COOKING HOUR: Corn tomato bharta, Restaurant style side dish

Corn tomato bharta with smoky flavor infused from coal, butter to give a shortcut flavor of bharta. Restaurant style creamy side dish for chapati/ roti/ flatbreads.

For few years, I have been using this method of infusing dal and other side dish with smoky flavor. I once judged a cooking show in which one of the contestant followed this method. So became a big fan of it ever since that. I got few pieces of charcoal (OC, lol) from Jeyashri thinking she might have a lot. Here, BBQ coal is sold in bulk and I was wondering what to do with that much coal, so refrained from buying.

Then once it got over, I badly wanted coal to do this technique. After a couple of months of thinking, I finally ordered it. Though it’s a lot, I wanted it so thought enough waiting.

We had this corn tomato bharta once in Kailash Parbat Singapore. The side dish was awesome, Vj had it with onion kulcha. But this smoky flavor was not there. When I was planning to make this recipe, the idea just flashed instead of charring the tomato and corn, let’s adapt this step.

I finished shooting and was busy serving Vj and Aj today that I forgot to after the smoke step. I tasted before that step though. After his first serving, Aj told, amma this is awesome, taste it. Then only I realized and had a bite with it. He was right, it is totally restaurant style stuff. I had only a very little left over, still was enough, I enjoyed every spoon of it.

Do try sometime, both the corn tomato bharta, as well as the technique.

Corn tomato bharta Summary

Heat oil in a pan and temper with cinnamon, cardamom, clove and a tsp of cumin seeds. Add 3 finely chopped green chillies, followed by 1 finely chopped onion. Saute till onion is soft. In goes 1 finely chopped tomato, 2 tsp of fresh ginger garlic paste and 1 tbsp of cashew paste. Tip in 2 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder, 1/2 tsp garam masala powder, 1/4 tsp turmeric and 1 tsp kasuri methi powder. Saute until oil oozes.

Pour in 3 tomatoes pureed along with the corn. Add sugar, salt and 1 cup water. Mix well and simmer covered for 3-4 minutes. Stir in between to avoid burning. Check the corn for doneness. Add cooking cream and cook furthermore for 3-4 minutes until thick. The texture should be creamy and thick.

To infuse smoky flavor: Take a small piece of charcoal and place over the stove flame. Let it burn and you could see reddish spots glowing (ember) over the coal. Place the coal in a small shallow bowl carefully using tongs.

Keep the bowl inside the gravy and quickly add softened butter or ghee over the hot glowing coal. It will profusely smoke. Cover with a lid to capture the smoke. Let it infuse for not more than 2 mins. The hot gravy will absorb the smoky smell and turns so flavorful. Mix well to serve. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Variations

The method can be adapted in so many ways. You can make your usual way of making a orange base gravy and follow this method.

Instead of ginger garlic paste, you can use a tbsp of minced garlic, 1 tsp of chopped ginger along with green chilli.

Use store bought tomato puree in place of homemade tomato puree. reduce the amount as needed as the store bought ones are tarter than the homemade. You can also skip the tomato sauce.

STORAGE/ SHELF LIFE

Best when had fresh, can be refrigerated for couple of days or frozen about a month.

Is video more your thing?
Here’s a quick video on how to prepare corn tomato bharta

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Corn tomato bharta | Restaurant style side dish for chapati

Corn tomato bharta with smoky flavor infused from coal, butter to give a shortcut flavor of bharta. Restaurant style creamy side dish for chapati/ roti/ flatbreads.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings 3

Cup measurements

Ingredients

1 cup Sweet corn
1 Onion
1 Tomato chopped
3 Tomato pureed
2 tsp Ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp Cashew paste
3 Green chilli
2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1 tsp Garam masala
1 tsp Kasuri methi
1/4 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Sugar
2 tsp butter
Salt as needed
1 chunk Charcoal

To temper

2 tbsp oil
1 Cinnamon
1 Cardamom
1 Clove
1 tsp Cumin seeds
2 tbsp Coriander leaves

Instructions

First garther the ingredients needed. Chop chilli, onion, tomato needed. Puree rest of the tomatoes.
Heat a pan with oil and temper with cumin seeds, cinnamon, clove and cardamom.
Add finely chopped chilli, onion and saute well till soft.
In goes 1 finely chopped tomato, 2 tsp of fresh ginger garlic paste and 1 tbsp of cashew paste.
Tip in 2 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder, 1 tsp garam masala powder, 1/4 tsp turmeric and 1 tsp kasuri methi powder.
Saute until oil oozes.
Pour in 3 tomatoes and mix well.
Add corn, sugar, salt and cook covered for 3 mins.
Once shiny, pour 1 cup water. Mix well and simmer covered for 6 minutes. Stir in between to avoid burning.
Check the corn for doneness.
Add cooking cream and cook furthermore for couple of minutes.
The texture should be creamy and thick.
To infuse smoky flavor: Take a small piece of charcoal and place over the stove flame.
Let it burn and you could see reddish spots glowing (ember) over the coal.
Place the coal in a small shallow bowl carefully using tongs.
Keep the bowl inside the gravy and quickly add softened butter or ghee over the hot glowing coal.
It will profusely smoke. Cover with a lid to capture the smoke.
Let it infuse for 3-4 mins. The hot gravy will absorb the smoky smell and turns so flavorful.
Mix well to serve. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Video

Notes

Use store bought tomato puree in place of homemade tomato puree. reduce the amount as needed as the store bought ones are tarter than the homemade.
You can also skip the tomato sauce.
Instead of ginger garlic paste, you can use a tbsp of minced garlic, 1 tsp of chopped ginger along with green chilli.

Step by step photos:

First garther the ingredients needed. Chop chilli, onion, tomato needed. Puree rest of the tomatoes.
Heat a pan with oil and temper with cumin seeds, cinnamon, clove and cardamom. Add finely chopped chilli, onion and saute well till soft.
In goes 1 finely chopped tomato, 2 tsp of fresh ginger garlic paste and 1 tbsp of cashew paste. Tip in 2 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder, 1/2 tsp garam masala powder, 1/4 tsp turmeric and 1 tsp kasuri methi powder.
Saute until oil oozes.
Pour in 3 tomatoes pureed, mix well.
Add corn, sugar, salt and Saute well for 3 mins.
Once shiny, pour 1 cup water.
Mix well and simmer covered for 6 minutes. Stir in between to avoid burning. Check the corn for doneness. Add cooking cream.
Cook furthermore for couple of minutes. The texture should be creamy and thick.
To infuse smoky flavor: Take a small piece of charcoal and place over the stove flame. Let it burn and you could see reddish spots glowing (ember) over the coal.
Place the coal in a small shallow bowl carefully using tongs.
Keep the bowl inside the gravy and quickly add softened butter or ghee over the hot glowing coal. It will profusely smoke. Cover with a lid to capture the smoke.
Let it infuse for 3-4 mins. The hot gravy will absorb the smoky smell and turns so flavorful. Mix well to serve. Garnish with coriander leaves.