Africa → Madagascar → Analamanga (Antananarivo)
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Lasary Voatabia (Malagasy Tomato and Onion Relish)
Diced firm tomatoes with onion, spring onion, grated ginger and chili, sharpened with lime juice, the fresh relish spooned beside rice and rich stews all over Madagascar.
Malagasy · easy · serves 4
prep 15 min · cook 0 min · plus 15 min hands-off time
~65 cal · 2g protein · 8g carbs · 3g fat · 2g fiber · 4g sugars · 0g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Lasary is the Malagasy name for a family of seasoned raw or pickled vegetables served beside rice, and voatabia means tomato. Lasary voatabia is the everyday one, a finely chopped relish of tomato and onion that appears next to the rice and the laoka, the dish that goes with the rice, at meal after meal.
It is never cooked. Firm tomatoes are seeded and diced, then mixed with onion or shallot, spring onion, a little grated fresh ginger and hot chili or sakay, the Malagasy chili paste, and brightened with lime or lemon juice and salt. Some cooks add a splash of vinegar or olive oil, or a few sprigs of coriander.
Its job is to cut through rich, slow-cooked dishes such as romazava, the beef and greens broth, or ravitoto, pounded leaves with pork, and it is also spooned into a baguette sandwich or eaten with grilled meat.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-, dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
- 4 medium (about 500 g) firm ripe tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
- 1 small onion or shallot, very finely chopped
- 2 (about 30 g) spring onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 chili or 1/2 tsp sakay fresh hot chili, minced, or sakay (Malagasy chili paste)
- 2 tbsp (about 1 lime) lime or lemon juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil, optional
- 1 tsp white vinegar, optional
- a few sprigs fresh coriander, chopped, optional
- a good pinch salt
Instructions
- 1Quarter the tomatoes, scoop out the seeds and juice and cut the flesh into small, even dice. Put them in a bowl.
- 2Add the onion, spring onions, ginger (grated straight over the bowl to catch its juice), chili or sakay, and the coriander if using. Mix gently so the tomato keeps its shape.
- 3Cover and chill for 15 minutes to let the flavours meet.
- 4Just before serving, add the lime juice, the oil and vinegar if using, and the salt, and stir once more. Serve cold beside rice and stews, and eat it the same day.✎ Chef’s noteSalt and lime draw water out of tomato, so adding them at the last minute keeps the relish crisp rather than soupy.
Malagasy home tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Analamanga (Antananarivo). Romazava was one of the hanimpitoloha, the seven dishes served at the court of the Merina kings who ruled from these highlands. The everyday version is plainer: rice, a brothy stew, a spoonful of tomato and ginger relish, and sakay, the chilli paste left on the table for whoever wants it.
🗺️
Madagascar. Madagascar eats more rice per person than almost anywhere, served with romazava (herb-and-meat stew) and ravitoto (pounded cassava leaves). Vanilla, cloves, and Southeast Asian roots reflect the island's unique Austronesian-African heritage.
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Africa. The structure repeats across most of the continent: one starch and one sauce. A grain or root is cooked stiff, torn or rolled by hand, and used to carry a stew of leaves, groundnut, okra or fish, usually from a shared bowl and with the right hand. UNESCO listings have followed that logic, inscribing couscous in 2020 as a shared Maghreb tradition and Ivorian attieke in 2024.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Madagascar
RomazavaMadagascar’s national broth: zebu beef and mixed leafy greens with ginger and tomato, ladled over rice.
Mofo GasySlightly sweet fermented rice-flour cakes griddled in round moulds, "Malagasy bread" for breakfast.
Ravitoto sy HenakisoaPounded cassava leaves slow-cooked with pork, garlic, and ginger, one of Madagascar's best-known dishes.
Browse all Madagascar recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Best assembled just before serving. Prep the components ahead and dress at the last moment so it stays crisp.
Make it a Madagascar meal
RanovolaDrink
Koba AkondroDessert
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Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Lasary Voatabia (Malagasy Tomato and Onion Relish)?
Diced firm tomatoes with onion, spring onion, grated ginger and chili, sharpened with lime juice, the fresh relish spooned beside rice and rich stews all over Madagascar.
Where does Lasary Voatabia (Malagasy Tomato and Onion Relish) come from?
Lasary Voatabia (Malagasy Tomato and Onion Relish) is a Malagasy dish from Analamanga (Antananarivo), Madagascar.
Can Lasary Voatabia (Malagasy Tomato and Onion Relish) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Lasary Voatabia (Malagasy Tomato and Onion Relish) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Lasary Voatabia (Malagasy Tomato and Onion Relish) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Lasary Voatabia (Malagasy Tomato and Onion Relish) take to make?
About 30 min in all: 15 minutes prep and 0 minutes cooking, plus 15 min of hands-off waiting the method needs, serving 4.
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