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Most of us do not like wasting food, but sometimes we just don't have the option to use leftover food so we end up throwing it away. Tomato purée is used to make a lot of dishes, especially thick gravies and soups. Unintentionally, we end up grinding a lot of tomatoes which leaves us with an excess of tomato puree. The common reflex of any individual will be to throw that away in the dustbin. This leads to a lot of food wastage but there are multiple ways through which you can re-purpose your leftover purée. Today we will discuss some innovative ways to use your leftover tomato purée to minimise kitchen waste.
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* Tomato Rice
This is a very famous South Indian dish and is made by using some boiled white rice along with a thin paste of tomatoes. This one-pot meal can be prepared by using some other condiments like mustard seeds, onions, vegetable oil, and a handful of spices of your choice. This recipe is very quick to make and also quite flavourful. You can pair this with some salad, Raita and even pickles. To make this you have to take a pan and heat some oil. Now put your dry spices and chopped onions and mix everything. Once you see that the onions have turned soft, you can add tomato purée as well as ginger garlic paste. Now add the spices of your choice and mix everything well. Once you see that everything is well-coded, just add your boiled rice and mix everything. Garnish your tomato rice with some fresh coriander leaves.
* Tomato Powder
Making tomato powder is a good way of preserving your leftover tomato puree. The process of making tomato powder might be meticulous, but it's quite rewarding in the end. To make tomato powder you will need two appliances. One is a food processor and the other is an oven. To make tomato powder at home you have to take your tomato paste and spread it evenly on a nonstick baking sheet. Heat this in the oven for up to 12 hours at a lower temperature to create a leather-like texture. You can do this in the oven or also keep it in the sun for natural sun drying. Keep flipping the sheet again and again to make sure that both sides get uniformly set. Now once you feel like your tomato paste has been properly dried, you can transfer this into the food processor. You will get small granules and these granules can be transferred in the oven. Dry these again in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes after which you can blend them again to get a very fine powder. This can be stored in an airtight container.
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* Tomato Soup
Making tomato soup from leftover tomato puree is a very obvious way to make sure that you do not waste your leftover puree. Tomato soup is the best way to fight the harsh winter outside and also make sure that you do not waste anything unnecessarily. This is also a favourite of many people and is made by combining a lot of herbs, vegetable broth, spices and water. Just take tomato puree and put it in a pot. Now add some water to make the consistency of the mixture thinner and heat it on low flame. Add some salt and adjust the consistency of the soup by taking care of the water level. Add some spices and herbs. Also, add some cream as it helps in making the texture of the soup very creamy and luscious. You can also add some croutons and noodles to make it even more delicious
* Tomato Chutney
Chutneys is the Indian version of dips and who would not like eating Chutney that has delicious flavours of tomato and some simple herbs and spices. To make this Chutney you have to take some leftover tomato purée. Now add some spices, ginger and garlic and blend this in a food processor or blender to make sure that all the ingredients get mixed up together. Also, add some crushed jaggery in the mixture along with tamarind to enhance the taste of the Chutney. After taking this out from the blender, you have to cook it for a few minutes on gas. Just make sure that the consistency of the mixture gets thicker and as soon as you think everything is cooked properly, just store it in an airtight container.
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* Pasta Sauce
Making pasta sauce from leftover tomato purée is also a great way to utilise leftover tomato purée. You can make an Indian version of pasta sauce and store it in your refrigerator. All you need to do is use the combination of sweetness and saltiness in the dish. Combine your tomato puree with some spices, herbs, garlic, and onions, and cook them on low flame until they become thick. Then you can also add your boiled pasta and some cheese. Your delicious red sauce pasta will be prepared in no time. This is an easy way to cook red sauce pasta without having to buy a lot of ingredients from the market.
These are some wonderful ways through which you can use leftover tomato purée at home without having to throw it away.
