sweet-sour-hot tomato-chili sauce

Ingredients for 5 servings:

• 2.3 kg tomato(s), unpeeled, prepared approx. 1340 g
• 670 g cane sugar
• 300 ml rice vinegar or fruit vinegar
• 8 chili pepper(s), red
• 2 tbsp ginger
• 2 tbsp rosemary
• 6 large garlic cloves
• 2 tsp spice mix (Mapuche Indian spice mix)
• 7 tsp salt
• possibly chili flakes
• possibly coriander seeds

Instructions

Working time approx. 2 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 35 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 35 minutes

very spicy – as a side dish to grilled food, chicken or cheese – not too hot

Grill the chili peppers on parchment paper in a preheated oven at 275°C (515°F) on the second rack from the top until the skin turns slightly black. Remove from the oven and immediately place in a plastic bag. Once cooled, the tough skins are easy to remove. Wear rubber gloves for further processing! Deseed the chilies, but save the seeds. Chop the flesh. Let the oven cool slightly. Sterilize clean bottles or jars (without lids) at 100°C (212°F) for at least 10 minutes. Place the lids in a pot of boiling water and simmer for about 10 minutes. Score the tomatoes crosswise and blanch them in hot water for 30 seconds. Refresh with cold water; the skin will then peel off easily. Remove the seeds and chop the tomatoes. Chop the ginger, garlic, and rosemary. Weigh the tomato flesh; I used 2300g of tomatoes to get 1340g of tomato flesh. Halve the resulting value to calculate the required amount of sugar. Here: 1340 ÷ 2 = 670 g. Add the cane sugar to the tomatoes in the pot. Add the spices, 5 teaspoons of salt, and the rice vinegar. Bring to a boil and remove any foam that forms with a slotted spoon. Gradually add the chili powder, adjusting the heat to your liking. I often use only a portion of the chili seeds, as otherwise the sauce would be too hot for me. Also, adjust the salt quantity more precisely. Roughly puree the sauce with an immersion blender while it’s cooking. Caution: Splashes are possible! Simmer for about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will thicken slightly. Remove the bottles from the heat and fill them using a funnel and ladle, immediately sealing with the sterile lids. Let the bottles cool completely under a towel. For me, 2.3 kg of tomatoes yielded 5 bottles of ketchup (1800-1900 ml) of the very best ketchup sauce. The shelf life is approximately 12 months unopened, provided the sugar-vinegar ratio is correct and the product is handled very carefully. Even opened, the sauce keeps for several weeks in the refrigerator. I use this sauce with cheese, grilled food, chicken, and even with cream cheese on bread! Mélange des indiens Mapuche is a spice blend of wood-smoked chili flakes, coriander, and salt. It is medium hot. The chili I use is Cacho de Cabra (goat’s horn). This spice is available from a delicatessen but can be substituted with briefly pan-roasted chili flakes and coriander seeds.