Hot Tomato Relish (Gujarati Kasundi)

Kasundi is the Bengali-Gujarati answer to ketchup. Sharper, spicier, turmeric-golden under its tomato red, and built around popping mustard seeds. This version is fast: 25 minutes from skillet to jar, and the resulting relish keeps for weeks chilled.

Blooming mustard seeds and slivered garlic in hot oil is the technique that defines the entire relish. The seeds pop and split, releasing their pungent oil into the cooking fat before anything else goes in. Skip this step and the relish tastes flat no matter how many tomatoes you add.

Turmeric supplies color and earthy backbone. Cayenne is the heat. A splash of white vinegar at the end lifts everything and acts as a preserving agent, keeping the relish shelf-stable in the fridge for extended stretches.

Chef Tips

• Use a pan with a lid handy. Mustard seeds fly out of the skillet when they pop. Once popping slows to occasional, they’re ready for the next step.
• Peel the tomatoes as the recipe says. Blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds, ice bath, then slip off the skins. Tomato skins curl into tough strips in the relish if left on.
• Adjust cayenne to taste. A teaspoon is bracingly hot but traditional. Start lower and add more if you’re heat-shy.
• Sterilize jars with boiling water before filling to maximize fridge shelf life. This isn’t a canned-for-room-temperature recipe, it’s fridge-stored only.

Variations

• Add a teaspoon of cumin seeds alongside the mustard for a deeper, smokier profile.
• Stir in a tablespoon of jaggery or brown sugar for a sweet-hot Bengali-style balance.
• Toss in a handful of curry leaves with the garlic for a South Indian lean.