Easy Homemade Tomato Ketchup

I have childhood memories of my grandmother making yummy homemade tomato ketchup. It was so tasty that I could have it with anything or just relish it. I know everyone is used to the Kissan or Heinz Ketchup but have you ever thought about making your own ketchup at home. It is so easy and you can serve it to your family especially kids without the strong preservatives added in it. I am sure you will love it. Go ahead, make them and have it with samosas, sandwiches or like my little son did have it just like that.


Easy Homemade Tomato Ketchup
(Printable Recipe)

INGREDIENTS
Recipe Source: Ms.Prema

Tomato - 1 kg
Garlic - 10 g
Ginger - 10 g
Kashmiri Chilly Powder - 3/4 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Cardomom - 3
Cinnamon - 2 '' piece
Clove - 3
Pepper (whole) - 8
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Tamarind - size of a small lime
Water - 3/4 cup
Vinegar - 2 tsp

METHOD
Clean and chop the tomatoes into 4 pieces.
Chop garlic and ginger fine.
Soak the tamarind in 3/4 cup water.
Cook the tomatoes, ginger and garlic in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles on medium flame without water.
Let cool. Grind the mixture.
Strain the tomato mixture through a sieve into a sauce pan. Press with a spoon and remove all the pulp and only the skin and seeds remain. Discard the skin and seeds.
Switch on the flame to low and start cooking the mixture in the sauce pan.
Add in the sugar, chilly powder and salt.
Pour the soaked tamarind along with the water through a sieve and pour it into the pan.
Increase the flame to medium. Keep stirring.
Meanwhile tie the spices in a thin muslin cloth and place it in the pan so that the flavour gets absorbed into the ketchup.
Allow to simmer till it becomes thick. It took 15 minutes for me.
Remove the pan from the stove.
Remove the muslin cloth with spices and discard.
Add vinegar.
Let cool well and transfer it to sterilised jars.

Tips
Use good quality fresh tomatoes. Better not to use over ripe ones as it will have more juice than pulp.
There is no need to de-seed or peel the tomatoes in this recipe.
This recipe makes approximately 1/2 litre ketchup.