Photo: Intodustin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Tamilnadu · Breakfast

Thakkali Sadam (தக்காளி சாதம்)

Traditional 51. Thakkali Sadam recipe

🧺 Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked rice (leftover, at room temperature)
• 3 medium ripe tomatoes (about 300 g), finely chopped
• 2 tbsp sesame oil (gingelly oil)
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp urad dal
• 1 tsp chana dal
• 10 curry leaves
• 2 dried red chilies, broken
• 2 green chilies, slit lengthwise
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger-garlic paste (½ tbsp each — blended fresh)
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder (adjust to taste)
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp sambar powder (optional — adds complexity)
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp sugar (balances tomato acidity)
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
• 1 tbsp cashew nuts (fried in ghee — optional garnish)

👩‍🍳 How to make Thakkali Sadam

1. Heat 2 tbsp sesame oil in a wide kadai over high heat.
2. Add mustard seeds — wait 20 seconds until they crackle.
3. Add urad dal and chana dal — fry 30 seconds until golden.
4. Add broken red chilies — fry 10 seconds.
5. Add curry leaves — sizzle 10 seconds.
6. Add green chilies — toss 10 seconds.
7. Add diced onion.
8. Fry on medium-high heat for 3–4 minutes until golden.
9. Add ginger-garlic paste — fry for 1.5 minutes until raw smell disappears and paste turns light golden.
10. Add all chopped tomatoes at once.
11. Stir well.
12. Add turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, sambar powder, and salt.
13. Cook on medium heat for 8–10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes.
14. The tomatoes must cook down completely — they should disintegrate and the mixture should become a thick, almost dry masala with oil separating at the edges.
15. The raw tomato smell must be fully cooked out — the masala should smell rich and deep.
16. Add ½ tsp sugar.
17. Reduce heat to low-medium.
18. Add leftover rice.
19. Using a wide spatula, fold the rice into the tomato masala — lift and fold rather than pressing down.
20. Coat every grain evenly.
21. The rice should turn from white to a deep orange-red from the tomato masala.
22. Cook for 2–3 minutes until rice is heated through.
23. Add chopped coriander.
24. Taste for salt.
25. Serve hot with appalam (papad) or mango pickle.
26. Top with fried cashews if using.

Track the macros of Thakkali Sadam and 100s of Indian dishes with Nutri Macro India.