A creamy Green Tomato Stew for that haul of end-of-summer green tomatoes. This easy 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.
If you are a late-blooming gardener like I am, you likely have more green tomatoes on your hand right now than you can make Fried Green Tomatoes with. So what's a cook to do?
Make this easy but tasty Green Tomato Stew that pairs the 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.
I have shared with you my Green Tomato Dal recipe and my Fried Green Tomatoes recipe. Both are stellar, but my favorite -- as a cook and as an eater -- is quite unequivocally this creamy Green Tomato Stew.
Part of the reason I love it so much is because it's got so many flavors going: 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.
And the other part, the part that makes this recipe a winner for me, is that it is so darn easy to make. The only prep here is chopping the 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?
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, which is easier to find hereabouts. Add it at the beginning, where you'd toss in the curry leaves, and proceed with the rest of the recipe.
What do I serve this with?
My favorite way is to serve it with a simple Basmati Rice or Jeera Rice (I've added instructions to the post for making this with brown rice) and a mushroom stir-fry. You can make any other Indian-style vegetable side or something like this smashed potato salad with turmeric and curry leaf dressing.
Looking for more vegan tomato recipes?
- Vegan Fried Green Tomatoes
- South Indian Green Tomato Dal
- 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.
Green Tomato Stew
Equipment
- Saucepan
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.
Jessica
Vaishali,
I'm so interested in trying this recipe! I live in the south and just stripped my tomato plants of all of their green tomatoes. My question is regarding the spices. I've never made any Indian dishes. I currently only have have curry, cumin, and mustard in powder form. My coriander is in seed form. I've only ever purchased green chilies in a can. Is this recipe amenable to conversion to these ingredients and what measurements would you recommend, if it would be? If I had the answer to these questions, I would head to the kitchen and whip this up right now! Which is saying a lot, since it is shy of 230 am now. Ha!!
Vaishali
Hi Jessica, here's a simple recipe. You will need some creamy milk at the end -- if you don't have coconut milk, you can blend up some cashews with water. Start by heating a teaspoon of oil, add your chopped green tomatoes (about three to four) and saute until they break down a little. Add in the drained green chili peppers (to your taste) and then add 1 1/2 cups coconut milk (or blend 1/2 cup cashews with 1 cup water or vegetable stock) and 1 - 2 tsp of the curry powder and salt. Add the curry powder a little at a time because different blends have different heat levels, so taste as you go. Turn off the heat before the stew comes to a boil.
Hope that helps. Enjoy your green tomatoes. 🙂 I have a few I need to get off the vine before it gets any colder here.
Mm
Tried today and awesome dish. Thanks for sharing.
ValeriaVine
I found your recipe looking for ways to use my green tomatoes. Just made it and ate it.....You are right! super quick, easy and delicious and it does have a yoghurt like tartness to it. Can't wait to make this for my friends! Thank you for this delicious and easy vegan meal.
Cristina
I made this stew and it is delicious! It goes well with peanut butter too! Thanks for posting such a scrumptuous recipe!
Vaishali
So happy you liked it. Thanks for letting me know!
Kumudha
Tamilians are such creative cook. Some tamilians make gravy with water-melon rind and orange peel...
tomato curry looks so yum!
kumars kitchen
yummmmmy lovely stew,would love to make it right now...terrific recipe 🙂
Chitz
It's so tempting.. Makes me wanna make some now 🙂
Julia
this looks fantastic!!
Vaishali Honawar
Ammasdtr, yes, green tomatoes are a beloved food in parts of India, and Tamilians make some great dishes with it, like the masial.
Rice would be the best pairing with this dish.
Foodfeud, duds, indeed. 🙂 I wait for summer each year just so I can harvest the green tomatoes -- I can never find them in a market.
foodfeud
Brilliant use of what others might call duds. I love any curry, I also love most tomato dishes... Gotta get on this!
ammasdtr19
This looks amazing! Are green 'maters an Indian thing as much as they are a southern thing in usa? Does the coconut milk tone some of the acid down? And lastly, what's the best starch to go with this, naan, rice or corn bread?
Vaishali Honawar
Manasi, dry tomato curry with peanuts sounds amazing.
Viswa, thanks.
Shaheen, it would be great with ripe tomatoes too.
Priya, thanks.
Priya Suresh
Omg, stew looks absolutely delicious and fingerlicking.
Shaheen
I so want to have a go at cooking with green tomatoes, sadly I am not growing any this year and its hard to find them at supermarkets here or even at the farmers market, maybe next year.
Viswa
Wow, nice recipe
Manasi
I wish my tomato plants would sprout atleast one small tomato 🙁
I have a black thumb. I managed to grow only 2 green chilies last summer, weak and puny ones at that.
I love the green tomato curry. Manisha (IFR) has a dry version using peanut powder, I have often made that, now I have your curry to depend on too 🙂