Tomato stew is one of the most eaten foods in Nigeria. Despite that, many people don’t know how to make a proper tomato stew. Making anything that requires tomatoes can be tricky, because it could end up tasting delicious, sour or just weird in general. You can spend time blending your tomatoes, boiling it, and end up having a disappointing flavor as an end result. If you’ve ever experienced something like this, you’re not alone, because many Nigerians I know have also experienced something similar. In this article we’ll walk you through some tricks to have a richer and tastier stew that is actually worth the effort.
It’s Not Your Spice, It’s Your Action
If you clicked on this article, you’ve probably had a time, or some times, where you’ve made tomato stew, and you ended up adding all the spices you could think of, like turmeric, ginger, garlic, chicken stock, just to fix the sour taste in tomato stew, but it still didn’t work. A lot of people think the more spice they use, the better their stew will taste, but that’s not true.
In fact, some people might use just tomatoes, oil, onions, and seasoning cubes, which are the basic ingredients to make tomato stew with, and their stew could taste way better than yours. The secret isn’t in the spices, it’s actually in how you cook the stew. To be honest, adding too many spices can actually mess things up, even though you’re trying to fix it. That’s where you begin to see a situation where your stew not only tastes sour, but salty.
What really matters is what you do with your ingredients. I’m talking about things like caramelizing them, blending them, simmering them, and seasoning your stew the right way.
Caramelizing
The first step in making tomato stew is all about how you handle your onion and tomatoes. The way you handle your onions and tomatoes at the start can make or break your stew. You have to start by frying your onion in the oil over medium heat until it’s golden and soft.
But before that particular step, you have to actually season the oil to get a more refined taste. This is where spices like thyme and curry come in. When that heats up a little bit, go in with your sliced onions then fry over medium heat until they’re golden brown and soft.
When you caramelize onions, they release their natural sweetness which helps balance out the sourness of the tomatoes. So you don’t need to rush this part. If you’re tired of standing up in the kitchen, you can also grab a chair and watch your onion closely.
Blending
After caramelizing, your tomatoes should be blended to the texture you want. When blending your tomatoes, you have to have a consistent texture. There are two ways to go about blending your tomatoes. If you’re trying to go for a smoky tomato stew taste, you have to first roast your tomatoes, peppers and onions in an oven or you can do it in a pot.
Roasting them actually removes the excess water in the tomatoes which gives the mix a thicker and smoother puree after blending. The second method is blending your tomato, pepper and onions with a little bit of water and boiling until the tomato dries up.
Simmering
This is where the real magic happens. Once the tomato mix is blended or cooked, lower the heat and let it simmer. Simmering allows all the flavors to come together and the stew to thicken naturally. The longer you allow it to simmer in the pot of already seasoned oil and onions, the better it tastes.
Seasoning
For seasoning stew, always remember that less is more. Instead of overloading your pot with spices, you can start out with small seasoning cubes, a pinch of salt, and all-purpose seasoning. Don’t forget to taste your stew as you go, that way you know exactly what spices to add next.
Bottom Line
Making a great tomato stew isn’t about adding a ton of spices, it’s about how you cook it. You need to fry your onions properly,blend and simmer your tomatoes the right way, because every step matters. Taking your time to caramelize onions, roast or boil your tomatoes, and season carefully can totally change the flavor of your stew. So, next time you’re cooking, don’t stress about throwing in every spice you have. Just try to get the basics right, and you’re good to go.
