Fresh Tomato Salsa- Easy to Make in a Hurry
Chop tomatoes, green chillies, onions, cilantro and pickled jalapenos. Cook half the tomatoes in the microwave - 2 minutes on hi. Pulse in a chopper/food processor, along with remaining raw tomatoes and green chillies, to a slightly chunky texture. Add freshly squeezed lime/lemon juice, cumin powder, salt, pickled jalapenos, onions and cilantro. Stir to mix and serve with corn tortilla chips, enchiladas, tacos, etc. Enjoy!
Equipment
- Electric food chopper/food processor; if not available, a blender is OK - use pulse action to prevent over-grinding. Non-electric, manual food mill OK too.
- Microwave oven to cook the tomatoes; if not available, can do on the stove-top
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Tomatoes - fully ripe, deep red preferred - chopped Roma - about 3-4 medium; other varieties, depends on size.
- 2 tbsp Onion - diced medium I prefer red onion, but any variety is fine; decrease or omit if using dried onion - see optional ingredients below
- 2 tbsp Cilantro - fresh, chopped Fresh coriander leaves; Hara Dhaniya, Kothimbir, Dhonay Paata; Unlike many herbs, dried cilantro has practically no flavor - I do not recommend using it; see Recipe Notes for substitutions
- 1/2 whole Fresh green Chilli pepper - chopped Adjust, based on the spiciness of the pepper and your taste preference. I use Serrano pepper in the US; de-seed if you wish
- 1/2 tsp Cumin powder add a bit more if you like - about 1/4 tsp more
- 3/8 tsp Salt adjust as per taste preference
- 2 tsp Lime/lemon juice - freshly squeezed if fresh lime/lemon is not available, bottled juice is OK - add more if you like after tasting the prepared salsa
- 2 tsp Pickled Jalapeno - chopped if not available, see Recipe Notes for substitution ideas
- 1 tsp "Pickle juice" - pickling liquid from pickled Jalapenos if not available: use 1 tsp rice vinegar, white wine vinegar or distilled white vinegar instead; also OK to omit if no vinegar is available; add extra lime/lemon juice instead
- 1 tsp Garlic - minced (optional) 1-2 small- medium cloves; if not available, use 1/8 tsp garlic powder (or a bit more if you like)
Optional ingredients - to adjust consistency of Salsa
- 1 tsp Tomato paste I use this only if the Salsa is too watery; see Recipe Notes for details
- 2 tsp Dried onion - chopped /minced I use this only if the salsa is too watery - see Recipe Notes for details
Instructions
- Chp tomatoes - medium dice; divide into 2 portions, 3/4 cup each
- Transfer one portion of diced tomatoes to a microwave-safe glass/ceramic bowl - a cereal bowl works well. Microwave on hi for 2-3 min, uncovered. cooking without a cover allows some moisture to evaporate as it cooks.For stove-top cooking: Place in a shallow frying pan (non-stick or stainless steel - do not use ucoated aluminum pan - the tomatoes react with the metal) and cook on medium heat 5-7 min, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until tomatoes look soft and cooked. Do not cover while cooking to allow some moisture to evaporate as it cooks.Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
- Meanwhile, prep everything else: squeeze juice from lime/lemon, chop green chilli pepper
- Chop pickled Jalapenos
- About 6-7 slices should be sufficient
- Chop onions - medium dice
- Rinse and chop cilantro; it's OK to use some tender stems along with the leaves
- Place cooled tomatoes in food chopper or processor; add chopped green chilli pepper and pulse a few times till fairly smooth - a little texture is fine.
- Add remaining portion of chopped tomatoes (uncooked) and pulse-chop again to Salsa consistency. I like a little texture in Salsa so I don't grind to a fine puree.
- Transfer to a bowl - the one in which you cooked the tomatoes works fine. Add salt, lemon juice and cumin powder; stir to mix.
