Tomato Salsa

EVENT: FOODIE’S REDOING OLD POSTS #2
Old posts just get lost in the wide wide wide web unless they are very popular. Renu who blog’s at Cook with Renu has started a Facebook Group called Foodies Redoing Old Posts where every two weeks we can redo our old posts and share it on the group. What’s the advantage of doing this? Well, it gives us the opportunity to improve the write up, update photos and get comments. I’ve got so many old posts that need updating especially where the photos are concerned. This group will definitely give me the ‘push’ to prepare the dishes again for better photos. For the second redo posts I’m sharing my basic tomato salsa recipes with better photos and better write up.
It is interesting how Mexican and Indian Cuisine resemble in some ways. Take the basic tomato salsa, Indian cuisine has its version in the form of chutneys, either as a coarse or smooth paste. The first time I tasted salsa was in UK when I visited my sister. They had just been on a holiday to US and her husband brought back a huge bottle of salsa. Though I found it a bit vinegary, it tasted good with crisp (chips).
So what is Salsa?
Salsa is usually a tomato based sauce or dip with added ingredients like onion, garlic, cilantro and jalapeño. The sauce or tip can be mild to hot. The sauce or dip can be coarse or smooth. Depending on the dish its to be served with, the salsa can be uncooked or cooked. Usually, if its used as a dip its not cooked. However, if you’re serving it with enchiladas, burrito, chimichanga, flautas etc, it can be cooked.
As I mentioned above ready made salsa are taste acidic because of the vinegar and also they have a lot of additives. I prefer to make my own sauces whenever possible as its difficult to get them in the supermarkets in Kenya. Even if they are available, they tend to be expensive.
If I have to use salsa as a dip I like the uncooked one. I like to serve it with tortilla chips, chips (crisps), pita chips. Its a great starter for parties, TV meals, picnics or even as a snack.
These days you’ll find a variety of salsas with added fruits but the basic remain the same…onion, garlic, jalpeno or chilis, lemon juice or good quality vinegar, cilantro. Today, I’m going to share with you the recipe for the basic tomato salsa. Since its difficult to find jalapeños in Kenya, I tend to use normal green chilis.
TOMATO SALSA
Makes about 2 cups
2 large tomatoes (approx 1 cup of chopped tomatoes)
1 cup tomato puree
¼ cup finely chopped onion
¼ cup chopped fresh coriander or cilantro
2 tsp lemon juice /good quality vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
¼ tsp sugar
¼ –⅓ tsp salt
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp red chilli powder or paprika
½ tsp pepper powder
finely chopped green chillis or jalapeno (about a tsp)- according to your taste
- To make fresh tomato puree, cut about 4 to 6 tomatoes into chunks. Put it in a pan with very little water. Let the tomatoes cook over low heat till they become soft. Puree in a blender. Sieve if you do not like the seeds and skin.
- Put tomato puree, chopped tomatoes, garlic, onion, green chilli and coriander in a blender. Process it just for a few seconds as you don’t want to puree the tomatoes and onion completely.
- Pour the salsa into a serving bowl. Add salt, pepper,sugar, lemon juice, cumin powder and red chilli powder. Mix well and serve.
Tips:
- Can add about ½ cup of diced sweet red pepper if you like.
- Adjust the amount of chillis according to your taste.
- To make cumin powder, roast cumin seeds lightly in a pan. Grind it when it becomes cool.
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A little request:
If you do try this recipe then please either
- add a comment below,
- send a picture to my email mayuri.ajay.patel62@gmail.com
- tag me as #mayuri_jikoni on Instagram
- or tag me on Twitter as #Mayuri1962
You may want to check out the following:
Melon Salsa
Sharing this recipe with the following event:
A Facebook group where bloggers get together to redo their old posts.
24 Comments
shobhakeshwani
June 16, 2019 at 1:43 am
Tomato salsa looks yummy… perfect jhatpat dip recipe
mayurisjikoni
June 17, 2019 at 5:43 am
Thanks Shobha, it definitely is.
FoodTrails
June 16, 2019 at 5:14 am
The salsa look so refreshing inviting…homemade is the best. A perfect combo with with nachos or pita chips for a friday movie night or gathering with friends. I recently made with yellow tomatoes that I got from farmer’s market here..
mayurisjikoni
June 17, 2019 at 5:42 am
That sounds like a great idea. Will try it with yellow tomatoes when I get them.
simplysensationalfood
June 16, 2019 at 9:26 am
I love homemade salsa and it’s so quick to make too. A bowl of the salsa and chips is the perfect treat when watching a movie.
mayurisjikoni
June 17, 2019 at 5:41 am
Thanks Nayna, and its so true.
Renu Agrawal Dongre
June 17, 2019 at 5:50 pm
The salsa looks very tempting and the recipe is very easy to follow. I have not made a salsa and would love to try it. I would not even mind it spreading on our Indian roti’s :-), absolutely yum.
mayurisjikoni
June 24, 2019 at 5:38 am
Thanks Renu, try it out the recipe for salsa and in the meantime I will try it with roti.
poonampagar
June 21, 2019 at 11:30 am
Homemade salsa makes for a perfect dip for chips. I serve my salsa with baked crackers for a guilt free munching. Love the gorgeous color of your tomato salsa . You have presented it so well.
mayurisjikoni
June 24, 2019 at 4:50 am
Thank you so much Poonam. I love it with crackers too.
jayashreetrao
June 22, 2019 at 10:46 am
I love salsa, sometimes I have it with roasted papad too. This looks delicious and I agree with you, it is a push to improvise all those posts that we did in the beginning.
mayurisjikoni
June 24, 2019 at 4:50 am
Thanks Jayashree, love the idea of having the salsa with papad. Will try it.
Seema Doraiswamy Sriram
June 22, 2019 at 3:11 pm
Salas is an essential to focus on. Chips and the perfect fresh dip. Love teh way you have filled the platter withchips ready to go with the salas.
mayurisjikoni
June 24, 2019 at 4:48 am
Thanks Seema.
Sasmita Sahoo Samanta
June 25, 2019 at 8:24 am
Tomato salsa looks so refreshing di. Use of tomato here as a prominent ingredients is a lovely idea. So easy and simple one
mayurisjikoni
June 26, 2019 at 5:33 am
Thanks Sasmita.
Vasusvegkitchen
June 25, 2019 at 9:22 am
The way tomato salsa and chips arranged is awsome nd it’s inviting. It will be the best dip for chips nd other snacks nd will grab the attention in kitties parties surely, yum yummyyy
mayurisjikoni
June 26, 2019 at 5:33 am
Thanks Aruna. It definitely would be nice for kitty parties.
Sandhya
June 27, 2019 at 5:48 am
Nothing like homemade salsa and yours looks so delicious Mayuri! Perfect for the summer!
mayurisjikoni
June 28, 2019 at 9:17 am
Thanks Sandhya.
Jagruti Dhanecha
June 30, 2019 at 11:54 pm
We are always up for fresh homemade salasa, a great way to enjoy this fruity dip with tortilla chips or serve it with any Mexican dishes.
mayurisjikoni
July 3, 2019 at 7:00 am
Thanks Jagruti and yes homemade is so fresh.
Sophie
July 1, 2019 at 6:41 am
Winter or summer, I love some spicy salsa with chips. Totally my kind of thing
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