Once you’ve mastered the recipe for for winter, you can elevate your culinary skills to the next level with this hot salad featuring tomatoes and . These ingredients come together in a delightful mix with onions and round rice, while sunflower oil, sugar, and salt act as essential natural preservatives in this vinegar-free preservation method. Specifically, a thin layer of sunflower oil on the surface of the ingredients slows down the oxidation process and prevents the growth of microorganisms, thereby extending shelf life. Salt, as a natural preservative, also inhibits the reproduction of bacteria and fungi that cause food spoilage; this effect is achieved by reducing the water activity in the food, making it inhospitable for microbes. The hygroscopic nature of sugar also plays a role as a preservative: it retains water, limiting moisture access for the microbiota. In this winter salad recipe, the functionality of these ancient preservatives is enhanced by combining them with another preservation method—thermal processing (in other cases, their effectiveness can be further supported by adding acid).
Ingredients: tomatoes – 3 kg; carrots – 1 kg; sweet peppers – 1 kg; onions – 1 kg; round dry rice – 200 g; sunflower oil – 500 ml; sugar – 1 cup; salt – 1 tablespoon.
Pass the tomatoes through a meat grinder. Finely chop the , , and sweet peppers. Rinse the rice.
In an enameled pot, pour in the , add the sugar, salt, vegetables, and rice. Bring to a boil and simmer for one hour over low heat, stirring occasionally.
Distribute the hot salad into sterilized jars and seal them.
Life Hack
You can also prepare this winter salad with pearl barley, but it will require a longer cooking time—about 1 hour and 20 minutes.