Tomato has become a common vegetable though it is a fruit as per botany. Tomatoes are picked up to cook along with the seasonal vegetables as it mixes with all vegetables. Whatever dish is made tomatoes are added in India to give it a taste or also may be to balance it sometimes. If a dish is salt overdosed, best way is to add tomato puree to it and cook for some time to allow the tomato mix with the dish. If you do not like tamarind or advised by doctors against using it, tomato is the best replacement to make Rasam or Sambar.
A husband once commented about his newlywed wife that she is an excellent cook and adds tomato in everything she cooks- including a tomato curry!
Though tomatoes are available in all seasons at a reasonably cheaper rate, do not under estimate its food value. Vitamin C in a fresh tomato serves daily requirement of the body. Tomatoes also give vitamin A, B6, E and K to the body. Tomatoes are rich in potassium, magnesium and fiber. It also has lycopene content that is useful to reduce inflammation, risk of heart attack and cancer.
In addition to using tomatoes in making the dishes rich and using them in salads, tomato soup also can be made for a starter.
That way, tomatoes make a dish rich with flavor and thickness and also contribute to health.
-SriJa
