Grocery Essentials

Dara Tomato Paste

Turkish double-concentrate tomato paste, big-jar family size.

Dara is a Turkish twice-concentrated tomato paste, made from summer plum tomatoes reduced until the colour deepens to brick red. Sweeter and less sharp than Italian passata, denser than a British tin. The workhorse of Middle Eastern home cooking: soups, bulgur pilaf, chicken stews, red lentil soup, rice bases. Fry a tablespoon in oil first until the raw edge cooks off, then add liquid. One-kilo tub is the practical size for a family that cooks often.