Fresh vs Canned tomatoes in Indian cooking

These are the factors to consider when using tomatoes in Indian cooking:-

1) Does the recipe need pureed or chunky tomatoes to contribute bulk to the gravy? >> if puree then canned is fine or even tetrapak puree. But stick to fresh tomatoes if you need to increase the gravy's volume. E.g.: Paneer Butter Masala where tomato puree is better vs. Matar Paneer where diced tomatoes bring out more tangy spicy flavor.

2) Do you need to keep the peel on or lose it completely? If you need to lose the peel, peeled & canned tomatoes can save much time over having to boil or microwaving the tomatoes.

3) What is the cutting style required in the recipe? finely chopped, coarsely chopped? This point is relevant in case the recipe needs only semi cooked tomatoes.

4) Are the tomatoes being used to add bulk or for flavor? Canned tomatoes do have a slightly different flavor specially if a preservative brine solution has been added.

5) In salads or Indian dishes like bhel puri, the way tomato pieces are added also contribute to aesthetics and make food more appetizing. so canned tomatoes are a stric no-no for such dishes.

And overall- Use Fresh Tomatoes >> tomato is one of the veggies which can be chopped fast & painlessly. To save time, turn your tomato over when chopping (fleshy side up, peel side down)

I would imagine that cooking with tomatoes in Indian cuisine is no different than in any other cuisine: use the best product you can get.

For much of the year where I live, canned tomatoes are of a consistently higher quality than those at the grocery store. Since I don't grow my own tomatoes, I always use canned in almost any dish except salads.

You need to look at the availability where you live.

If the canned product is a higher quality (which it may well be off-season, or maybe even year round), use it. If the labor savings is significant, use it.

One thing to watch for is tomatoes packed with calcium chloride to hold their shape better don't break down as much. This is fine if you would like to see chunks of tomato in the final dish; if you prefer to have the tomato break down into the dish, losing its distinct identity, look for a product packed without the calcium chloride.

The one place, in my opinion, where fresh tomatoes shine is in salads and on sandwiches, where you want that very fresh, uncooked flavor, and can enjoy the color and texture of the fresh product. Here, locally grown fresh tomatoes, or even some of the exciting heirloom tomatoes, may be a better choice.

I make curries quite a lot at home and am keen on a recipe book by Anjum Anand. She recommends using cheap, fresh tomatoes that are either finely chopped or blitzed in a blender. The reasoning behind this is that you are often looking for the tomatoes to form the basis of the gravy, and this shouldn't be over tomatoey. Personally, I look for the meat and the spices to shine through, and the onions and tomatoes play backseat role in the dish as a whole. Tinned tomatoes are often very tomatoey (I know how stupid this sounds) which is great in mediterranean cooking but less so in Indian cuisine.

If your main concern is tomato skins floating in your curry you can fix that. Get some water up to a boil, take the tomatoes and cut out the stem flip the tomato over and make shallow cuts into the bottom, usually an X type of cut. Drop them into the boiling water for just a minute and drop them into cold water with some ice. After a minute or two they should be ready to handle and you can just peel off the skin.

I think all curries can be prepared with tomato puree except aloo gobi. Its color is always bright yellow but tomato puree will change its color to brown which will not look pleasant.

Most canned tomatoes have vinegar in them. It ruins the flavor profile of Indian-style dishes. Its OK in pasta, but you have to find right one. Tomato purees don't have vinegar unless there are added herbs. Chopped and full tomato cans have vinegar in them, and are thus unsuitable for fish or curries.