This creamy Green Tomato Stew recipe takes no more than 15 to 20 minutes to put together, and the reward is a delicious and unique dish with Indian-summer flavors. Vegan, gluten-free, nut-free and soy-free recipe.
You might also like these recipes for green tomato dal and vegan fried green tomatoes.
This easy but tasty Green Tomato Stew pairs tart, unripe tomatoes with the mellow sweetness of coconut milk.
My recalcitrant tomato vine, after spending the summer basking in the sun and doing precious little, suddenly decided to reward me for watering him so assiduously all season. So now I have a small bounty of green tomatoes that are not likely to ripen any time before the cold weather sets in. My favorite recipe to use them in is this creamy Green Tomato Stew.
One of the reasons I love it so much is that it is layered with so many flavors: the tartness of the green tomatoes, the creamy sweetness of the coconut milk, the mellow heat of the green chili peppers all come together to make a dish that's as memorable as it is simple.
Another reason why this recipe is a winner is that it is so easy to make. The only prep here is chopping the green tomatoes. The rest of the ingredients come from jars or cans and you probably already have most of these in your pantry already.
Is there a specific type of green tomato I should use for this stew?
No, just any green tomato is fine -- heirloom, plum, beefsteaks...anything you have in the backyard or can find at the market would work here. You could even make it with green grape or pear tomatoes, although I imagine it would take more time to halve a bunch of those than it would to slice up two or three large ones.
I don't have curry leaves. Can I use something else?
Use cilantro. Add it at the beginning, where you'd toss in the curry leaves, and proceed with the rest of the recipe.
Serve
My favorite way to serve this green tomato stew is with Basmati Rice or Jeera Rice and a simple vegetable side like these Lebanese green beans, mushroom stir-fry or smashed potato salad with turmeric and curry leaf dressing.
More vegan tomato recipes
- Creamy Coconut Curry
- Pasta with No Cook Tomato Sauce
- If you have a batch of ripe tomatoes on hand, make and store my basic tomato onion masala sauce for quick curries.
Recipe card
Green Tomato Stew
Video
Ingredients
- 2 large green tomatoes (diced. Or about 3 cups halved cherry or other small tomatoes)
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil or any neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 2 green chili peppers (like serrano or jalapeno, slit down the middle and deseeded -- unless you like lots of heat)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 heaping tsp ground coriander
- 1 ½ cups coconut milk
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the mustard seeds and, when they sputter, add the curry leaves and green chillies.
- Saute for a few seconds and add the green tomatoes
- Add the coriander powder and turmeric and mix. Add a few tablespoons of water and when the water boils, put a lid on the saucepan and cook over medium-high heat about five minutes or until the tomatoes are soft. Green tomatoes are firmer and won't break down as much as ripe tomatoes would.
- Add half the coconut milk to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Add salt to taste and let the tomatoes cook another minute or two.
- Add the remaining coconut milk and salt, stir, and heat until the coconut milk is warmed through but not boiling.
- Turn off heat and serve.
Nutrition Information
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Michael Wilson says
I love you. I have about 2 doz. Green tomatoes. Thank-you.
Kennedy says
I realize this is supposed to be vegan, but do you think shredded turkey would work as an additional? Thank you!
Vaishali says
I don't think it would work at all.
Geno says
This is my favorite recipe of all time! It is absolutely amazing! I will go out of my way to find green tomatoes just to make this every summer for the last 4 years since discovering this recipe. I like to serve it with black rice for the wonderful nutty flavor which compliments it so well. This time when I made it I added jackfruit - great idea! I also doubled the recipe and subbed one can of coconut milk for a can of coconut cream and the flavor explosion was phenomenal!