Tomato Paste

Ingredients

2 kgs Tomatoes

2 tsp Red Chilli Powder (Mild Hot)

1½ tsp Sea Salt

Oil

Method

Cut tomatoes in to quarters and scoop out seeds with a teaspoon and discard. Place tomatoes in a pressure cooker, add about ½ to 1 glass of water and bring to a boil. After 2 whistle reduce heat to medium and simmer for another 2 whistle. Off the heat and let the pressure cools down.

Open the lid and if there is still water, bring back to heat an simmer with open lid until the water reduced. Let it cool down.

Place a fine sieve over a large bowl and pour portion by portion the tomato pulp and sieve it thoroughly with a wooden spatula or round spoon. Discard tomato skins and seeds.

Place the sieved pulp in a sauce pot and cook it once again on low heat. Stir in red chilli powder, salt and 4 tblsp Oil. Cook it for another 10 minutes or until the pulp is thick. Off the heat and let pulp cool down.

How to Store?

Take a 500 gms jam jar and fill the jar with tomato pulp upto ¾ of the jar. Add oil upto the neck of the jar and close the lid. Refrigerate for future use. You can make this tomato paste and use it in all those recipes which have tomatoes in it.

One 500 gm home made tomato paste jar - shelf life is for 7 to 10 days without any preservatives.

4 tblsp of this tomato paste can substitute 500 gms of fresh tomatoes.