Budu (Timorese tomato relish)

Name: Budu (Timorese tomato relish)
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 3 tomatoes, finely diced; ½ red onion, finely chopped; 2 fresh red chilli, finely chopped; 10 g mint, chopped; 5 g basil, chopped; 2 tbsp lime juice; ½ tsp salt

Vegetarian

Budu

A fresh Timorese table relish of chopped tomato, red onion, chilli, mint and lime, spooned over grilled fish, rice and stews.

Budu (Timorese tomato relish) is a Timorese condiment from Timor-Leste, ready in about 20 minutes and made with tomato and mint. It serves 4 and is rated beginner to cook.

Start cooking

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Prep: 10 min
Cook: 0 min
Rest: 10 min
Total: 20 min
Serves: 4
Level: Beginner
Calories: 25

Ingredients

4 servings

3 (360 g) Tomatoes (opens in a new tab), finely diced
½ (55 g) Red onion (opens in a new tab), finely chopped
2 (12 g) Fresh red chilli (opens in a new tab), finely chopped
10 g Mint (opens in a new tab), chopped
5 g Basil (opens in a new tab), chopped
2 tbsp (30 g) Lime juice (opens in a new tab)
½ tsp (3 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Dice the tomatoes (opens in a new tab) finely (scoop out the seeds if they are very watery) and finely chop the onion, chilli, mint (opens in a new tab) and basil (opens in a new tab).
How it looks · Photo: Christina & Peter on Pexels
2
Step 2
Combine the tomato (opens in a new tab), onion, chilli, mint (opens in a new tab) and basil (opens in a new tab) in a bowl.
- 2 min
3
Step 3
Season with lime juice (opens in a new tab) and salt, toss and leave 10 minutes for the flavours to meld.
- 2 min

About this dish

Origin: Timor-Leste · Commonly attributedNot to be confused with the Malaysian fermented fish sauce also called budu.More food from Timor-Leste
Dish: Lunch · Dinner · Condiments, chutneys & relishes · Side dishes
Cooking method: Raw, No-cook
Taste: fresh, sour, spicy (chilli heat), herby
Diet: Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Budget-friendly · Everyday · Minimal cleanup
Cook more with: Tomato · Mint · Red onion · Fresh red chilli · Basil · Lime juice
Techniques: Knife skills

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

25 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 119 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

Protein 15%
Carbohydrate 79%
Fat 6%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	25 kcal	21 kcal
Protein	1.1 g	0.9 g
Carbohydrate	5.7 g	4.8 g
Net carbohydrate	4.2 g	3.5 g
Sugars	3.3 g	2.8 g
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	1.5 g	1.2 g
Fat	0.2 g	0.2 g
Saturated fat	—	—
Trans fat	0 g	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	298 mg	251 mg
Salt equivalent	0.7 g	0.6 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 263 mg
Calcium: 21 mg
Iron: 0.7 mg
Magnesium: 15 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 48 µg
Vitamin C: 20 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: —
Folate (DFE): —

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Use the ripest tomatoes you can find; their juice becomes the dressing.

Common mistakes

Making it hours ahead — the tomatoes go watery and the herbs darken. Mix within 30 minutes of serving.
Under-seasoning: it should be sharp with lime and clearly salty to lift grilled fish or rice.

Serve with

Spoon over ikan sabuko or eat with rice and batar daan.

Storage

Best the same day; refrigerate up to 1 day.

Variations

Budu with tamarind: Some cooks add a spoonful of tamarind for extra sourness.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 27 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Goes with

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

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Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Tomato, finely diced3 piece · 360 g
Fresh red chilli, finely chopped2 piece · 12 g

Used in steps 1, 2

Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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