Fermented Ketchup

In my effort to post more often, I decided to share some of the things I take for granted. Like ketchup. So easy to make; so much better than store bought. Any time you can control the ingredients in the food you eat, it’s a good thing.

My recipe is based on the one found in Nourishing Traditions with tweaks from various other sources. The end result is my recipe. While using whey to ferment the ketchup isn’t necessary, it does cause it to last much longer. If you use a lot of ketchup, that may not be of any concern. If you use ketchup sparingly and don’t want or aren’t able to ferment with whey, you can reduce the recipe accordingly. With whey, the ketchup lasts several months in the fridge. Without whey, it lasts about two weeks.

Lacto-fermented Ketchup
makes 1 quart

3 cups tomato paste
1/2 cup fish sauce (I use this)
1/4 cup whey¹
10 drops liquid Stevia
1 Tbs Coconut Crystals²
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp mustard powder (or 1 tsp prepared dijon)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp paprika (or cayenne)
1/8 tsp ground clove

Forgot to set this out when I took the previous picture:

If you are using a stick blender, put all ingredients into a large container. I start with the tomato paste, add the liquid ingredients and then the dry. It really doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you use a large enough container. Not like this:

If you do not have a stick blender, put all ingredients into a food processor or blender until well blended. If using a stick blender, simply blend thoroughly. That’s it!

It’s preferable to put the ketchup in a glass jar to ferment. Cover with a coffee filter or some cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band. Let sit on the counter for 3-4 days. Yes, I said 3-4 days.

Refrigerate and enjoy at will!

One of my favorite ways to enjoy ketchup: with sweet potato fries fried in homemade lard or tallow.

¹ Whey: I use the whey I get from draining it off of my homemade yogurt. If you don’t make yogurt, you can still drain some whey off of commercial yogurt. Just make sure it is only yogurt, plain, no gelatins, gums, fruit or sweeteners added. The resulting product (besides whey) is yogurt cheese. You can use this like you would cream cheese. The tangy part of the yogurt is mostly found in the whey. To drain they whey off, put the yogurt into a strainer lined with cheesecloth or a coffee filter that has been placed in a larger container (i.e., bowl). Make sure there is plenty of room between the bottom of the strainer and the bowl, so that they whey can drain off. Set this in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight. The liquid in the bottom is the whey.

² I use a combination of coconut crystals and liquid stevia, because I try to cut sweeteners wherever possible, for health reasons. The usual recipe calls for using 1/2 cup pure maple sugar to the other ingredient amounts listed above. It’s yummy with the maple syrup.
🙂

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday blog carnival hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop.

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