Forget Caprese – This 5 -year -old tomato salad deserves the spotlight

Light, fresh and with a suspicion of heat, Kachumbari Vibrant is a salad of basic tomatoes in many countries in East Africa, notably Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, to name only a few. In its simplest form, the East African salad presents ripe juicy tomatoes, crispy gruff onions, spicy fresh peppers and a touch of acid from fresh lemon or file juice. I first learned to do Kachumabri in Kenya, where it is often served alongside Nyama Choma (grilled meat) and Ugali, or associated with hearty rice dishes like Pilau. Although it is often appreciated as an accompaniment salad, it is also a popular garnish for street food dishes, such as Mayai Pasua (hard eggs down in half), smoke (grilled sausage in half) or Rolex, Mutura (sausauge of blood). He adds an explosion of fresh flavor to the simplest of the dishes. I often say to those who do not know Kachumbari to consider him as the less onion cousin of Pico de Gallo. Similar to salsa, the beauty of Kachumbari is its versatility. The variations in the salad are endless, the cucumber and / or the avocado being the most common additions.

As with any tomato salad based on a handful of fresh ingredients, the key to optimizing the Kachumbari flavor is not only in the quality of the products you use, but also on the preparation of vegetables. This five -ingredient tomato salad is easy to assemble, but we use some tips supported by science in this recipe to build the tastiest version possible. Read below for my advice and the complete recipe.

Key steps for the tastiest kachumbari

Start with fresh tomatoes, preferably plums. When I learned to make Kachumabri in Kenya years ago, I learned that the plum tomatoes are the most available variety in the country, and that’s why I use them in my recipe here. The firm texture and not too much water from the plum tomatoes works perfectly for this salad, but really all the fresh and seasonal tomatoes that you like the slices and served in a salad will work well here. I prefer diced tomatoes in pieces the size of a bite, but you can also slice them in half-moon quarters if you prefer.

Briefly salt the tomatoes. We have already written about how the best tomatoes can be considerably improved with salt. Salting facilitates osmosis, the process that draws liquids – in this case, tomato juice – from the interior of the tomato cells through the cell walls on the surface of the tomato. More simply, the tomato session and let them stand for at least 10 minutes have them release their juice, which results in a less aqueous and more intense final salad of course, you can ignore this step if you are in a hurry, be sure to serve the salad immediately after launching better results.

Soak and rinse the onions. The combination of fresh onions associated with sweet tomatoes is the determining flavor profile of this salad. But to alleviate the sharp flavor of the onion so that it does not overwhelm the tomato, I recommend soaking briefly and rinse the onion slices in warm water before adding to the salad. Make sure the water is hot to the touch – a water -to -top which is around 110 ℉ should go well – as Kenji underlines in his onion preparation guide. The speed of chemical and physical reactions increases with temperature, so that the use of lukewarm water causes the onions to release their volatile compounds faster than if they use cold water. It only takes about a minute to get rid even the most spicy onions of their kick. But be sure not to let the onions sit in the water for more than 5 minutes after slicing: they will start to become more spicy as they rest.

Add an energetic flavor. Fresh Serrano Chili just adds the right suspicion of warmth here. You can compose the heat level to your taste by leaving the seeds and the veins or remove them before deciding for a less spicy version. I prefer a more spicy serrano chili, but the softer jalapeño will work as well. The chopped coriander and a few tablespoons of lime or lemon juice even brighten up the flavor.

Base the salad with your favorite fresh additions. My recipe below is a classic version of Kachumbari, but do not hesitate to experiment with additional ingredients such as lawyer, and / or cucumber, or any other salad ingredients you like. I just recommend that I do not do too much; The simplicity of this dish is what makes it so wonderful and makes it a perfect addition to any summer meal.

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