How a dish smells is important. It whets the appetite, brings us to the table, and opens up a host of pleasures. With coconut, cardamom, and coriander, this simple dish of baked tomatoes is heady and aromatic. It curdles a bit, but no matter. You will need some rice or bread to go with it. Creamed coconut, a block of pure dried coconut, is available at Asian markets and online.

　　

Ingredients

enough for 4

　　garlic – 2 cloves

　　a hot red chile or two

　　ginger – a thumb-sized piece

　　olive or peanut oil – 3 tablespoons

　　chile flakes – half a teaspoon

　　ground coriander – a teaspoon

　　ground turmeric – a teaspoon

　　cumin seeds – half a teaspoon

　　green cardamom pods – 6

　　moderately large tomatoes – 12

　　creamed coconut – 1 3/4 ounces (50g)

　　cilantro leaves – a handful

　　

Step 1

Peel and thinly slice the garlic. Halve the chiles and discard their seeds, then chop finely. Peel the ginger and slice it finely. It should be thin enough to see through. Warm the oil in a deep frying pan, then add the garlic, chile, and ginger, letting them soften but not color over medium heat.

　　

Step 2

Stir in the chile flakes, ground coriander, turmeric, and cumin seeds, then pop the cardamom seeds out of their husks, crush the seeds lightly, and stir them in. Once the spices have warmed through, chop four of the tomatoes, stir them into the spices, and pour in 1 1/4 cups (300ml) water. Bring to a boil, then slice each of the remaining tomatoes horizontally in half and lay them, cut side down, in the sauce. Cook for seven or eight minutes, until they are starting to soften. Turn each tomato over and continue to cook for a few minutes, until they are thoroughly tender.

　　

Step 3

Add the creamed coconut to the pan in small pieces, letting it dissolve into the sauce. A helpful stir with a teaspoon will work wonders here. From this point on, the sauce shouldn’t boil, just simmer very gently until it is thick and the tomatoes are soft.

　　

Step 4

Once the tomatoes are tender to the point of collapse, they are ready. Scatter them with cilantro leaves and eat with a little rice or bread to mop them up.

　　Tender