- Add chopped onions, cilantro, pickled jalapenos and pickle juice. Stir to mix. Taste test to adjust flavors and texture.Note: If Salsa looks too watery, add some tomato paste/puree. See Recipe Notes for details.
- Serve it up with crunchy tortilla chips, as well as with Tacos, Burritos, Quesadillas, etc.
- Salsa and Chips
- Enjoy!
Notes
If you don't have pickled Jalapenos:
Here are some substitutions you might make:- Use pickled Pepperoncini, banana pepper rings, or other pickled peppers
- Omit pickled peppers and simply use more fresh green chillies to get the spiciness you want
- Omit pickled peppers and use 1/4 tsp ground cayenne (red chilli powder) instead
- Chop 1 tbsp fresh Jalapeno, add a pinch of salt and 1 tbsp water; mix , cover and microwave for 1 min on hi; stir in 1 tsp distilled white vinegar, cover and set aside for 15-20 min.
- If fresh Jalapeno is not available, use any fresh green chilly available
- adjust the amount of fresh green chillies, based on spiciness: Jalapenos are medium spicy, so 1 tbsp of pickled Jalapenos (as per given recipe) is not super-spicy
- Indian Pakoda chilly is not super spicy, and can be used much like Jalapenos
- Fresh Hatch Chile, Banana Pepper, etc., can be used much like Jalapenos
- If fresh Jalapeno is not available, use any fresh green chilly available
If you don't have fresh Cilantro:
- Use 2-3 tsp dried parsley instead - it will add a bit green color, without really changing the flavor much
- make sure the dried parsley has a good color - the color of "old" dried parsley is not very attractive
- Fresh parsley has a strong flavor that is rather from cilantro - I personally don't like to use it, but you could try it if you wish.
- Use the green tops from 1-2 spring onions - slice thinly with a smooth-edged sharp knife - a serrated knife will bruise the sliced edges and mar its appearance.
- if you wish, use the whole spring onion- white, light green and dark green parts, and omit the chopped onion completely - the white and light green parts will provide a similar flavor.
If your Salsa looks too watery:
- Collect some of the watery "juice" and mix with a little tomato paste/puree - and stir the mixture back into the salsa.
- store-bought tomato paste/puree is fine (preferably from a glass jar, rather than in a metal can)
- Paste: use about 1-2 tsp
- Puree: use about 1 tbsp
- tomato puree is typically thinner than paste, so need more
- tomato puree is typically thinner than paste, so need more
- store-bought tomato paste/puree is fine (preferably from a glass jar, rather than in a metal can)
- Use 2-3 tsp dried chopped/minced onion instead of fresh onion and allow the salsa to rest for at least 20-30 min, to allow the dried onion to soak up the watery juices.
Storing leftovers:
Store leftover Salsa in the refrigerator. I do NOT recommend storing it in the freezer - I don't like the texture after it thaws.- Use refrigerated Salsa within 3-4 days
- Great if you wish to "do-ahead" for serving to a larger crowd -
- Make it up to about 24 hours in advance, to retain most flavor
- NOTE: When making ahead, do not add onion or cilantro until ready to serve.
- Make it up to about 24 hours in advance, to retain most flavor
- Great if you wish to "do-ahead" for serving to a larger crowd -
- If it starts to look moldy, or smells "off", discard.
- Be especially mindful during hot summer days, particularly if the Salsa has been sitting out for several hours already - it can spoil easily.
- If you wish, you can pop the leftover salsa in the microwave for a couple of min, then cool and store in the refrigerator.
- Use it up in a soup, sauce or curry within a couple of days.
- Spread the "cooked" Salsa on a flour tortilla when making quesadillas or Mexican Pizza
- If you wish, you can pop the leftover salsa in the microwave for a couple of min, then cool and store in the refrigerator.
- Be especially mindful during hot summer days, particularly if the Salsa has been sitting out for several hours already - it can spoil easily.
Nutrition
Calories: 23kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 296mgPotassium: 249mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 823IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 1mg
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