Daqoos (Spicy Tomato and Garlic Sauce)

1Preparation

1. Cut the tomatoes into large chunks.
2. Blend the tomatoes with the green chilies until smooth.
3. Crush the garlic.

2Cooking

1. Heat the oil in a small pot and stir the garlic until fragrant and just turning pale gold, without browning.

   🔥 medium heat⏱ 1 min timer
2. Add the tomato paste and cumin and stir until the paste darkens slightly.

   🔥 medium heat⏱ 1 min timer
3. Add the blended tomatoes, water, salt and black pepper and stir until it boils.

   🔥 high heat⏱ 3 min timer
4. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered, stirring now and then, until the sauce thickens, turns glossy and the oil shows at the edges.

   🔥 low heat⏱ 15 min timer

3Serving

1. Turn off the heat, stir in the lemon juice, then taste and adjust the salt.
2. Serve warm or at room temperature in a small dish next to kabsa, plain rice or grilled chicken.

💡 Tips & common mistakes

• Common mistake: frying the garlic until brown, which makes the sauce bitter. Add the tomatoes as soon as the garlic smells fragrant.
• Daqoos keeps in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
• For less heat, remove the seeds from the green chilies before blending.

🔁 Substitutions

• You can replace the fresh tomatoes with a 400 g can of crushed tomatoes.
• For a quick raw version, blend the tomatoes with the garlic, chili, salt and lemon and serve right away without cooking.