Try This Easy Tomato Chutney Recipe From Archana Pidathala’s ‘Five Morsels Of Love’

Author and cook Archana Pidathala’s first cookbook, Five Morsels of Love, is a tribute to her grandmother. It is an English translation of the Telugu cookbook Vanitha Vantakalu, which was written and published by Pidathala’s am mamma (the Telugu word for grandmother) in 1974. 

“My grandmother’s last wish was to get her book published in English, and she asked me to fund it. This is my way to fulfil that wish and keep her memory alive,” said Pidathala in an exclusive conversation with Outlook Eats. 

It is a collection of over 100 recipes that will help you understand the basics of an Andhra kitchen and bring you closer to perfecting the cuisine. Pidathala, who herself learnt how to cook while compiling and translating the book, expands and demystifies each recipe for her readers. 

We bring you recipe for a slow-cooked tomato chutney called Takkili Pandu Pachchadi’s from the Five Morsels of Love. The recipe allows tomatoes, an important ingredient in everyday cooking, to take centre stage, allowing them to express their wonderful flavour. 

“Tomatoes grew in abundance in my ancestral village, Giddalur. My mother would always pack a box of perugannamu (yoghurt rice) and this stunning red relish for our mid-morning school snack during the blistering summer months,” reminisced Pidathala.