Sun Dried Tomatoes

Before I start off on this one - I must give credit to my friend Jeena for this easy-to-make home-made sun-dried tomatoes (linguistic impulse notwithstanding - those were 3 compounds in a row).

It took two weeks to dry these tomatoes on my terrace. With the unpredictable Mysore weather, (sudden bouts of sun and rain), it took some effort and care in drying these yummy, ready to use tomatoes.

How to make them? well, its simple...

Cut the tomatoes lenghtwise and dry them on a clean cotton cloth under the direct sun on your terrace or balcony. Make sure to take them into the house every evening or else the early morning dew may make them moist again. That may ruin the tomatoes as they may rot or grow fungus. Replace them under the sun every morning. It will take over a week for them to get dry and crisp.

A few twists in the drying process and you can have delicious tomato candies to munch on. While they are fresh, coat the cut tomatoes in ground sugar or salt or some chat masala. Put them out to dry, as mentioned above. When they are crisp, dry and ready to use, store them in a dry air-tight container. They can be used in cooking or the flavoured tomatoes can be eaten as they are... like munchies !!