I like ketchup. I eat it with a meat pie or on a burger or with my fries. When I was served this tomato chilli jam recently I instantly thought, “give me ketchup.” I’m quite grateful that I didn’t say what I was thinking because it was really good. It was tomatoey but it also had lots of other grown-up flavors too.
The tomato sauce (it seems silly to call it jam if you can’t put it on toast) was made at a cooking class I go to quite often. It was so good I was in a queue to get a copy of her recipe. I’ve never EVER queued for a recipe but this one was worth it.
We’ve all made a tomato sauce and it was so watery that it took forever to cook down. This recipe calls for a plum type tomato and you slice them in half and roast them til nearly all the water is gone. Then in the pot and cook away. In all honesty, I think you could make this from tinned tomatoes and it would be equally good but you’d need to cook it longer to thicken.
The recipe didn’t call for skinning the tomatoes but I don’t enjoy biting into a rolled up piece of tomato skin so once the tomatoes were roasted and cooled, I slipped the skins off and tossed them in to the mouli to get that last bit of goodness squeezed through.
Then it’s the chillis in the mortar along with the garlic other ingredients and mash and pound until it’s all well “pasted” and then combine them with the tomatoes in a large pot.
It takes over 1 1/2 hours to cook this down but only an occasional stir so you have plenty of time to do other things while this cooks. The kitchen will smell fantastic with all that garlic and chilli.
I made the mistake of telling John that as soon as I finished this off I was going to take Charlie for a walk. Now Charlie understands English pretty well but not well enough to understand, “when I’m done, we’ll go.” This look followed my every step until we went for walkies.
Those eyes kept saying, “Walkies now???” or “Walkies NOW???” He did get to go for his walk and he peed on everything that was sitting still.
I took this photo at the class with my tablet and used it here because I didn’t take a photo of the pot.
- 1.8 kg or 4 lbs plum tomatoes
- 4 long red chillies chopped - with or without seeds depending upon how hot you want it
- 2 long green chillies chopped
- 10 cloves of garlic (can be less if you don't like a lot of garlic)
- 1 tbs yellow mustard seeds
- 1 thumb of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- ½ cup fish sauce
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¾ cup red wine vinegar (I used red wine liqueur vinegar - it was sweeter)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- Slice tomatoes and place on baking sheet and place in oven at 170C/375F for 45 minutes to an hour, set aside to cool.
- Place chillies, garlic, salt, ginger and mustard seeds in a mortar and bash with a pestle. Add a little fish sauce and continue bashing adding more fish sauce til it's well incorporated.
- Place in a large pot and cook on medium heat for 3 minutes.
- Add in the tomatoes and the vinegar
Awww what a cutie pie your puppy is! And I love this recipe, takes the idea of adding tomato sauce to everything to a whole new level 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Charlie is so so cute! When our puppy was alive and we mentioned that magical word outside we got the same stare until it happened. They’re so funny.
Now this tomato chilli jam sounds like something I would love! I can’t wait for tomato season to get in full gear. I see so many uses for your jam! Thanks for sharing Maureen. 🙂
Loved the “jam”, wish I could make it sometime, I don’t have a mortar and pestle, there is one in the lab, but I would not bring it home 😉
Phil and I often spell “walk” instead of saying the word – take the dogs for a W – A – L – K
so far it works… if we say walk and don’t go right away it is a revolution, Oscar goes into his opera singing mode and simply won’t stop, and that gets the other two going… one day we have to make a video out of it
What an interesting jam, Maureen! I bet this would be great not only in canapes, on toasts, or as a dip for tortilla chips but also to top enchiladas. Mmmmm!!!
I would definitely queued for this recipe too… but since you have graciously given it here… I shall just run and make it. 🙂 I know this jam tasted good just by the list of ingredients. I can almost taste it. 🙂 Mmmmm! I would eat it with so many things….
PS… My doggies (long since past away) could go bonkers when they heard the world walk, car, ride, treat…. We even started spelling W-A-L-K and they figured that one out too. 🙂
oopss… I meant word… not world. 🙂
Puppy!! How can you say no to those soulful eyes?!
Your sauce looks wonderful Maureen! Thanks for queing up on behalf of us all and sharing it with the world 🙂
The spice and rich flavors in this sound so tasty! I’d love this in a grilled cheese.
