Simple Tomato-And-Onion Sauce (Southern African)

Posted for "Looking to Africa", African Cooking Forum, Jan 2009. This is an example of the simple sauce which is made to serve as a "salsa" or topping for cornmeal porridge or "pap", a staple food, in almost all of Africa except the far eastern and western parts. Of course there are many variations, and if you have any leftover gravy, add it to this basic sauce while it cooks. If you can spare a handful of ground beef, that goes in too. For many rural people "pap en sous" (thick cornmeal mush and this salsa) might be their entire meal. As enough "pap" is made, tummies do get full. This recipe is smallish and will serve 3 - 4. Easily doubled, and exact ingredients do not matter.

• Ready In: 20 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1  large onion, peeled and sliced
•  fat (for frying) or   oil
• 1 (15 ounce) can chopped tomatoes (OR use 6 large fresh chopped tomatoes)
• 1  teaspoon sugar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1 -2  teaspoon  chopped  hot pepper (fresh or dried, to taste) (optional)

Directions

1. In a pot, fry the onion in oil, fat or lard. Stir often, until onion turn pale brown.
2. Add the tomatoes and rest of ingredients.
3. It's best to cover the pot and simmer until nicely thickened, or leave open and stir often.
4. Add any extras you like while it cooks, such as gravy or a little ground meat. To thicken and brown the simple sauce, sauce powder (like Bisto) is often stirred into a little lukewarm water, and added.
5. You can also add a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce.
6. Serve over pap/sadza/ugali (and there are many other names for it in the various languages!) Of course, if it is available, this would be served with a meat stew or grilled meat. If meats are not on the menu, this is the meal. Sometimes spinach or swiss chard is added to the plate as a side veggie.