Mostly you will find that Thai and Latin dishes are popular for their unique flavor and taste. These dishes are high on flavor mainly because of the ingredients used in them. Anywhere in the world, you will find the flavor and taste of Mexican, Thai, or Latin food same as all over.
One of the main ingredients that are focused on in these dishes is their sauce. Their sauce is known to have the correct amount of sweet and savory spices to kick the flavor of the dish. One of these sauces is the Caldo de Tomate.
This sauce is readily available in most Latin sections of any well-stocked supermarket. It is widely used to make dishes like soup, gravy, Mexican rice, Caldo Gallego, etc. you will not find this sauce in your local markets but only in shops that particularly stock and cater to Latin products.
You may be craving some yummy Mexican dish but you can’t find any Caldo de Tomate, however, this shouldn’t stop you from fulfilling your cravings as there are many substitutes you can find to replace Caldo de Tomate in your Mexican dish.
You will be shocked by how many items can be used instead of Caldo de Tomate. Usually, the ingredients for any Thai or Mexican dish are simple and easy to find but this sauce tends to uplift the flavors and taste.
Here are the 6 substitutes for Caldo de Tomate you need to know the next time you’re craving Mexican food.
Caldo De Tomate Substitutes
It is a bouillon sauce that has the perfect ratio of tomato and chicken flavor to it. This has a unique taste and smells aromatic while being cooked.
This sauce has tomato and chicken as the main ingredients as well as onions, parsley, and some spices to enhance its flavor and taste.
This one of a type bouillon is generally used to make Thai rice, soups, gravy as well as many other Mexican dishes. Here are some substitutes which are almost exactly like Caldo de Tomate.
1. Regular Bouillon
Regular chicken bouillon can be easily found and it is one of the best replacements you can find for Caldo de Tomate. If you want to further enhance the flavor, you can add tomatoes which will give it the taste and smell of the Caldo de Tomate
It is easily accessible and tastes very similar to Caldo de Tomate. You can use this with tomatoes in your dish to obtain the flavor of Caldo de Tomate. This can be store-bought or made at home.
Mexican and Thai food revolve around gravies and curries mostly which are made of various sauces including the Caldo de Tomate. Your regular bouillon can play the role of the Caldo de Tomate and your dish will be complete.
This is another great alternative to the Caldo de Tomate. You can find the chicken stock in form of cubes easily available in any supermarket near you or you can even boil chicken and use the broth as stock.
If you are choosing to go for store-bought cubed chicken stock, all you have to do is dissolve them in hot water. You can either separately dissolve the cube stocks or even directly add them to your dish.
Usually chicken stock does not have any salt in it and you may need to add it as per your taste. Caldo de Tomate is high in salt and to resemble it, you can add salt externally to your chicken stock.
The chicken stock also helps in enhancing the flavors of your dish; they give out a unique smell that can make anyone easily hungry.
3. Chicken Granule
Many people choose to use chicken granules in replacement for Caldo de Tomate. One of the advantages of using granules as a substitute for Caldo de Tomate is that it can be cooked in lesser time in comparison to other substitutes out there.
You can always add tomato sauce or pureed tomatoes externally to give it the perfect resemblance to Caldo de Tomate.
You can find chicken granules in local markets and use them to cook the perfect Mexican dishes, you won’t be able to tell any difference between this and Caldo de Tomate once it’s fully cooked into a dish.
4. Dry White Wine
The first thing that naturally comes to mind when you hear the word “wine” is for drinking. Many international cuisines use all sorts of wines to enhance the flavors of the dishes.
Similarly, many people also choose to use dry white wine added with tomato puree as an alternative to Caldo de Tomate. However, it does not taste like the Caldo de Tomate but it gives your Mexican or Thai dish the exact kick as Caldo de Tomate will give.
Food should not be complicated and there should always be room for improvising, you can play with different spices as well while using dry white wine and tomato puree to make up for the taste of Caldo de Tomate.
5. Tomato Sauce
This is by far the easiest and most accessible substitute for Caldo de Tomate. Almost everyone has tomato sauce available in their homes and if not, it can be easily bought from any local store or supermarket.
You can use tomato sauce or tomato powder instead of Caldo de Tomate to give you the taste and flavor you desire. You can also add chicken cube stock or chicken flavor in any form to substitute for the chicken flavor taste of the Caldo de Tomate.
6. DIY Recipe
Many people don’t realize this but making Caldo de Tomate at home is also very easy. However, the process of making this sauce from scratch can be tiring but the result will is always worthwhile.
If you don’t find the above-mentioned substitutes suitable, you can always try your hand at making Caldo de Tomate sauce at home. Here is an easy recipe that can help you create the perfect Caldo de Tomate.
First and foremost, you need to start by making tomato gravy. You can chop up a few tomatoes and put them over low flame after adding water to them.
Slowly as the tomatoes cook, they will take the form of tomato puree, you can further add spices in it to make your tomato gravy more flavorful. If you are running out of time or cannot make the tomato gravy, you can always use tomato sauce or tomato powder.
The next step after making the tomato paste is adding chicken soup or chicken stock to the mixture. You can simply boil the chicken in water and separate the chicken and its broth.
You can add the chicken broth to your tomato gravy and use the chicken in any other dish. The flavor of the chicken soup or stock while mixed with the tomato gravy will give it aroma and taste.
Now to finalize your Caldo de Tomate, you can add ingredients such as parsley, onions, and spices of your choice into the mixture. Once you have mixed all the ingredients well, your Caldo de Tomate is ready to be devoured and enjoyed!
Even though Caldo de Tomate is a favorite for many people, unfortunately, it is not easily found in most regions around the world. This is why knowing the alternatives can be helpful to satisfy your Caldo de Tomate cravings.
These substitutes can be easily found in supermarkets and can help you achieve a similar taste and flavor to that of the Caldo de Tomate.
Many Mexican or Thai dishes are incomplete without Caldo de Tomate, as it has all the spices and a perfect blend of tomato puree and chicken stock. Tomatoes and chicken stock can uplift the flavor of almost any dish.