Love-apple or Tomato Sauce
A spicy, tangy tomato-based sauce with tamarind, ginger, garlic, and chilies. This is a modernized version of a historical recipe that originally used 500 tomatoes; scaled down to a practical home quantity.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Tomatoes, fresh (Original recipe called for 500 tomatoes; scaled to modern proportions)
- 3 tablespoons Fresh ginger, peeled and ground fine (Original called for 2 pounds green ginger; scaled proportionally)
- 2 tablespoons Garlic cloves, ground fine (Original called for 1.5 pounds garlic; scaled proportionally)
- 2 tablespoons Chili powder or ground dried chilies (Original called for 1 pound chilies; adjust to taste for heat level)
- 2 tablespoons Salt (Original called for 1 pound salt; scaled proportionally)
- 0.5 cup Tamarind paste or pulp (Original called for 3 pounds tamarinds; scaled proportionally)
- 3 cups White vinegar or apple cider vinegar (Original called for 3 quarts; scaled proportionally)
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Instructions
- 1Place the tamarind paste in a bowl and pour 1 cup of vinegar over it. Let steep for 12 hours at room temperature to soften and extract the flavor.
- 2After steeping, strain the tamarind mixture through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing to extract all liquid. Discard the seeds and fibrous material.
- 3Grind or finely mince the fresh ginger and garlic. Measure out the chili powder and salt.
- 4In a large pot, combine the strained tamarind liquid with the remaining 2 cups of vinegar. Add the ground ginger, ground garlic, chili powder, and salt. Break or roughly chop the tomatoes and add them to the mixture.
- 5Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium. Stir constantly to prevent sticking and burning. Continue cooking until the sauce thickens to desired consistency, about 45-60 minutes.
- 6Remove the pot from heat and allow the sauce to cool completely to room temperature.
- 7Once completely cool, strain the sauce carefully through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth to remove any solids. Pour the liquid into clean, sterilized bottles or jars. Seal tightly and store in the refrigerator.
