This 10-Minute Sauce Is the Bright, Spicy Touch Your Dinner Needs

If you’ve ever eaten kabsa, mandi or machboos, you’ve probably encountered daqoos, the tomato-chili condiment found on almost every table in Saudi Arabia, Yemen and throughout the Gulf. Bright, spicy and spicy, it contrasts with the richness of the region’s rice and meat dishes and balances everything on the plate.

Although daqoos are traditionally served with rice, meats and fish, the condiment is just as good with roasted vegetables and grilled shrimp, or even poured over labneh for a quick dip with warm flatbread. Plus, one of the benefits of making it at home is that it comes together in about 10 minutes with little more than ripe tomatoes, green chiles, cilantro, garlic, and a few pantry spices (cumin and coriander).

In terms of flavor, daqoos shares some kinship with pico de gallo – fresh, tangy and slightly spicy – ​​and in many ways plays a similar role, cutting through the richness and bringing balance to a meal. But unlike a raw salsa, it’s cooked briefly, which softens the tomatoes and complements their flavor without dulling their shine.

Depending on how long they cook, daqoos can vary from slightly thick and flavorful to looser and larger, showcasing the tomatoes and herbs. Cooking time is a matter of preference. Although daqoos are never cooked for long, some versions are simmered for less time than others. I prefer a very brief simmer—just long enough for the flavors to blend—while still preserving the bright, fresh quality of the sauce, which I find particularly enjoyable alongside the warmly spiced dishes with which it is often served.

In some variations, the mixture is blended until smooth before cooking, while in others it remains rustic and thick. I prefer the thicker version for the little texture and mild crunch that green chile brings to rice dishes.

Recipes also vary slightly in terms of aromatics. Some call for tomato paste for flavorful depth, or green onions instead of yellow or white. Slight variations in spice blend also exist, although cumin seems to be present in most versions I have encountered in Saudi and Yemeni homes, as well as Yemeni restaurants in Jordan and the United States.

Once the sauce is simmered, the lemon juice and vinegar are incorporated off the heat, an essential detail, because the heat would reduce their acidity. This burst of heat enhances the sauce and balances the heat of the spices.

The final sauce is as simple as it is essential. It’s bright, punchy and endlessly useful with just about anything that needs a touch of heat and acidity.