Kachumbari Recipe

This is a picture of my lunch of baked salmon, cauliflower “rice”, and Kachumbari–a Kenyan salad that is very similar to pico de gallo or innumerable middle eastern and Indian salads. Surprisingly, of all the delicious foods here, I got a request for the salad recipe. So, here it is.

Kachumbari

1. The first step with this one is to soften the onions. I’ve seen it done with purple onions and white onions, but any onion will do. Without halving or quartering the onions, just slice them paper-thin (as thin as you can get them). Now you’re going to coat them in salt and soak them in warm water.
2. Clean & prep the other ingredients while the onions are soaking. You’ll need fresh tomatoes (not squishy) along with some hot peppers (Jalapenos will work, but Serranos are better).
3. I think the best tomatoes for this are small, richly-colored Roma tomatoes. Quarter them and then slice. Different sized slices will make a different salad, so go for the size you prefer to see on the end of your fork.
4. Chop the hot peppers really small so they do not overpower the dish.
5. Now rinse your onions. Simply wash the salt off in cold water. Then give them a bit of a chop to make the pieces a little smaller. Big rings of onion are not what this salad calls for. Cutting the circle in quarters or sixths is probably perfect.
6. Then you mix it all together and add a bit of lime or lemon juice. The basic salad is just onions, tomatoes, and hot peppers. You can also vary this by adding cucumbers, cilantro, or avocado.
7. Eat it as a condiment with your favorite rice & meat dish! Best eaten with the hands.