Wednesday, July 16, 2008

"Indian" Tomato Soup


This is my Mom's delicious recipe of Tomato Curry. She adds besan (chickpea flour) to it. I have omitted it to make a more lighter, fresher and appetizing version of it. I prefer to serve it as an appetizer as it really wakes up the appetite. Really warms the body and soul! Enjoy...


3-4 T Oil or ghee (you might need to add some more if needed)
1 tsp cumin seeds (optional)
6-7 garlic cloves (minced)
1/2 to 1 inch piece of ginger (minced)
cayenne or chili powder (according to taste)
2 T coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
pinch asafetida (absolutely optional)
6-7 tomatoes (puree in a food processor/vita mix. See notes)
salt
cilantro/coriander for garnish


Heat the oil/ghee in a large pan on medium heat.
Add cumin seeds if using.
Let them turn golden but not burn.
Now add the ginger and garlic and fry these for a couple of minutes making sure they don't burn.
Now add all the spices to the pan and fry these in the oil (if looking too dry add some more oil) for 15 sec making sure they don't burn.
After the spices are fried, add the tomatoes in the pan and stir. Add salt. Add water/broth to a consitency you prefer. I like it quite thin but play around. It shouldn't be too watery though.
Bring it to a boil and then turn it down, cover it and simmer it for 5 minutes.
Garnish with fresh cilantro.

NOTE:
*If you don't have a food processor/mixer/blender, then you can just dice the tomatoes instead. Mush them up when cooked a bit. Strain the peels out if you prefer.

* You can add some veggies to the soup when you start boiling it. Any of these cut up into small cubes/slices is excellent: Potatoes, carrots, parsnip and/or green beans (keep whole).

4 comments:

Mimi said...

hey, no fair, I'm starving!
this looks delicious. What time is lunch?

Mimi said...

what does the asafetida do?

Srishti said...

Hi mimi!!!! The Soup was for dinner, but I still have a boul left... Come on over!!!:D

Asafetida is a very strong smelling sap from the root of a plant which is powdered and then added to indian dishes... If you have good quality one all you need is a pinch. It's called Heeng/Hing in Hindi. Very good for stomach disorders like indigestion, worms, stomach ache...

perugina said...

Grat idea a food blog... was thinking of doing one myself Srishti...but i don't think i can handle another blog! (laugh)

Have fun sharing your lovely dishes. I like your husband's side quip here... we say "Happy Wife, Happy Life!"