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tomato relish
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4.80 from 63 votes

Tomato Relish

An old fashioned (and unbeatable) tomato relish recipe.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Resting time8 hours
Total Time9 hours
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: Australian
Keyword: tomato relish
Servings: 3 small jars
Calories: 530kcal
Author: Libby Hakim

Equipment

  • 3 small jars (sterilised - you can use hottest cycle of dishwasher, if you have one, to sterilise)

Ingredients

  • 1 kg tomatoes (ripe, any variety including cherry)
  • 2 medium brown onions
  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 1 ½ cups caster sugar (325 grams) (or any white sugar)
  • 1 ½ cups white vinegar
  • 2 ½ teaspoons curry powder
  • 1 teaspoon mustard powder
  • pinch cayenne pepper
  • 2 tablespoons plain flour (all purpose flour)
  • ¼ cup white vinegar (additional for combining powders into a paste)

Instructions

  • Peel tomatoes - Soak in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and cool a little. Skins should now be split and easily peel off. If not split, apply a little pressure or scratch at skin a little and it should peel off easily. If using cherry tomatoes, they should just pop out of their skin by applying a little pressure at the base of the tomato (see video).
    peeling tomatoes for relish
  • Chop tomatoes and onion and place in a tray. Sprinkle with the salt and cover with a clean tea towel. Leave out (at room temperature) overnight.
    tomatoes and onion in tray with salt
  • The next day, drain off liquid and place tomatoes and onion in a saucepan along with the sugar and vinegar.
    cooking tomato relish
  • Heat over medium heat, stirring, to dissolve the sugar. Bring to the boil and boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Skim off any foam that forms on the top with a spoon.
    boiling tomatoes for relish
  • Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl to make a paste. Add to saucepan and stir well to combine.
    adding spice mixture to tomato relish
  • Continue to simmer for another 20 minutes (approx), stirring from time to time to break up the tomatoes and make sure the mixture doesn't stick to the bottom of the saucepan and burn. The mixture should thicken to reach a jam-like consistency.
    cooked tomato relish
  • Pour into sterilised jars and allow to cool. Store in the fridge for up to 6 months.
    tomato relish jars

Video

Notes

This recipe is based on 1kg of tomatoes and produces three small jars of relish. Multiply or divide these quantities as suits.
Sterilise jars (on the hottest cycle of a dishwasher is fine if you have a dishwasher).
You can you any type of fresh tomatoes, but fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes are packed with flavour and will produce a superior relish.
Whatever tomatoes you use, peel them first. This might sound tedious and tricky, especially if you're using cherry tomatoes, but it's not. So don't be tempted to skip this step either as the relish really is more lovely without the tomato skin. See the post and video for details on the easy way to peel tomatoes.
Finally, just a heads up the peeled tomatoes need to stand, along with the onions and salt, overnight. So plan ahead and don't skip this standing period.
The relish will last up to 6 months in the fridge and up to 12 months in the freezer.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 530kcal | Carbohydrates: 125g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 4676mg | Potassium: 939mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 112g | Vitamin A: 2795IU | Vitamin C: 51mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 2mg