How to Make Tomato Soup at Home - Indian Style

I am Crazy about Tomato Soup, which my grandmother used to make with loads of vegetables in it. apart from that, when i wrote a story for the first time at my class 7, has Tomato Soup played an important role. to brief the story here, the girl in the story drinks lots of tomato soup and suffers from stomach ache and the girl's sister gets caught in trouble while going out to get medicine. though it sounds funny now, the memories are as bright as the soup color!

While speaking about the bright red color of the soup, it all comes from a small bit of beetroot. that's a trick i got from Suganya's Tasty Pallette.

Tomato Soup

Prep Time: 05 mins 

Cooking Time: 25 mins  
Serves: 2
Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Recipe Type: Soup

Ingredients:

Ripe Red Tomatoes - 4
Beetroot - 1 small piece
Coriander stem - 4
Garlic - 3 cloves
Ginger - 1 inch size
Cinnamon stick - 1 inch in size
Cloves - 2
Pepper - 5
Bay Leaf - 1
Star Anise - 1 small
Corn Flour - 2 spoons
Water - 2 cups

Method:

Cut the tomatoes into 4 parts and transfer them into a vessel that could fit in your pressure cooker. add the spices bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cloves, star anise and pepper to the tomatoes. add ginger and garlic too. add a small bit of beetroot, coriander stems and 1 cup of water. pressure cook all together up to 3- 4 whistles. alternatively you can cook them stove top for over 5-10 mins or also microwave them at very high for about 5-6 mins.

just add an inch size of cinnamon stick, i had put one big one for the photo to show you all.

Cool them and remove the spices(cinnamon,cloves,star anise and bay leaf) except pepper.

Meanwhile prepare the corn starch by mixing 2 spoons of corn flour with 1/4 cup of water without any lumps.

Grind the tomatoes and filter the soup. boil the soup. add the corn starch to the boiling soup and give a stir. let the soup boil in slow flame for about 2-3 mins. add salt to taste, bit of pepper powder and serve hot!

Serve the Tomato Soup hot with Toasted Bread.

Note:

Before grinding the tomatoes, remove the skin of the tomatoes(its easy). and then grind together. boil the grounded soup, add the corn starch at slow flame and stir well so that no lumps are formed. add a bit of pepper powder and salt to taste. let the soup boil in slow flame for about 2-3 minutes. and serve hot.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Curd Rice ~ Thayir Sadam

My School Lunch boxes used to be filled with Thayir sadam or with Pulicha keerai sadam or with idli, milagaai podi. I like all the three and never complained. Thayir Sadam is my most favourite and i survived on it, when i was newly married, the reason is i dont know to cook other than that. To my Surprise, My Son loves Curd Rice very much like me.

Last month, one day, we had our Lunch at Krishna Sweets owned Rasam Restaurant at Venkata Narayana Road, Tnagar, Chennai. The menu had Kongunadu specials, hubby ordered a Thali and i ordered Tulasi Vadai and Uthukuli Thayir sadam. Thayir sadam was Very Divine to us and i know i will be blogging it here soon after i tasted it.

Yes this Curd Rice has to be called as Uthukuli Thayir Sadam. Uthukuli is famous for Butter and i used to buy the Uthukuli White Butter for cooking now and then. I love the way its packed in Banana Leaf.

How to Prepare Uthukuli Thayir Sadam?

* You can also use Normal Cooking butter.

1. Pressure Cook One Cup of Rice. Rice has to be Over cooked, so that it could be easily mashed.

Pressure cook the rice upto 5 whistle count.

2. Mix 2 tbsp's of Uthukuli Butter to the Hot rice and mash the rice with the back of the spoon.

The butter and rice should get mixed up well.

3. Add One and Half cup of Thick Curd to the rice and mix well. add salt to taste too.

4. For Tempering,

heat a tsp of oil in a small pan,

add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds,

1/2 tsp of split urad dal,

1 inch of ginger chopped finely,

1 sprig of curry leaves,

2 Green Chilli's finely chopped.

roast the above and remove from the flame.

5. Add the Tempering to the Curd Rice and mix well.

also add 1 tsp of chopped corriander leaves,

2 tbsp's of finely chopped Carrot

 and mix well.

6. Serve the Curd Rice with Pickle or Mor Milagaai.

Note: Prepare the Curd Rice ahead and chill them for atleast 20 minutes before serving.

If you are Curd Rice Lover, do give it a try. I highly recommend this for Kids. also this Curd rice will be a great treat for your Guests.

Vegetable Sabji

Vegetable sabzi can be prepared in dry and in gravy form. i am sharing both recipes with you here. Initially i bought sabzi masala, that is available in the market and used it, later, i stopped buying the sabzi masala and added chilly powder, corriander powder, garam masala and kauri methi to my sabzi. it gave the same taste as the sabzi masala available in the market. but i am desperate in knowing what all go into sabzi masala. If you know, please share with me.

Dry Vegetable Sabzi Recipe

Prep Time: 05 mins 

Cooking Time: 20 mins  
Serves: 2
Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Recipe Type: Sidedish

Ingredients:

Carrot- 1
Tomato - 1
Green Peas - 1/4 cup
Beans - 10
Beetroot - 1/2
Cauliflower - 4 small florets
Chilli Powder / Sambhar Powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - a pinch
Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp
Kasuri Methi /Dry Methi Leaves - 2 tsp's
Oil - 1 tsp
Cumin - 1/4 tsp

Method:

Chop the vegetables into small pieces.

Heat oil in a pan, add cumin and let it get roasted.

Add finely chopped tomatoes to the pan, Let the tomatoes shrink and mash them on the pan with the slotted spoon. add turmeric powder, chilli powder, garam masala and salt to taste. mix the masala well with the tomatoes.

Add the chopped vegetables to the pan, mix the veggies well with the tomatoes and the masala. add kasuri methi and give a mix.

Sprinkle 2 tsp's of water over the pan and close the pan with its lid. let the vegetable's simmer in slow flame for about 5 -10 minutes till the vegetables get half-way cooked. as i do not like over cooking the vegetables, i removed the sabzi, when the vegetables are half-cooked.

Serve the sabzi with Chapathi's.

                                                         Vegetable sabzi  (Gravy)

Ingredients:

Mixed Vegetables - 2 cup's chopped(carrot,beans, green peas, potato and cauliflower)
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Cumin - 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 or 2 tsp's
Corriander powder - 2 tsp's
Garam masala - 1/4 tsp
Kasuri methi - 1/2 tsp
Chopped corriander leaves - 2 tsp's

Method:

In a wide bottomed pressure cooker, add oil and heat it. add cumin and let it roast.

Add finely chopped onions, bit of salt and saute till they turn translucent. then add ginger garlic paste and saute it till the raw smell leaves.

Add tomatoes and saute till they turn soft. now add salt, chilly powder, corriander powder, garam masala
and mix well with the onion and tomatoes.

Then add in the chopped vegetables and mix well. add a cup of water and kasuri methi and give a mix. check for salt and add as per your taste. then add the chopped corriander leaves and close the pressure cooker with its lid. let the sabzi pressure cook for up to 2 whistles exactly. switch off the flame and let the steam escape. Now transfer the sabzi to a serving bowl.

Serve with Chapathi or Roti. I enjoyed it with phulkha and peas pulao.