Tomato and Onion All-Purpose Sauce: Golden Ratio and the Sec
This is an all-purpose sauce recipe that creates a deep umami flavor with just two ingredients, ripe tomatoes and onions, without any additives. It can be stored for up to a year and used in various dishes.
📝 Editor's Notes
This is a quick and easy recipe for an all-purpose tomato and onion sauce, made with just 15 ripe tomatoes and 2 onions in about 35 minutes.
It boasts a deep umami and subtle sweetness without any additives, making it incredibly versatile for various dishes.
Best of all, it can be stored for up to a year, becoming a reliable pantry staple once made.
Perfect as a pasta sauce, a marinade for meat dishes, or a healthy soup, it's ideal for busy modern lifestyles.
Prepare a generous batch on the weekend to elevate your meals throughout the week.
🛒 Ingredient Tips
For this sauce's key ingredient, ripe tomatoes, choose ones with vibrant color, glossy skin, and a firm texture.
A green stem is a sign of freshness.
For onions, select those that are firm, heavy, and have tightly adhering skins.
Dry outer layers and an opaque interior indicate freshness and good storage quality.
Using seasonal tomatoes and onions will yield an even deeper flavor.
Especially for tomatoes, cooking them with their skins on increases lycopene absorption, so make sure to use them unpeeled.
🔄 Substitution Guide
For this sauce's key ingredient, ripe tomatoes, you can substitute cherry tomatoes.
Cherry tomatoes offer a stronger sweetness, allowing you to achieve great flavor without added sugar, but their thicker skins might make preparation more tedious.
Instead of onions, using shallots, commonly found in Western cuisine, can create a more delicate and sweet flavor.
However, be aware that shallots are typically more expensive and harder to find than onions.
If you have allergies to specific ingredients, please note that substituting the main ingredients—tomatoes and onions—in this sauce can be challenging.
To preserve the natural flavor of the ingredients, it's recommended to focus on their freshness rather than adding other spices.
🥘 Ingredients
👨🍳 Cooking Points
There are two important cooking points that determine the flavor of this sauce.
First, there's no need to blend the tomatoes and onions too finely in the blender.
The ingredients will naturally meld together and develop a deep flavor during the 30 minutes of simmering.
Second, it's crucial to stir the sauce continuously over medium-low heat to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.
Simmering for about 30 minutes allows the tartness of the tomatoes to dissipate and concentrates the sweetness and umami of the onions.
Lastly, the key is to add just a pinch of salt at the final stage to adjust the seasoning, as it's important to highlight the natural flavors of the ingredients.
👨🍳 Directions
Prepare 15 ripe tomatoes and 2 onions. Wash the tomatoes thoroughly, remove the stems, and cut them into suitable sizes for a blender. Peel the onions and cut them into appropriate pieces.
Put the prepared tomatoes and onions into a blender and blend them together. There's no need to blend them too finely, as they will be cooked for 30 minutes.
Pour the blended ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking to the bottom.
After 30 minutes, add a pinch of salt to taste, to finish.
Sterilize glass jars for sauce storage. Place a dishcloth at the bottom of a pot, pour in just enough cold water to cover it, then place the glass jars upside down. Heat over high heat until the water boils, then reduce to low heat and boil for an additional 5 minutes.
Once sterilized, remove the jars and place them upside down on a wire rack to dry completely, ensuring no moisture remains. (Do not cool with cold water, as the temperature difference may cause the jars to crack).
Fill the sterilized glass jars up to 80% with the hot tomato and onion sauce. (It's important to fill them while hot, as the vacuum seal won't form properly if cooled).
Drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil on top of the sauce to block oxygen. Close the lid tightly and invert the jar, leaving it undisturbed for 24 hours. (This process creates a perfect vacuum seal inside).
From the next day, store the jars upright in a cool, dark place at room temperature. (Unopened, it can be stored for 1 year. Once opened, refrigerate and consume promptly. If you're consuming it alone, it's recommended to divide the sauce into smaller jars).
💡 Tips
Cook tomatoes with their skin on to increase the absorption rate of nutrients like lycopene by more than 9 times. Adding onions creates a deep sweetness and umami flavor without the need for sugar. This combination maximizes antioxidant synergy, promoting good health.
For a busy morning, warm up the sauce, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and a boiled egg, to make a healthy soup. The pungent taste of onions disappears during cooking, leaving only a rich umami flavor.
Add 2 tbsp of the sauce to marinades for spicy meat dishes like jeyuk-bokkeum (제육볶음) or dak-bokkeum-tang (닭볶음탕). It helps remove gamey odors from the meat, tenderizes it, and enhances the dish's flavor.
Mix the tomato and onion sauce with gochujang (고추장) to create a healthy, low-sugar gochujang. Add a little minced garlic, vinegar, and allulose to make low-sugar cho-gochujang (초고추장), and enjoy it with blanched broccoli or dolnamul (돌나물).
📦 Storage & Reuse
Once the tomato and onion sauce is complete, fill sterilized glass jars to 80% capacity while it's still hot.
Drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil on top to block oxygen, then seal the lid tightly and invert the jar for 24 hours.
This creates a perfect vacuum seal, allowing the sauce to be stored at room temperature for up to a year.
For unopened jars, it's best to store them in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight.
Once opened, always refrigerate and consume as quickly as possible.
If you're cooking for one, consider dividing the sauce into smaller jars to enjoy it fresh without waste after opening.
Leftover sauce can also be frozen; portion it out and thaw as needed.
🥢 Who This Is For
This all-purpose sauce is recommended for everyone, from beginner cooks to seasoned chefs.
It will be especially useful for those pursuing a healthy diet or who want to enjoy delicious homemade meals even with a busy schedule.
Use it as a pasta sauce for a fantastic meal, or add about 2 tbsp to spicy meat dishes like dak-bokkeum-tang (닭볶음탕) or jeyuk-bokkeum (제육볶음) to eliminate gamey odors and enhance flavor.
On busy mornings, warm it up and serve with olive oil and a boiled egg for a healthy soup.
It's also delicious spread on bread or crackers.
🔥 Nutrition Info
This all-purpose tomato and onion sauce is made with 15 ripe tomatoes and 2 onions.
Assuming the entire recipe yields approximately 10 servings, each serving is estimated to be low in calories, around 30-40 kcal.
It will contain very little protein and fat, with carbohydrates typically ranging from 7-9g.
Notably, lycopene, abundant in tomatoes, is a powerful antioxidant, and its absorption rate increases by more than 9 times when cooked.
Quercetin in onions also contributes to antioxidant benefits and vascular health.
The combination of these two ingredients maximizes antioxidant synergy, greatly promoting overall health.
Rich in Vitamin C and dietary fiber, this sauce is also beneficial for boosting immunity and gut health.
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