Thick ketchup with starch, like store-bought
Making homemade ketchup is quite labor-intensive, with most of the time spent boiling down the tomato paste. To speed up the process, you can make ketchup with starch. Preserved at home for the winter, it tastes just like store-bought, but even better and much healthier. You'll know for sure that it contains only ripe, select vegetables, your chosen spices and seasonings, and no questionable additives like flavor enhancers or artificial flavorings.
There's no need to evaporate the excess tomato juice. Once the tomatoes are softened, strain the vegetable mixture through a sieve or colander, add the diluted starch, and pour into jars or bottles. The ketchup will thicken once it's completely cooled.
Choose spices and seasonings to suit your taste. You can add herbes de Provence, basil, black and red pepper, garlic, hot chili powder, bay leaves, cinnamon, and other spices.
Ingredients:
- tomatoes – 700 g;
- onion – 1 small head;
- ground chili pepper – 1/3 tsp;
- white or brown sugar – 3 tbsp;
- 9% table vinegar – 1 tbsp;
- salt – 1/3 tbsp;
- corn starch – 1.5 tsp.
How to make ketchup with starch
Cut ripe, fleshy tomatoes into pieces without peeling them. Cut the onion into half rings or thin strips.
Place the tomatoes and onion in a blender and blend on high until smooth. Pour the tomato puree into a saucepan or small pot and place over low heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for half an hour. Then remove the lid and reduce the heat slightly.
Pour the tomato mixture into a sieve, portion by portion. Strain with a spoon and discard the pulp.
Place the starch in a small bowl. Add a tablespoon of water and stir, avoiding lumps. Then add a little more water.
Pour the pureed tomato back into the pan. Add sugar, salt, and ground chili pepper (you can use paprika or black pepper instead of chili). Simmer the ketchup for three to five minutes over low heat.
Pour the diluted starch into the tomato mixture in a thin stream, stirring vigorously. Cook, stirring constantly, for two to three minutes. Add the vinegar before turning off the heat.
Pour the boiling ketchup into small jars or bottles and seal tightly. Cover with a blanket and let sit for 10-12 hours, or until completely cooled. The ketchup will be somewhat runny when hot, but will thicken considerably as it cools. Store the ketchup at room temperature; only open jars should be refrigerated. Happy ketchup-making!
