Hot and Sweet Tomato Ketchup

Introduction:

Easy and simple method to make hot & sweet tomato ketchup at home...This ketchup tastes great and even better than the store bought ketchup...You will make 350 – 400 gms of ketchup from 1 kg of tomatoes

	Cuisine: Indian
	Recipe category: Condiment
	Prep time: 10 mins
	Cooking time: 40 mins
Ingredients:
To cook and grind:
Tomatoes	1 kg cubed
Onion (medium)	1/2 chopped
Garlic	4 cloves
Ginger	1/2 inch piece
Cinnamon	1 small piece
Cloves	1
Cardamom	1
Cumin seeds/jeera	1 tsp
Pepper	1 tbsp
To add to puree:
Chilly powder	1 tbsp
Sugar	1/4 cup to 1/2 cup
Salt	1 tsp
Vinegar	1/4 cup

Method:

1. Add all the ingredients under (cook and grind) into a pressure cooker and cook for 1 whistle on high heat and 5 mins on low heat
2. There is no need to add water. Allow it cool completely
3. Now strain the excess water into a bowl. Keep it aside
4. Blend the pulp in a blender/mixer. Pour the ground pulp into a strainer and add the strained excess water to it.
5. Strain the puree from the pulp
6. Heat the extracted puree .When it begins to boil add sugar, chilly powder and salt
7. Allow it to boil on medium heat until it thickens (15 -20 mins)
8. Now add vinegar and boil for another 5 mins
9. The ketchup is ready when it coats the back of a spoon dipped into it
10. Switch off the stove
11. Allow it to cool completely before storing in sterilized glass bottles

Notes:

• Choose tomatoes that are ripe and bright red in colour
• Adding onion, ginger and garlic is optional
• Adjust sugar according to the sourness of tomatoes (1/4cup -1/2cup)
• If you do not want spicy ketchup reduce the amount of chilly powder and pepper
• Store ketchup in fridge as no preservative is added
• For better taste use ketchup 3 to 4 days after preparing
• If you want it for more than a month then add a pinch of sodium benzoate (preservative) after removing from heat