Desi Tomato Sauce

Our local newspaper once did a people - on - the - street  interview of favourite kitchen aromas,and tomato sauce ranked three among the top choices and I couldn't agree more.

Bottled sauce doesn’t fill the air with molecules of savoury stewing or its smell doesn’t signal that a satisfying meal is coming … Only homemade sauce can do this and even the best brands can’t compare in terms of taste.

The recipe I am posting today is so easy that even kitchen novices can cook it.It is a bit different than the normal tomato sauce because it has been tempered with desi masalas .. which I personally believe make the plain bland sauce more flavourful, intense and interesting.



What you need :

• Tomatoes : 1.5 kg ( chopped )
• curry leaf : 5 – 6
• Whole cumin ( sabot Zeera ): 1 tbsp
• Mustard Seeds ( rai ) : 1 tbsp
• Garlic : 6 -  7 bulbs
• Whole red chili : 6 - 7 ( up to your tolerance level )
• Salt : 1 tbsp ( up to taste )
• Turmeric : 1/2 tsp
• Coriander Pwd : 1 tbsp
• Tamarind Pulp : 2 Tbsp ( up to taste)
• Green Chili : 5 -  6 ( chopped finely – up to taste) 
• Red food colour :  1 -2 drops ( optional )
  
• Oil : 1/2 cup

How  To :

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add Curry leaves and let sizzle for a minute or two.( pic - 2 )
2. Add in Mustard seeds and Whole cumin ( pic - 3 ) , after a minute throw in the garlic ( pic - 4 ) and let sizzle for a minute.
3. Add in the chopped tomatoes (pic - 1 ), whole red chilies , salt, turmeric and coriander powder. ( pic - 5 )
4. Crank up the heat and let it simmer for about 40 - 45 minutes ( pic - 6 ) or till it reduces to almost one third.
5. Puree the cooked sauce in a blender or with hand blender ( pic – 7 ) , add chopped green chilies ( pic - 8 ) and simmer on gentle heat till the sauce oozes out the oil.( pic - 9 )
6. Adjust seasoning .
7. Desi Tomato Sauce is ready to be served !

Notes :

• You will get around 2 - 2.5 cups of sauce out of 1.5 kg tomatoes.
• The boiling time of the sauce depends on the quality of pan and heat so cook accordingly.
• Keep stirring in between to avoid sticking or burning.
• Do not puree the sauce if you like the chunkier taste.
• This Sauce is multi – purpose and very versatile. You can use it for making pasta, as a sandwich filling , as a dip with French bread or crackers , as chatni with plain rice , khichri or even pulao, as pizza sauce , spread on toast , sprinkle some cheese and bake for a quick pizza, use it in karahi gravies to add flavor .Use your creativity to make more interesting combinations because the possibilities with this sauce are endless.