Daqoos
One of my friends absolutely loves good biryani. And I spend an unreasonable amount of time surfing Instagram looking at food videos, so eventually the algorithm decided I needed to learn about Kabsa.
Or Kabseh. Kabseh? Kabsa. Honestly I still don't fully know, but basically Saudi-style spiced chicken and rice cooked together in one glorious situation. And alongside it, this guy made a condiment called daqoos.
Oh my God. It's basically Saudi salsa. That's honestly the easiest way to explain it. Fresh. Bright. Tangy. Tomatoey. Garlicky. Minty. Slightly spicy. And ridiculously easy to make. This is one of those recipes where you look at the ingredient list and think, surely it cannot be that good. And then suddenly you're eating it with everything.
I make mine in my little KitchenAid chopper. The tiny 3.5-cup one. And yes, I completely overload it every single time. You basically just aggressively stuff everything in there and hope for the best.
I use cherry tomatoes instead of regular tomatoes because I think cherry tomatoes actually taste more tomatoey somehow. Sweeter, brighter, more concentrated.
Then in goes coriander, mint, garlic, shallots, chillies, spices, and the thing that sounds slightly unhinged the first time you hear it: a whole peeled lime. Not lemon. Lime. And preferably seedless unless you enjoy unexpectedly biting into blended lime seeds, which honestly ruins the vibe a little.
And honestly, you need salt here. I'm actually not someone who automatically throws salt into everything. But tomatoes, lime, and salt? That combination just works. The salt wakes everything up and suddenly the daqoos tastes brighter, sharper, and more alive.
Ingredients
- 3 tomatoes or a generous handful of cherry tomatoes
- 1 small onion or shallot
- 3 chillies or 1 green bell pepper
- 1 seedless lime, peeled
- 3 cloves garlic
- Large handful fresh mint
- Large handful fresh coriander
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- Salt, to taste
- Optional: small splash of water if you want a looser consistency
Method
- Roughly chop the tomatoes, onion, and chillies if needed.
- Add everything into a food processor or blender: tomatoes, onion, chillies, peeled lime, garlic, mint, coriander, coriander powder, cumin powder, salt.
- Blitz a few times until everything is finely chopped but still textured.
- Taste and adjust salt if needed. If the mixture feels too thick, add tiny splashes of water.
- Check for any tough lime connective bits if your blender didn't fully break them down.
- Serve cold or at room temperature.
Cherry tomatoes work beautifully here — sweeter and more flavourful.
If you hate coriander, just use coriander powder and extra mint instead.
Seedless lime is ideal here unless you want to spend your time fishing out bitter little lime seeds after blending.
This tastes even better after sitting in the fridge for a little while.
Tomatoes give daqoos its body and sweetness, while lime adds sharpness, bitterness, and acidity all at once. Mint and coriander make it feel cool and fresh, while garlic and chilli give it bite and heat underneath.
The coriander and cumin powders stop the sauce from tasting like just another salsa situation — they give it warmth and depth and make it feel distinctly Middle Eastern rather than Mexican.
And importantly, this should stay textured. Not smooth. You want tiny pieces of tomato and herbs and chilli everywhere.
With honestly almost everything: Kabsa, grilled chicken, prawns, chips, rice bowls, roast vegetables, spooned into wraps, alongside eggs, with kebabs.
And yes, salt and vinegar chips work ridiculously well with this too.
I might try adding a tiny drizzle of olive oil one day just to see what happens. Or maybe a version with roasted green chillies instead of raw ones for something smokier.
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