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Haitian Sauce

As important as rice is to Haitians, having a sauce to accompany it is just as important. The sauce is usually made as part of some form of protein. For example, stewed chicken/turkey or beef, fish, legume, etc. The possibilities are numerous. The sauce is built off of the flavors of the protein involved and is usually tomato paste based or can be made without tomato paste such as in "Pwason Gwo Sel".  ​It isn't thick like gravy (it's not supposed to be) nor is it watery thin. It's a perfect balance between the two. 
In addition to rice, Haitian sauce also accompanies several other things such as root vegetables like potatoes, yams (both boiled or fried) as well as plantains and the sort. However, there are times where a source of protein may not be available or you just don't want it. So, how can you make sauce without the base of some sort of protein? Luckily, there's a recipe for that. This sauce is flavorful and can be used on practically any meal that calls for a sauce, especially if it's a Haitian dish. One use for this sauce is for boiled plantains and fried eggs, a common Haitian breakfast combination. The sauce really brings the plantain and eggs together as they are dry without it. Another thing to note is the brand of tomato paste. Any type works but I highly recommend Contadina. I personally notice a significant difference not only in flavor, but in the process of cooking. Give this one a try and let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

2 tbsps. of Vegetable Oil
2 tbsps. of Tomato Paste
2 cups of Water
½ tsp. of Seasoned Salt
½ tsp. of Garlic Powder
½ - 1 tbsp. of Butter
¼ - ½ cube of Maggie Chicken Bouillon Cube
½ - 1 small Onion, rings or sliced
​1 – 2 tsps. of Haitian Hot Sauce/"Piman" (optional)

Directions:

1. In a sauce pan on medium heat, add 2 tbsps. of vegetable oil and 2 tbsps. of tomato paste. 
2. As it comes up to temperature, stir the tomato paste to break it apart in the oil. It won't be uniform and will remain clumpy which is ok. Just continue to stir frequently and saute on medium heat for about 3 - 5 minutes so that the tomato paste cooks down. You want it to develop a deep red color but take care for it not to burn or turn black. 
3. Add ½ cup of water to the pan. Stir until the tomato paste is blended in uniformly without any lumps. It should resemble the consistency of spaghetti sauce. Let it simmer for another 2 – 3 minutes, stirring frequently, to further cook down the tomato paste. 
4. Add in the remaining 1 ½ cups of water along with ¼ - ½ of a Maggie chicken bouillon cube, ½ tsp. of seasoned salt, and ½ tsp. of garlic powder. If desired, you may also add about 1 - 2 tsps. of Haitian hot sauce/piman (more or less depending on your preference for heat). Stir ingredients well and allow the sauce to simmer/boil on medium heat for a minimum of 5 minutes. From then, continue to let it cook down or reduce to your desired consistency, stirring frequently. 
5. Add in ½ - 1 tbsp. of butter and stir until the butter has become fully incorporated. This should only be another minute or two. Avoid over reducing the sauce. If it has reduced too much, you can always add a little more water.  
6. Once the sauce has reached a uniform consistency and the flavor is to your liking, turn off the heat and add in your onions (rings or slices). Stir the onions in the sauce and let the sauce absorb some of it's flavor for about 2 minutes. The residual heat will also slightly cook down the onions. Your sauce is ready to accompany your Haitian meal. 
Serves 2 - 4
What do you think of this recipe? What are variations of your sauce? What do you accompany it with?
​Let me know and comment below!