For the last day of ‘Explore the Southern Hemisphere’ I made this very simple and extremely flavorful Kachumbari. I would think of this as a cousin to the Mexican Salsa (Pico de Gallo). Made with basic and refreshing ingredients, this salad is a perfect side to any dish. Kenyan Tomato and Onion Salad is popular in East Africa, particularly Kenya, but also in Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. When I was chopping the vegetables for the salad, I was thinking of my father who travels to Rwanda and Uganda frequently. I will be asking him if he had a chance to taste this in any local restaurants. The name sounded very familiar to me and I that is when I realized that the simple Indian mixed salad is called by the name Kachumber and I have already blogged about it. Since I made the Kachumber with sliced vegetables, I decided to make this chopped. This is a perfect summer salad to use the garden fresh produce. I have used cucumbers, tomatoes and onions. Sometimes cabbage is also used in the salad and so is avocado. Depending on what you feel like, feel free to add or take away any vegetable. For the Indian Kachumber, I also added some bell pepper in the salad. Kachumbari is served as a side with Biriyani or grilled meat or fish. This also can be served as is as a salad. I always find that in onion based salads, the flavor of onion is a little overwhelming. I learned when researching about this recipe to soak the onion in salt water to cut down on the strong flavor. This tip is very useful when making a dish with raw onions. Also check out my other two recipes that I made for ‘Explore the Southern Hemisphere’ theme -
Pão de Queijo | Brazilian Cheese Bread
Lolo Buns | Fijian Coconut Buns
Preparation time - 10 minutesCooking time - NoneDifficulty level - EasyRecipe adapted from - Curious Cuisiniere
Ingredients to make Kachumbari - Serves 4
Red Onion - ½ cup (chopped)Tomato - 3 (chopped)Cucumber - 1 cup (chopped)Green chili - 1 teaspoon (finely chopped, optional)Cilantro - 2 tablespoon (chopped)Salt - to tasteLemon juice - 2 to 3 TBSP
Procedure to make Kenyan Tomato and Onion Salad
Chop the onion and add about a teaspoon of salt. Rub it between your fingers and soak it in cold water for about 10 minutes or until you chop the rest of the vegetables for the salad. This step helps in cutting down the sharp onion flavor. It is optional, but really helps in cutting down the sharp onion flavor.
Chop the tomatoes, cucumbers, cilantro and green chili (if using) and place it in a bowl.
Drain the onions and wash it with running cold water. Add it to the rest of the ingredients and season with salt needed. Add the lemon juice and mix well.
Serve right away with any main course or as a salad.
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