not recommended. The mixture looks like below. Add a piece of tamarind to the mixture.
Get your ingredients ready before peeling the hot tomatoes. So that it cools off on the side.
Tempering ingredients like shallots, red chillies, curry leaves and coriander for garnishing in the end. Also, another ingredient that I missed to display here but I have later added in tempering are mustard seeds.
Also, in a bow I have taken dry coconut pieces along with cumin seeds.
Add the coconut cumin mix into the grinder along with some water to make a smooth paste.
Keep the powder masalas ready.
Add the smooth coconut paste to the peeled and smashed tomato liquid mixture and mix it well.
Now finally we come to the last stage of bringing all the above together to make a tasty thakkali sothi.
Heat a pan on the stove and add 1 tsp oil.
Add the tempering ingredients to the oil, like mustard, curry leaves, red chillies. Saute them for a minute and then add roughly chopped shallots. Saute it until the ingredients are cooked.
Once the tempering is cooked, add the tomato curry mixture. Let it boil for 2 minutes.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Do not overcook/ boil beyond 2 minutes otherwise the coconut milk taste will change.
Take it off the stove and serve hot. Add chopped coriander leaves as garnish.
This is best eaten with white rice and a side of non-veg like fish fry, chicken or red meat of your choice. Complimenting this thakkali sothi with spicy masala side dish works best.
If you are veg, you can also enjoy it with subtly spiced Indian style vegetable side dishes.
