Indian Style Tomato Soup

It is not a secret that I am not a soup person. I think I may have mentioned it a couple of times in some of my other posts. But a well made Indian Style Tomato Soup (Tomato Shorba as most Indians call it) is one of the exceptions. And surprisingly my love for this soup doesn’t stem from my Ma or Dadima (Mom or Grandmom) simmering it in their kitchens .

Funny as it might sound, a well made tomato soup takes me back to the numerous train journeys as a child where the “in house” pantry would serve piping hot tomato soup in a cup with soup sticks on the side in the beginning of a meal. It was not the best tasting as far as memory goes, in fact I must have had better quality soup at restaurants and home but somehow sipping hot soup out of a cup in a moving train and staring at passing meadows outside  added to the taste and experience for sure.

Thank you Indian Railways 🙂

Thanks to Indian Railways , I developed this undying romance with Tomato Soup which has stayed with me for life.

And I have loved it so much that I seem to have passed on the love to my kids as well. Tomato Shorba is the only soup that they ask for now! Speak of pure and unadulterated love!  There are days when we are too busy to put a full fledged meal on the table and this soup with a slice of buttered sour dough makes for a delicious dinner.

What’s in a name?

For the uninitiated, a little trivia on the name Tomato Shorba – the latter is derived from an Arabic term “Shurbah,” meaning soup. When traditionally prepared, it is more of a stewy consistency , more watery than a soup and can be served both as a starter or as an accompaniment to main course. It is supremely light on the tummy and packed with flavours of whole spices.

And in case you are still looking for reasons to make and enjoy this soup, this final one would definitely have you on board- it is packed with Vitamin C and all the warming spices do wonders to your immunity!

Some helpful tips to make a delicious Indian Style Tomato Soup

1. Canned tomatoes make a great tasting soup but of course are not as healthy as fresh ones
2. Traditionally Shorba is made with water but to add more flavour to the soup I use vegetable stock. You could also use chicken stock to make the flavours more robust and increase the protein value but that does interfere with the flavours so if possible stick to either water or vegetable stock
3. If you have time on hand, boil and peel off the skin and remove seeds before making a puree. This step is completely optional and can be skipped if you are rushed but it definitely improves the overall taste of the soup.

Making Indian Style Tomato Soup| Tomato Shorba

Ingredients

1. Tomatoes- 4 cups
2. Bay leaf- 2
3. Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
4. Garlic, minced- 6 cloves
5. Onion, finely chopped- 1/2 cup
6. Cornflour-1 tbsp mixed well in half cup water
7. Water or Vegetable broth- 3 cups or as per desired consistency 
8. Sugar- 1tbsp
9. Butter- 2 tbsp
10. Cream- 2 tbsp (optional)
11. Oil-1 tbsp
12. Salt-1 tbsp or as per taste
13. Pepper- 1.5 tbsp
14. Chopped coriander- 3 tbsp

Method

1. Wash the tomatoes well, and blanch  them; once at room temperature, peel off the skin, remove seeds, chop and blend to make a puree; if low on time, then blanch and make a puree straight away after brining to room temperature
2. In a thick bottomed pan, add oil and once hot, reduce flame to medium and add bay leaf and cumin seeds. Stir for a few seconds then add garlic and sauté until it starts to turn golden
3. Add onion and keeping the flame on medium-low stir until translucent 
4. Add pureed tomatoes, broth or water, salt and pepper, mix well; bring to boil, then reduce flame to medium and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes 
5. Then stir in 2 tbsp of cornflour-water solution, mix well and simmer for another 5 minutes 
6. Add sugar, butter and cream, taste for salt and add freshly crushed pepper
7. Pour hot soup in bowls , garnish with freshly chopped coriander and cream; add some more butter if you like and serve with a side of bread sticks or croutons.

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Find some other soup ideas here