Tomato salsa

         
I love this salsa,because its simple to make,yet delicious to taste !This salsa goes perfect with tortilla chips,crackers or even our papad! They can also be used as topping for burrito or in sandwichs also.Salsa refers to a Mexican style sauce with tomato as its main ingredient.The tomatoes added can be fresh or cooked.When salsa is made with fresh tomatoes, it is known as raw salsa or Mexican fresh sauce.

This may not be an authentic Mexican salsa recipe because,I have my own tweaks in this recipe.These days salsa is available in jars in supermarkets with spice levels ranging from mild to hot.Store bought salsa has so many scary preservatives and tons of sugar.Hence i prefer to make fresh homemade salsa rather than buying from store as you can make your healthy blend.It tastes better too! Try it and i am sure you will love it.

         Ingredients

• 3 medium size blanched tomatoes(finely chopped)
• 1 medium size Onion(finely chopped)
• 1 Green Chillies (finely chopped)
• 1 tsp Chilli powder
• 1/4 teaspoon roasted Cumin powder
• 1 tablespoon Coriander leaves(chopped)
• 2-3 tablespoons tomato ketchup
• 1-2 tsp Lemon juice
• 1-2 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt (as per taste)
• 1-2 tsp Sugar

          (Serves 3-4)

          
          Method of preparation

• To begin making the Salsa Recipe,first blanch the tomatoes and remove the skin. Blanching tomatoes are important, as it partially cooks the tomatoes and also gives a good taste to the salsa. 
• Once the tomatoes are blanched,chop them nicely.During this step i don't remove seeds of tomato but if you want you can do so.
• In a mixing bowl take the chopped tomatoes and then add one by one chopped onion,chopped green chilli,cumin powder,red chilli powder,salt,sugar,tomato ketchup,olive oil,lemon juice,chopped coriander leaves and mix nicely.
• Check the salt and spice levels and adjust to suit your taste.
• Salsa is now ready to be served along with tortillas chips.

          Note

• If you don't have time to blanch tomatoes then you can directly use the chopped raw tomatoes.
• You can increase or decrease the quantity of green chilli as per your taste.
• Before adding onion into the mixture you can store this salsa in an airtight container in fridge for couple of days. Add onion before serving.

          Happy cooking !

Homemade schezwan sauce

                                                                             

Schezwan is a style of Chinese cuisine originating from Sichuan province in southwestern China.Schezwan Sauce has bold flavours,especially the pungency and spiciness resulting from liberal use of garlic and chillies.

Schezwan Sauce is one such flavorful sauce which you can prepare at home.
Schezwan Sauce is used to prepare many Indo Chinese dishes like Schezwan Fried rice, Schezwan noodles, side dish for momos and other schezwan dishes.
This sauce comes very handy and you can make schezwan fried rice, noodles within 10-15 minutes.The schezwan sauce prepared at home is healthy as it's without preservatives etc.Taste and appearance of this sauce is almost like the one we eat in reastaurants.
 
         Ingredients

• 1/3 cup oil
• 15 Cloves garlic (finely chopped)
• 1 1/2 inch ginger (finely chopped)
• 4-5 onion shallots/1 medium size onion(minced)
• 20 Kashmiri Red Chilies (soaked in water for half an hour)
• 5 Bedgi Chillies (soaked in water for half an hour)
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 tsp pepper powder
• 2-3 tablespoons tomato ketchup
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• salt (as per taste)

          Method of preparation 

• Remove the stem part of red chillies, cut open and remove the seeds and soak them in hot water.
• Deseeding is optional, but chose to remove them to reduce the spicyness a bit.
• Soak red chillies atleast for 30mins with water till immersing level.
• Then drain red chillies and transfer it to a mixer.Add the drained water to the mixer.
• Grind it to a fine paste.Add water little by little and keep grinding till you get a smooth paste,Set aside.
• Heat oil in a pan and add garlic and ginger.
• Saute on a low flame till the raw aroma goes.(Be careful not to brown or burn the ginger garlic.)
• Add the minced onions and let them cook on a low flame. 
• Once the onions look like they are almost melting, add ground chillies, soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, sugar, pepper powder,salt and 1/4 cup water.
• Bring this to a boil and simmer till the sauce thickens.
• Oil should have separated from the sides,and there should be some oil floating on top.
• Switch off the flame and let it cool.
• Once the sauce has completely cooled down, transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.
• Use when required.

          Notes

• Adding more oil is mandatory, the oil should float on top as a layer.This increases the shelf life of the sauce.
• Cook till oil separates and starts to leave the sides of the pan.
• You can even remove the seeds of  red chillies to make it less spicy.
• The sauce should stay good atleast for 3-4 weeks if refrigerated.

          Happy cooking !