Homemade Tomato Sauce Recipe

What is more South African than a typical Braai with Wors, Chops, Steak and Pap with Homemade Tomato Sauce? It is just a way of life and there are few things nicer.

This homemade tomato sauce recipe is my own that came from years of trial and error. I am not one that follows recipes from books but rather from my own mind as I go along.

I do quite a bit of tasting at the different stages of any meal or sauce I make. Makes the experimenting just so much more fun really.

My homemade Tomato Sauce is good for:

• Pasta
• Pap at the braai
• Good on Mash potatoes
• Just spread thickly on a piece of fresh bread.

There are a few variations on the standard recipe, some more spicy and others with a hint of chilli for some warmth. All depends on the mood and the guests preferences.

Tomato Sauce Ingredients

• 6 ripe tomatoes
• 1 large onion – red or white
• Salt
• Pepper
• Vinegar – white, brown or apple cider
• Sugar
• Garlic and Herb spice
• Sunflower or Olive Oil

Tomato Sauce Method

Heat the oil in a small pot and add the onion that has been cut into small pieces. Fry the onions until they are soft, do not overdo.

While the onions are frying in the pot, put the tomatoes in a holder and pour boiling water over them and let them stand submerged for about 5 minutes. Take the tomatoes out and put them into cold water, now it is super easy to peel the skin off the tomatoes.

Cut the tomatoes into smallish pieces and add to the pot. Turn the heat down to low. Add a table spoon of the vinegar to the pot. Add salt and pepper to taste and close the lid.

I normally add a 1/4 teaspoon of mild curry after the sauce has been cooking for about 15 minutes to add some spiciness and I do love the taste of curry. You could also add a cut up chilli to the sauce if you want it hot.

Leave it for 30 minutes on the low heat until the tomatoes are soft. Use a masher, the same as you use for making mashed potatoes, to mince the mixture to the constituency you would like. I prefer mine rather chunky.

You can use a thickening agent like Corn Flower to thicken the sauce if it is too watery for your taste or just let it carry on cooking with the lid off to evaporate the water.

Now serve it up or mix it with your pasta and enjoy!