🥔 SIDE
Daqqus (Qatari Tomato and Garlic Sauce)
Fresh tomatoes blended with garlic, a little green chili and tomato paste, then simmered slowly until thick, deep red and tangy, to spoon over machboos.
Qatari · easy · serves 6
prep 10 min · cook 50 min
~45 cal · 1g protein · 5g carbs · 2g fat · 1g fiber · 3g sugars · 0g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Daqqus is the tomato sauce of the Gulf table, and in Qatar it comes to the table with machboos, the national dish of spiced rice and chicken or lamb, beside yogurt and a simple salad. A spoonful over the rice adds a sharp, garlicky tang and, depending on the cook, a kick of chili that cuts the richness of the meat.
It is one of the simplest things in the Gulf kitchen: fresh tomatoes, garlic and tomato paste blended with a splash of water, then simmered slowly, uncovered, until the pale pink purée cooks down into a thick, deep red sauce. Some cooks add a green chili, others leave it mild, and it is served warm or at room temperature. The same sauce is made across Kuwait, Bahrain, the Emirates and Saudi Arabia, where it goes with kabsa and mandi as well as machboos.
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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 6
- 4 medium (about 500 g) ripe tomatoes, quartered
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 green chili, seeded, optional, for heat
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) water
- 1 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- 1Put the tomatoes, garlic, tomato paste, green chili and water in a blender and blend until completely smooth. It will look thin and pink at this stage.
- 2Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium heat, pour in the purée and bring it to a simmer.
- 3Simmer, uncovered, for 45 to 60 minutes, stirring every so often and more often towards the end, until it has thickened to a spoonable sauce and turned deep red.✎ Chef’s noteSimmer it slowly; the long cooking takes away the raw edge of the garlic and brings out the sweetness of the tomato.
- 4Season with the salt and pepper, taste and adjust. Serve warm or at room temperature in a bowl beside machboos, for everyone to spoon over their rice.
Qatari and Gulf home tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Doha. Doha treasures harees, wheat and meat pounded together over hours into a smooth savoury porridge served through Ramadan. Qatari cooking shares the Gulf pantry of bezar spice, dried lime, saffron rice, and fish from the bay.
🗺️
Qatar. The pantry is a trader's rather than a farmer's. Almost nothing grows in a peninsula this dry, so the defining flavours came in by dhow, rice and cardamom and saffron from India and Persia, dried limes from the Gulf coast, and the cinnamon and clove that go into the local baharat, and the sea supplied the rest before oil did.
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Asia. Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, and its food spans the delicate seasonality of Japanese washoku, the chili-fired curries of India and Thailand, and the wheat-and-lamb traditions of Central Asia. Rice, noodles, soy, and fermentation recur across its regions, while ancient spice routes and religious traditions shaped distinct grammars of flavor. Whether from a street-cart wok or a monastery kitchen, eating is deeply communal and ritual-rich.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Qatar
HareesWheat berries and meat pounded together over long cooking into a smooth, comforting porridge.
KhanfarooshLittle saffron-and-cardamom cakes, crisp outside and soft within, fried and dusted with sugar.
MadroubaA soft, porridge-like rice and chicken dish beaten smooth with spices and dried lime, comforting Qatari Ramadan fare.
Browse all Qatar recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan, Blender.
Storing it: Keeps 2 to 3 days refrigerated. Resteam or warm through gently to serve.
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Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Daqqus (Qatari Tomato and Garlic Sauce)?
Fresh tomatoes blended with garlic, a little green chili and tomato paste, then simmered slowly until thick, deep red and tangy, to spoon over machboos.
Where does Daqqus (Qatari Tomato and Garlic Sauce) come from?
Daqqus (Qatari Tomato and Garlic Sauce) is a Qatari dish from Doha, Qatar.
Can Daqqus (Qatari Tomato and Garlic Sauce) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Daqqus (Qatari Tomato and Garlic Sauce) 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 Daqqus (Qatari Tomato and Garlic Sauce) 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 Daqqus (Qatari Tomato and Garlic Sauce) take to make?
About 60 minutes total (10 minutes prep, 50 minutes cooking), serving 6.
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