Good recipe. It’s kind of like picante sauce on steroids. I suspect I’d skip the mortar step and just whirl everything in the food processor, being lazy as I am. Roasting tomatoes like this really does help intensify their flavor — in one of his cookbooks, Tom Colcchio talks about how he always does that with winter tomatoes, which usually lack flavor. I’ll bet you’re right, though, that just cooking canned tomatoes (which always have good flavor) longer would also work. Fun post, and I’m glad Charlie got his walk!
Now see, I don’t like ketchup on my fries or burgers! I like it with Indian bhajis or with Mexican breakfast burritos and even frittatas!! I am weird, I know.
But this tomato chilli jam….this looks wonderful! I would eat this on anything.
Charlie is so cute!!
Nazneen
I have been meaning to make a tomato sauce but haven’t found my favourite recipe, until now! I’m loving that the tomatoes are roasted, really concentrating their flavours and sugars. There is quite a lot of sugar in the recipe which I may want to reduce. I’m also loving the adult flavours from the seasonings.
Oh, that looks MUCH better than ketchup, to me. Though I have some posh garlic & basil ketchup in the fridge 🙂
That is delicious looking jam!
Awww, Charlie – what a handsome hound. Great recipe, Maureen – sounds delish!
BOOKMARKING THIS!!!! I totally now what you mean. My TM ketchup wasn’t as thick as I envisioned… I probably coulda cooked it longer but meh, I didn’t. Looks like HEAVEN!
the roasting of the tomatoes first really made a difference
Oh I love Chilli Jam, it is my favourite condiment, I think it makes the most ordinary things taste amazing. I will be trying this one as soon as I get home.
LOL and I am with you on the tomato sauce too, love it 🙂
I’m so jealous of your holiday! Enjoy every second of it!
All I have to do is to whisper ‘harness’ and my dogs go apemen on me. The chili jam looks so delicious, give that to me any day over ketchup, yummmmmmmm!!!!
Love the complexity of these flavors, this would also be wonderful over an omelet!
You’ve done it again Maureen. Great recipe, thanks.
Ooh I would love some of that with a nice aged cheddar. But I am with you…there is always a place in my heart for some good old ketchup too!
I’m going to go try this with some wonderful cheddar we bought last week!
I love that look in Charlie’s eyes. 🙂 How could you resist that pleading? 🙂 Love the sounds of this jam. I’ve never had it before, but it sounds delicious.
I didn’t resist. I couldn’t 🙂
I’ve never made chilli jam, but I do love it. I’ll have to give your recipe a go.
This one wasn’t really “chilli-ish” but I really liked it.
I tried to make tomato jam last Fall, Maureen, and it took all day, seemingly, to thicken properly. Your chili jam, though, looks like it has a perfect consistency with plenty of texture. I bet it goes great with whatever you choose to serve it. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Roasting the tomatoes really made a difference. All the “tomato water” evaporated in the oven leaving plump, juicy tomatoes full of sweetness.
Poor Charlie! I know some households that have to spell certain words out (walk, dinner, tea…the predictable ones!) if they don’t want to trigger extended periods of those eyes. They are amazingly perceptive creatures, dogs, except for the big about waiting and patience…
This tomato chilli jam / sauce sounds fantastic too! I like regular tomato sauce but suspect I’d like this more.
Who knew he could spell? He knows w a l k. He also knows t r e a t.
Heinz makes this stuff called “chili sauce” that is a lot like ketchup but has chiles in it, so I wonder if it’s similar. This sounds way better, actually. I never use the chili sauce for anything but sweet and sour meatballs (mixing the sauce with canned cranberry sauce for the meatballs, which go in the slow cooker), but I think it would be good in place of ketchup for anything. This sounds just amazeballs! And awww, your Charlie is so cute! I can’t resist the “walksies” face either. (You say walkies, I say walksies-lol.) Our Jessie gets a walksie even in pouring rain. little brat! lol
Very different to that chilli sauce. 🙂
Aww look at that face! Hard to resist I’m sure. This jam looks fantastic and I like how the flavour is concentrated in the tomatoes (I love tomatoes and have been known to eat tomato paste by itself, shhh don’t tell anyone! 😉 ).
