Kachumbari is a very simple but flavorful salad made with fresh tomatoes and onions. It’s the perfect side for lunch or dinner!
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Kachumbari is a delicious salad made with fresh tomatoes, onions, cilantro, cucumber, and lemon that is popular in East African countries and is the perfect side to serve on a hot summer evening. You can also try serving sukuma wiki, a sauteed collard greens recipe; both Kenyan side dishes go well with many meals.
Kachumbari has almost the same ingredients as pico de gallo in Latin American and Mexican cuisine, but rather than a topping or garnish, kachumbari is served as a filling side dish.
It provides the perfect accompaniment to smoked or grilled meats or fish and a great balance to any carb-heavy sides you might have on your plate. Kachumbari is bursting with fresh flavor that anyone is sure to love!
Recipe Origins
Kachumbari is very popular in East African countries like Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Ethiopia but it actually originated in India. There it is called Kachumber or Cachumber.
Kachumbari may have been brought to Africa by Indian slaves during the colonial era. It contains affordable fresh produce for mostly farming homes and the use of vinegar or lemon juice helps preserve the vegetables for several days. The dish also requires no heat to make, making it an easy dish to prepare and share.
There are different variations of this very simple salad in different parts of the world. The name kachumbari is the Swahili word for fresh onion and tomato salad, which are the key ingredients, but different chefs may add different spices or peppers for their own spin on kachumbari salad.
Why Make This Recipe
- Fresh Ingredients: For meat-heavy meals, this deliciously fresh side dish is the perfect compliment!
- Easy Preparation: You can chop the ingredients, slice them, and throw them together any way you wish for a side dish everyone will love!
- Taste of Kenya: Fresh, flavorful, and packed with nutrients, it’s easy to see why this dish is so beloved in Kenya!
What Do I Need to Make This Recipe?
Ingredients
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Red Onion: You could substitute the red onion with yellow onions or white onion
- Cilantro
- English Cucumber: You can use other cucumbers but your salad will not stay fresh as long because other cucumbers contain more liquid. Make sure you scoop out seeds to reduce the liquid in the salad.
- Roma Tomatoes: You can use any tomatoes you have on hand. Roma, beefsteak tomatoes, or heirloom all work well.
- Lemon: If you can’t find a fresh lemon you can also use white vinegar or balsamic vinegar. I would not recommend using lemon juice from a bottle.
- Green Chili Pepper: This ingredient is optional. You could add green chili pepper, jalapeno, or other peppers
How to Make This Recipe
Step One: Prepare the Onions
Add the sliced raw onions into a small bowl with salt. Fill the bowl with hot water.
Microwave the red onion for 1-2 minutes in the salted water to make it softer. Then drain the excess water away.
Step Two: Chop Your Ingredients
Slice the Roma tomatoes, cucumbers, and the rest of the ingredients.
Mix the chopped onions with the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl. Allow to rest for ten minutes. Serve as a side salad and enjoy!
Recipe researched using Milly Chebby, Swahili Food, and Kenyan Cooking Abroad. The recipe was approved by Sheila Mathu from Kenya.
Why Soak The Onions?
If you have ever taken a bite of onion and been a bit shocked by the intense flavor–the preparation of this dish solves that problem.
Soaking the onions for just a couple of minutes in salt water before adding them to the salad takes away the bitterness of the onion but allows it to retain its excellent flavor and crunch.
This process removes some of the sulfur-oxides or gas that are released when an onion is cut. Not only does it take away the bitterness, but it also makes the onion easier to digest. It’s an easy step in preparing Kachumbari.
Variations
There are many variations to this popular salad so you may see it prepared in different ways. Tomatoes and onions are staple ingredients but you may also see this dish with these optional ingredients:
- Avocado
- Mango
- Jalapeno
- Pineapple
- Chili peppers
- Black Pepper
- Cabbage
- Cayenne
- Parsley
- Lime juice
- Olive oil
- Green bell pepper
- Red bell pepper
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Scotch bonnet peppers
Expert Tips
- If you like your onions to have a little extra crunch, skip the microwaving but do not skip the soaking in salt water.
- This salad is best when served on the first day it is prepared but it can be saved for one to two days.
- It is important to let the kachumbari salad rest for a few minutes before serving. This allows the ingredients and flavors to blend together and seep into one another.
- Fresh lemon provides the best flavor, but you can also use fresh lime. Pre-squeezed juice in a bottle is not the same and will not give the best, freshest flavor.
- To make the salad last longer, try to remove any juicy parts of the vegetables. Remove the seeds from both the cucumbers and the tomatoes before slicing.
FAQs
Kachumbari is usually served as an appetizer or a side salad with meat like fish, beef, or chicken. In Kenya, it may be served at any time of day with breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I love eating it with this Nyama Choma Recipe!
Serve this dish at your next barbeque with some roasted or grilled vegetables and pasta salad.
Kachumbari is very healthy! It is full of tomatoes which are great for heart health as well as onions, cilantro, cucumbers, and fresh lemon juice. All of these ingredients are low-carb and full of important nutrients. You can make the dish even healthier by adding more vegetables like peppers and avocados.
You can store kachumbari for up to two days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you remove seeds and excess liquid and add an extra squeeze of lemon juice it may be able to last an extra day or two longer.
Kachumbari does not freeze well because freezing would ruin the texture of the vegetables.
Did you like this Kachumbari Recipe? If so, make sure to check out these other recipes I picked out just for you:
Kachumbari from Kenya
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl(s)
Ingredients
- ½ red onion, finely into semi circles
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 English cucumber, cut into semi circles
- 3 Roma tomatoes, sliced into semi circles with seeds removed
- 1 lemon
- 1 green chili pepper, optional
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Add the ½ finely sliced red onion into a small bowl with salt. Fill the bowl with hot water.
- Microwave the red onion for 1-2 minutes in the water to make it softer. Then drain the excess water away.
- Mix the red onion with the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl. Serve as a side salad and enjoy!
Notes
- Red Onion: You could substitute the red onion with yellow onions or white onion
Cilantro - English Cucumber: You can use other cucumbers but your salad will not stay fresh as long because other cucumbers contain more liquid. Make sure you scoop out seeds to reduce the liquid in the salad.
- Roma Tomatoes: You can use any tomatoes you have on hand. Roma, beefsteak tomatoes, or heirloom all work well.
- Lemon: If you can’t find a fresh lemon you can also use white vinegar or balsamic vinegar. I would not recommend using lemon juice from a bottle.
- Green Chili Pepper: This ingredient is optional. You could add green chili pepper, jalapeno, or other peppers
- If you like your onions to have a little extra crunch, skip the microwaving but do not skip the soaking in salt water.
- This salad is best when served on the first day it is prepared but it can be saved for one to two days.
- It is important to let the salad rest for a few minutes before serving. This allows the ingredients and flavors to blend together and seep into one another.
- Fresh lemon provides the best flavor, but you can also use fresh lime. Pre-squeezed juice in a bottle is not the same and will not give the best, freshest flavor.
- To make the salad last longer, try to remove any juicy parts of the vegetables. Remove the seeds from both the cucumbers and the tomatoes before slicing.
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