Homemade Tomato and Basil Ketchup

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Thank you so much, @afzalqamar, for bringing such an amazing challenge. Ketchup is one of the culinary items that are essential in the kitchen. It always comes in handy whenever I wish to try something new. On seeing the challenge of not just ketchup, but herbal ketchup, I became intrigued to try it. The knowledge of this will definitely spice up things in my kitchen, so I decided to try this recipe.

List all the ingredients used in making herbal basil tomato ketchup along with their correct quantities.

Ingredients and Quantity

Fresh Tomatoes - 1 kg

White vinegar - half cup

Salt - To taste

Basil leaves fresh - 25

Red Chilli - To taste

Sugar - 150 grams

Black pepper - to taste

Cloves - 3 pieces

Cinnamon - 2 little pieces

Vegetable Oil - 2 Tbsp

Write the complete step-by-step method of making herbal basil tomato ketchup from washing to the final cooking.(

Procedure

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I measured and scaled all the ingredients and set them aside. Then, I washed the fresh tomatoes properly and sliced them in circular forms.

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I placed a pot on the cooking gas, poured the sliced tomatoes and half a cup of water into it and cooked it on low heat for 7 minutes.

Afterwards, I turned off the heat and let it cool completely.

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After it was completely cooled, I poured it into a blender and blended it until it was very smooth.

Then, I poured the batter into an iron filter in order to drain the water.

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In a frying pot, I added 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 3 pieces of clove and small pieces of cinnamon stick. I stirred it for about 1-2 minutes on a low heat.

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Next, I add the already drained tomato batter into the pot and stir to combine.

Then, I added the pepper, the salt and the red pepper and gave a quick stir.

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I progressed to add the 1/2 cup of white vinegar which happens to be leftover I have and the 150 grams of sugar into the mixture, gave it a quick stir and allowed it to cook. As it was cooking, I continued to stir in order to avoid lumps.

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After about 10-12 minutes, the tomato ketchup became thickened and was splashing everywhere. I turned off the heat, added the already chopped basil leaves into the ketchup and covered it in order to maximise the benefits of the leaves.

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When the ketchup was cooled, I placed a filter in a bowl and transferred the cooled ketchup into the net filter in order to remove the particles and to get a very smooth and fine texture.

Present your final homemade ketchup to make it look attractive and well-prepared. Also use your name tag and date written on a paper.

At the end, I indeed got a great result. The taste of the ketchup was heavenly. The aroma from the cinnamon, clove and basil leaves combined together gave this ketchup a unique taste, far, far different from other regular ketchups. I was very lucky to have kept the empty bottle of ketchup I used to package my presentation.

Explain any three herbal health benefits of basil tomato ketchup.

• It helps in digestion by alleviate bloating, gas, and indigestion
• It helps to alleviate inflammation in the body. It may provide relief from pain which makes it a proper alternative for modern pain killers.
  *It aids in regulating sugar levels.

I will like to invite @chilaw, @mercybliss and @tinaekanem1234