As the daily price of tomatoes has been fluctuating between a minimum of ₹ 100 to ₹ 150, home cooks, and small food businesses are seeking alternatives such as tamarind, lemon, and raw mango.
Sumitra Solanki, a homemaker from V.V. Puram, says the usage of lemon has increased in her everyday cooking. “We used tomato for almost every other dish, but for someone who has a big family like mine and where we cook three times a day, the high prices of tomatoes are not favorable. We have currently turned to using a spoon of lemon juice for dal and fried vegetables, that gives the same tanginess. Tamarind lasts longer and less quantity is required for daily consumption”.
Home cooks and food lovers from the group Bangalore Foodies Club said that tamarind and raw mangoes that are in season are their current alternatives to tomatoes. Usha N. Sreenivasan a member of the group said “Raw mango and lemon are great substitutes for tomatoes, and we use them in almost every dish. If we want a tangier taste, we switch to tamarind.”
Another food lover and home chef Goutham Babu Pakala says “We should first understand tomatoes are not native to India. We should not be dependent on it, especially in situations like these. In my childhood, tomatoes were a rarity and seasonal. There are many alternatives to adapt, especially seasonal vegetables and fruits. For example, mangoes are still in season and can be an alternative to tomatoes for the tangy flavor. Instead of tomato dal, we can have mango dhal or even gongura dal.”
Darshinis and street food vendors reduce usage
‘Darshini-style’ restaurants and many street vendors are also looking for alternatives for tomatoes or trying to avoid them in their regular dishes. Jayan who works at a ‘darshini’ in Basavanagudi talks about how the restaurant is coping with its most popular dish ‘tomato bath’: “What we do is, we make a paste of the tomato, and as and when the paste starts depleting, we add some tamarind paste and capsicum paste to keep it going. This gives a similar taste to tomatoes”
On the other hand, Lal, a 26-year-old ‘bhel puri’ vendor says, “I buy my tomatoes directly from the City Market. The tomatoes are of bad quality and cost a lot. As a chaat stall, tomatoes are an integral part of most of the snacks. I reduce the amount of tomato I use in every chaat; I try to balance it by adding more coriander and lemon juice, that tastes very similar to a tomato.”
Bigger hotels stick to using tomatoes and its different forms
However, bigger restaurants are sticking to tomatoes. “We can not use other alternatives for tomatoes like lemon or tamarind. Alternatives will ruin the taste and significance of the dishes which our customers love. Tomatoes, onions and garlic are essential ingredients for any type of dish and substitutes will be our last course of action,” says Sandeep Sadanandan, Head of Culinary at the Byg Ventures, which runs a chain of resto-pubs.
Mr. Sadanandan says that though tomatoes are still affordable for huge restaurants, and chains of hotels, the quantity of tomatoes supplied has gone down “Most chains of hotels and restaurants get their supplies on a contractual price. Whether the price is low or high, we pay the same amount. However, the supplier negotiates on the quantity supplied; if our kitchens are being supplied 30 to 40 kilos of tomato per day, during the price hike we receive around 20 kilos per day instead”.
To battle the low supply of tomatoes, he said that they have turned to tomato puree and canned tomatoes for a few dishes. “For many of our gravies, tomato is the base and we are currently using tomato puree. We also make our own pasta sauce that is made just before serving for which we require plum tomatoes. We are using canned and peeled tomatoes called Pelati which is an essential in every Italian household”.
Ingredient | Price (As on July 13, 2023) | Shelf life | Quantity needed by a family of 4 per day
Tomato | ₹140 to ₹150 per kilo | 5 days to 1 week, if refrigerated | 2 to 6 tomatoes
Tamarind | ₹180 per kilo | Up to 3 months if stored in a cool place and a sealed container | 10 to 20 grams
Lemon | ₹78 per kilo | 3 to 5 weeks if refrigerated | 1 to 2 lemons
Raw Mango | ₹60 per kilo | 7 to 14 days | 1 to 2 raw mangoes
Note: The price of the groceries is an average price based on the market rate and various online portals.
Published - July 13, 2023 08:54 pm IST
