A salsa roja is cooked briefly, but not all of the ingredients. The onions in it are raw, added after the brief cooking, along with the cilantro. In case you ever wondered what that is when spotting it in American recipes, cilantro is the Mexican word for coriander leaves and is widely used in the US. Catch our recipe tomorrow which includes salsa roja.

Ingredients

3 or 4 large, ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped

½ of a small onion or ¼ of a large one, finely chopped

½ bunch of cilantro/ coriander leaves

1 fat garlic clove

1 habanero chilli (or 1 jalapeño)

2 Tbs olive oil

Salt

Method

Whizz the tomatoes, onion and garlic in a blender until fairly smooth but retains some body.

Dice the onions and chop the cilantro/ coriander very finely. 

Pour the blended tomatoes, garlic and chilli into a saucepan, add a little olive oil, and bring to a boil. Season with a little salt to taste. 

Turn off the heat and stir in the chopped onion and then the coriander, retaining a bit of the latter to sprinkle on top. DM/TGIFood

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