fourservingsKachumbari with Tea Vinaigrette! what is Kachumbari? It is a fresh salad popular in cuisines of the Great African lakes. Variations of this dish can be found in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda.This tomato and onion based salad is a perfect side dish for your grilled meat, fish and chicken.
‘The same hot wata weh di make egg hard, na e di make Potato soft‘
An African Proverb
The Origin of Kachumbari
Similar to Pico de gallo, Kachumbari originated in India, where it goes by the name Kachumber or Cachumber. It found its way to East Africa through the Indian workers who came during the colonial era.
Kachumbari Ingredients:
Vegetables: An authentic Kachumbari consists of Tomatoes, Onion, lemon juice and little salt. I made the addition of cucumber, because it adds freshness to the dish and I also made a tea vinaigrette which I used as dressing. This was the most exciting part of this recipe.
Instead of using lemon juice, I wanted to add the layers of flavor by making a lemon vinaigrette. Then I remembered I had Combava Moulu ;which is the zest of a citrus fruit with an intense lemony flavor. TADA! I made a Combava Moulu tea infused in vinegar and water; after which I added mustard,maple syrup and some herbs. Brilliant.
For other salad recipes, check out
Useful tips when making Kachumbari:
- Finely cut the vegetables: The more finely cut a vegetable is, the more flavor is released.
- Soak the diced onion in vinegar: This is a very important step that you do not want to skip as it helps get the sting or bite out from the onion!
- Serve when cold: It tastes better when it has been let to rest in the refrigerator for sometime.
Watch full recipe video here:
Kachumbari with Tea Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1 large beef steak tomato
- ½ medium red onion
- ½ large cucumber
- ½ cup vinegar
Tea Vinaigrette
- ½ tsp combava moulu (or 1 lemon tea bag)
- ¼ cup vinegar
- ½ cup water
- ½ tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp dried herbs of choice
Instructions
- Cut an X on the bottom of tomato. Place in boiling water for 2 minutes. Take out of boiling water and immediately immerse in ice cold water.
- Dice onion and cucumber into tiny bites. Place onion in a bowl with vinegar and set aside.
- Finally dice the tomato. Spoon the onion out of the vinegar liquid and place all vegetables in a bowl. Set aside in the refrigerator.
Tea Vinaigrette
- Take out tea leaves from an old tea bag and put ½ a teaspoon of combava moulu in the bag. Seal the bag and place in a saucepan alongside vinegar and water. Bring to boil over high heat. Immediately remove from heat and let steep for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove tea bag and discard.
- Add mustard, maple syrup and herbs . Whisk or shake in a bottle until emulsified. Pour over cold salad. Enjoyyy