I’m a tomato lover too. Charlie doesn’t like them. 🙂
lol walkie now! Charlie has such wonderful human like eyes, cute fella.
ok that’s the famous tomato jam! Glad you posted the recipe Maureen, I am planning to make this in the rains (lots more time). Luckily I got some yellow mustard seeds around now I just have to see for that fish sauce. Thanks for sharing and not hiding it form us. =P
Do you have Chinese grocery stores? Fish sauce is in all our supermarkets but I don’t know about Goa 🙂
Such a great idea to roast the tomatoes first. It looks fantastic.
Those puppy eyes…! So cute and hilarious at the same time. That’s one of the reasons I really really want one 🙂
p.s. on the matter of the ketchup, I love it too, on everything, as tomatoes, there isn’t a dish they couldn’t fix!
I never thought that ketchup could fix anything but you might be right! Anytime you need a pair of piercing eyes to get you to go for a walk, you can borrow Charlie.
Yum – this jam looks delicious – like a spicy ketchup. I made a tomato jam last summer and loved it, so I’m sure I’d love this version with the chiles!
I love the sound of this for sure, and I bet it tastes amazing! My husband is a huge tomato sauce fan, and I am ashamed to admit that he loves it plain on toast- yuck! Give me your version any day.
How could you resist those big puppy eyes? I bet you felt so guilty making him wait for his walk.
Charlie made sure I felt sorry for him 🙂
What fantastic photo from your tablet. I’ll keep this for fall when we are finishing up the tomato harvest.
I think it was just a lucky shot 🙂
Tomato Jam was on my summer canning list. I like your spicy version here, the one I learned a couple summers ago was a touch on the sweet side. I always roast the tomatoes now and take the skin off, I don’t like those bits of skin either. Saving this recipe to try in July when we get our tomatoes. Hope you and the pups are getting lots of walkies in.
-Gina-
I don’t like how the tomato skin rolls up into little teensy tubes. Ick.
I’m so making (and pinning) this! I’ve been enjoying making my own condiments lately (to better control the contents), there’s nothing like homemade. Delicious to always have on hand. 🙂
Cristina, I feel the same way. With the big agriculture and food processing people putting all sorts of stuff in there so we’ll crave more of it, I like making my own.
Dear Maureen, I would love this grown up flavor of tomato jam too!!
Sounds like something I would scoop up with a good piece of bread.
I know my son would love it!
Your Charlie looks just like my little guy, Inka. I get those looks too while I am cooking. It makes me work faster so that I get to take him for his walk. He loves his walk.
Blessings dearest. Catherine xo
All I have to do is look like I’m heading for his leash for him to start wagging from his shoulders back. Lovely to see you Catherine!
I am sooo trying this. I am imagining all the things it will be so good on especially since grilling season is almost here. What a fun thing to learn in cooking class. Just want to my first one and loved it. Can’t wait to attend more.
And that picture of Charlie is irresistible!
Thanks, Jean, I just wish I could take photographs as good as you can!
Hello Maureen! Love tomato jam – I’ve made another blogger’s recipe but it’s not as spicy as this one and so I must try yours! The melding of all those flavors must make for a party in the mouth. Which, of course, we all want! Very nice. I’ll let you know how mine turns out (or not). 🙂 I need to get over here more often! You know how it goes….
We invite you to share a link on our Brag About IT party page. I suspect you would get some attention for this great creation. Come by if you can – it’s easy. http://bit.ly/11hzfG0
All the best, D
A party in the mouth. I’m trying to remember if I thought that when I ate it. 🙂 I’ll check out that link now.
Charlie has irresistible cute eyes! I really should have got a puppy when my husband was out of the town! I seriously thought about it, but couldn’t do it. lol. Ohhh your tomato chili jam sounds so good! I love that you added ketchup in there! 😀
a puppy is a lot of work but I don’t think John would live without a dog. Charlie is John’s dog but he’s mummy’s boy. He’s beside me 24/7.
I have never heard of tomato jam but it looks and sounds delicious!
it’s really a thick ketchup with a different taste but the tomatoey bit is still there.
Red, hot, sexy Jam. Mama Mia 🙂
Thanks so much for coming by and leaving a comment!
