Tomato Ketchup Recipe

An accompaniment to hors d’oeuvre, kebabs or even breakfast eats, tomato ketchup with its tang can tickle the taste buds no end!!! A must try for young mothers who prefer to serve their children with a preservative free one. Posting the recipe for the same today.

Ingredients :

1 kg red firm tomatoes
5 garlic cloves
5 lavang/cloves
2 inch piece dalchini/cinnamon
1tsp pepper corns crushed
1tsp chilly powder
100 gms sugar
Salt.

Method :

Tie the garlic, dalchini, lavang and pepper in a muslin cloth. (spice bag)
Wash and quarter the tomatoes.
Put the tomatoes along, with the spice bag in a pressure cooker and cook to 4 or 5 whistles without adding water.
After it has cooled remove the spice bag and puree the tomatoes in the blender.
Strain it.
Add the sugar , salt n chilly powder n allow it to boil till it coats the back of a spoon.
Allow it to cool thoroughly before filling it in an air tight jar n keep it in d fridge.
If you need to keep it longer half a tsp of sodium benzoate to be added after thoroughly cooling it.
Without the preservative it stays good for a month.

Some like to add ginger and onion too. I prefer mine without it.