302) TOMATO SOUP

TOMATO SOUP

A MILD, DELICIOUS, ENLIVENING SOUP FOR KIDS AND ADULTS ALIKE TO ENJOY

Ingredients (for 5 large servings):

     1)    Ripe tomatoes – 1 kg.

     2)    Onion – 120 gm. (see tip no. 2)

     3)    Cloves – 5 Nos.

     4)    Cinnamon stick – 1-inch piece

     5)    Cardamom pods – 2 Nos.

     6)    Cornflour – 20 gm.

     7)    Sugar – 40 gm. (see tip no. 2)

     8)    Salt – 12 gm.

     9)    Pepper powder – 2 gm. (½ teaspoon)

     10)     Garam masala powder – 5 gm. (1 teaspoon)

     11)     Ghee (clarified butter) – 1 teaspoon

     12)     Water – 1 litre

To cook:

          Peel the onion. Chop the onion and the tomatoes roughly to pieces. Transfer to a pressure cooker. Tip in the cinnamon, the cardamom and the cloves. Pour in 250 ml. of water and close the lid. Set the cooker on high heat.

As soon as you hear the first whistle, turn down the heat and let cook for 5 minutes. Now turn off the heat and allow the cooker to cool naturally (this gives the tomatoes enough time to cook perfectly). As soon as the cooker is cool enough to open, put a suitable fine-meshed stainless steel strainer or colander over the soup pan.

Pour the contents of the cooker into the strainer. Leave it there to cool down enough to be ready for grinding. Put the contents of the strainer into the food processor and grind to fine paste. Pour the paste back into the strainer and press and knead it with your fingers to strain all the tomato juice into the soup pan. Pour the remaining water over the chaff (pomace) and squeeze out the final drops of juice.

Tip the cornflour, the sugar and the salt into the soup pan and set it on high heat. Stir continuously so as to avoid burning at the base. As soon as it comes to a boil, put in the garam masala powder and the pepper powder. Stir well for 3 to 4 minutes, by which time, the soup will thicken nicely.

Now tip in the ghee and switch off the heat. Your mouthwatering tomato soup is now ready to serve. Serve hot with toast.

Bon appétit!!!

Tip:

     1)    I have kept this soup mild so that even children can drink it to their heart’s content. If you want it spicier, just add more pepper powder.

     2)    This soup is a great relief for persons suffering from fever, flu, bronchitis or pneumonia. In such cases, substitute the onions with shallots and the sugar with rock candy to get instant relief. Add more pepper powder if necessary.

     3)    Persons either medically advised or just wanting to omit tomato seeds can cook this recipe after weighing 1 kg. of cut tomatoes without the seed core.