Oh I know that walkie look too, desperation mixed with the greatest anticipation 🙂 The jam looks tasty, I have never had tomato jam but I have had plenty of ketchup.
We just got back from the beach. I could bear “the look” one more minute. If I ignore the look he does this funny little cry.
what an outstanding jam. It would go perfect with anything- a sandwich, fish or chicken or even on top of cream cheese platter as appetizers. LOVE THIS
I like atop cream cheese 🙂
So interesting this tomato and chilli jam…I love the idea of roasting the tomatoes…this is something that would be great to have available all the time.
Thanks for the awesome recipe Maureen and hope you are having a lovely week 🙂
Juliana, it couldn’t be a better week, well today couldn’t be better. 🙂 The roasting was the key I think.
Aww my friend our grandson puts ketchup on everything. he would probably love this. I wonder how it would taste made with tomatilla tomatoes. When I made my chicken enchilada verde recipe recently i really got hooked on cooking with them. 🙂 xo
I have no idea. try it and we’ll all know! 🙂
When tomatoes are in season this summer, I’ll give this a try. It would be perfect to can for Christmas baskets with the festive red color. Charlie is too stinkin’ cute. 🙂
You’ll have to come and visit Charlie one day and bring Kevin with you 🙂
Nice recipe and I think the same thing why call is jam unless it goes on toast :). Your dog is too cute and my dog understands English all too well too. She even spells :), so not spelling t-r-e-a-t- because she will drive you crazy, we also don’t talk about kitty’s because she is extremely jealous and will look all over for them so she can bark at them.
We should enter our dogs in school 🙂
Hubby thinks ketchup is the devil’s condiment, LOL!!! I on the other hand think it is okay, BUT this jam sounds amazing! It would make a burger taste so amazing!! 🙂 Fabulous, Hugs, Terra
I’m trying it on burgers tonight. I’ll keep you in mind. 🙂
Oooooh, I can never resist tomato chilli jam when I find it at market stalls or cafes. Your recipe makes this seem quite possible…I’m feeling inspired and hungry – thanks!
Me either and when I saw I could make this, I jumped on it. Thanks so much for coming by and I’m drooling over your slow roasted chicken!
I’m a total sweet chilli sauce junkie and this looks so yummy. There are cherry tomatoes in buckets in the wet market here so this is perfect. What a lovely hostess gift or hamper present too.
Cool. I didn’t find this sauce very “chilli” so maybe this isn’t the recipe you’re looking for. It was much more tomatoey than chilli-ey. 🙂
Can someone point me to a recipe for tomato sauce using these tomatoes? Something like a Marinara or Arrabiata would be nice.
In reviewing the recipe I am wondering if you have heard of anyone canning the Jam? Usually, as fall takes us, we start to can what is the garden for the winter months so there is always a bit of summer throughout the year.
I’m guessing a water bath for the canning? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Because this jam has an acceptable acidic content due to the vinegar, it’s perfectly suitable for a water bath preservation process. I’d make sure there wasn’t any air in the jars and process pints at 35 minutes and quarts at 40 minutes. I make mine in very small jars because there is just the two of us so it’s 15 minutes in a small jam jar.
Just wanted to say thank you.
As I write this my Jam is bubbling on the stove. The aromas are fantastic. The original flavors are rich and as the jam cooks blending nicely.
Rather than roasting my tomatoes I placed them in the dehydrator overnight. I used a mixture of varieties from my garden. I noted your comments about the peels and thought of finely chopping, but used the food processor instead for both the peppers and tomatoes (as I was being lazy). The sauce from the processor was thick with very minimal liquid. So I added a bit on the back end with the vinegar (1 cup).
The family loves garlic and ginger, but I have rather large hands so my “thumb” of ginger was a bit larger than I think your recipe. I thought I had the red wine vinegar, but unfortunately I did not, so I substituted Apple Cider Vinegar. I find that I do enjoy that crisp bite of the Apple. The last addition I made to the recipe was the addition of 1/4 c Molasses sugar (richer than brown sugar), which imparted some dark color and another layer to the sweet part of this recipe.
Since this was my test batch and frankly awesome. I know one item that is going out in the Holiday baskets this year.
Thank you again for sharing.