Daqqus

Ingredients

Base

• 800 gripe tomatoes
• or 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 8garlic cloves
• 3green chillies
• or 2 teaspoons chilli flakes

To cook

• 3 tablespoonsoil
• 2 tablespoonstomato paste
• 1 teaspoonground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoonground cumin
• 1 teaspoonsalt
• 1 tablespoonlemon juice

Sometimes added

• a handful of chopped coriander
• 1 teaspoondried lime powder
• a pinch of sugar

To serve

• machboos, spiced rice
• grilled fish or meat
• bread

Directions

1. Score a cross in the base of each tomato. Drop them into boiling water for thirty seconds. Lift them out into cold water. Put the peeled tomatoes in a blender. Add the garlic cloves and the chillies. Blend it into a smooth thick puree.
2. Heat the oil in a wide heavy pan. Add the tomato paste to the oil. Fry it for a good two minutes. That frying takes the raw edge off it.
3. Add the ground coriander and cumin. Cook them for one full minute. Pour the blended tomato into the pan. Stand back, since it spits at first. Add the salt to the pan as well. Bring it up to a steady simmer. Let it simmer for about twenty minutes.
4. Stir it well every few minutes. It should thicken quite noticeably. Oil should separate at the edges. That separation is the sign it is ready.
5. Cook it longer if it is still loose. Finishing it is done off the heat. Take the pan off the heat entirely. Stir in all of the lemon juice.
6. Add the dried lime powder if using it. Stir in chopped coriander if you want it. Taste it and adjust the salt and lemon. It should be sharp, hot and savoury.
7. Add a pinch of sugar if the tomatoes are sharp. Spoon it out into a small bowl. Set it on the table with the rice. Put it in a jar in the refrigerator. It keeps a week in the refrigerator.

Technique

• The name comes from the verb daqq, meaning to pound or crush, after the mortar in which the tomatoes and garlic were traditionally worked together.
• Machboos is richly spiced but not hot, and the daqqus served alongside is where the heat and acidity come from, which is a deliberate division.
• Dried lime powder gives the distinctive sour musty note found across Gulf cooking.

Substitutions

• Tinned tomatoes are better than poor pale fresh ones and are widely used.
• Chilli flakes stand in for fresh green chillies.

Variations

• Some cooks leave the sauce coarse and others blend it completely smooth.
• A version with fresh coriander stirred through is common.
• Similar cooked tomato table sauces are made across the Gulf.

History

The standard partner to machboos; the name comes from pounding the tomatoes and garlic together.

Frequently asked questions

What is Daqqus?

Daqqus is a sauce & condiment from Kuwait: cooked tomato and garlic sauce, hot with chilli, spooned over rice. The standard partner to machboos; the name comes from pounding the tomatoes and garlic together.

How long does Daqqus take to make?

Daqqus takes 15 minutes of preparation and 25 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 500 ml. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Daqqus?

Yes, within limits. Tinned tomatoes are better than poor pale fresh ones and are widely used. Chilli flakes stand in for fresh green chillies.