If you are looking to make a very simple salad to go as a side to Biriyani or grilled meat or fish, then this Kachumbari or Kenyan Tomato and Onion Salad is the perfect recipe.
For the last day of ‘Explore the Southern Hemisphere`, I made this very simple and extremely flavorful Kachumbari. I would think of this as a cousin to the Mexican Salsa (Pico de Gallo). Made with basic and refreshing ingredients, this salad is a perfect side to any dish.
Kenyan Tomato and Onion Salad are popular in East Africa, particularly Kenya, but also in Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. When I was chopping the vegetables for the salad, I was thinking of my father who travels to Rwanda and Uganda frequently.
I will be asking him if he had a chance to taste this in any local restaurants. The name sounded very familiar to me and that is when I realized that the simple Indian mixed salad is called by the name Kachumber and I have already blogged about it.
Since I made the Kachumber with sliced vegetables, I decided to make this chopped. This is a perfect summer salad to use in the garden’s fresh produce. I have used cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions. Sometimes cabbage is also used in the salad and so is avocado.
Depending on what you feel like, feel free to add or take away any vegetable. For the Indian Kachumber , I also added some bell pepper to the salad. Kachumbari is served as a side with Biriyani or grilled meat or fish. This also can be served as is as a salad.
I always find that in onion-based salads, the flavor of onion is a little overwhelming. I learned when researching this recipe to soak the onion in salt water to cut down on the strong flavor. This tip is very useful when making a dish with raw onions.
Also, check out my other two recipes that I made for the ‘Explore the Southern Hemisphere’ theme -
Pão de Queijo | Brazilian Cheese Bread
Lolo Buns | Fijian Coconut Buns
Preparation time - 10 minutes Cooking time - None Difficulty level - Easy Recipe adapted from - Curious Cuisiniere
Ingredients to make Kachumbari - Serves 4
- Red Onion - ½ cup (chopped)
- Tomato - 3 (chopped)
- Cucumber - 1 cup (chopped)
- Green chili - 1 teaspoon (finely chopped, optional)
- Cilantro - 2 tablespoon (chopped)
- Salt - to taste
- Lemon juice - 2 to 3 TBSP
Procedure to make Kenyan Tomato and Onion Salad
- Chop the onion and add about a teaspoon of salt. Rub it between your fingers and soak it in cold water for about 10 minutes or until you chop the rest of the vegetables for the salad. This step helps in cutting down the sharp onion flavor. It is optional but really helps in cutting down the sharp onion flavor.
Chop the tomatoes, cucumbers, cilantro, and green chili (if using) and place it in a bowl.
Drain the onions and wash them with running cold water. Add it to the rest of the ingredients and season with salt needed. Add the lemon juice and mix well.
Serve right away with any main course or as a salad.
More African Recipes
- Xarba Arbija | A Libyan Soup Recipe
- Curried Cabbage Made The West African Way
- Yemarina Yewotet Dabo | Ethiopian Spiced Honey Bread
- Moroccan Olive Bread - Vegan Olive Bread
Recipe
Ingredients
- ▢ ½ cup Red Onion chopped
- ▢ 3 Tomato chopped
- ▢ 1 cup Cucumber chopped
- ▢ 1 teaspoon Green chili finely chopped, optional
- ▢ 2 tablespoon Cilantro chopped
- ▢ Salt to taste
- ▢ 2 tablespoon Lemon juice
Instructions
- Chop the onion and add about a teaspoon of salt. Rub it between your fingers and soak it in cold water for about 10 minutes or until you chop the rest of the vegetables for the salad. This step helps in cutting down the sharp onion flavor. It is optional, but really helps in cutting down the sharp onion flavor.
- Chop the tomatoes, cucumbers, cilantro and green chili (if using) and place it in a bowl.
- Drain the onions and wash it with running cold water. Add it to the rest of the ingredients and season with salt needed. Add the lemon juice and mix well.
- Serve right away with any main course or as a salad.
Nutrition
More Salad
- Asian Miso Salad Dressing
- Karamani Sundal | Black Eyed Peas Savory Sundal
- Pasta Salad with Sun Dried Tomatoes
- Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
Kachumbari | Kenyan Tomato and Onion Salad
Ingredients
- ½ cup Red Onion chopped
- 3 Tomato chopped
- 1 cup Cucumber chopped
- 1 teaspoon Green chili finely chopped, optional
- 2 tablespoon Cilantro chopped
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon Lemon juice
Instructions
- Chop the onion and add about a teaspoon of salt. Rub it between your fingers and soak it in cold water for about 10 minutes or until you chop the rest of the vegetables for the salad. This step helps in cutting down the sharp onion flavor. It is optional, but really helps in cutting down the sharp onion flavor.
- Chop the tomatoes, cucumbers, cilantro and green chili (if using) and place it in a bowl.
- Drain the onions and wash it with running cold water. Add it to the rest of the ingredients and season with salt needed. Add the lemon juice and mix well.
- Serve right away with any main course or as a salad.
