Leela’s shared with us yet another dish from her genius late mother. By turning tomato chutney into soup, it became a quick dish to add to the table for a meal. There are many versions of Bengali tomato chutney and also tomato soup; this is Leela’s family’s version. Try it with rice, or with a grilled cheese sandwich for dipping.
Simple tomato soup
by Leela ChakrabartyLeela’s shared with us yet another dish from her genius late mother. By turning tomato chutney into soup, it became a quick dish to add to the table for a meal. There are many versions of Bengali tomato chutney and also tomato soup; this is Leela’s family’s version. Try it with rice, or with a grilled cheese sandwich for dipping.
Prep time: Quick
Prep time: Quick
Ingredients
1 tbs butter or vegetable oil
20g black raisins
1 tsp mustard seeds
1″ ginger, thinly sliced or grated
3-4 medium red tomatoes, sliced into wedges or diced
¼ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp salt
3-4 cups water
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp cornflour
Directions
- Heat a medium-sized saucepan over a medium flame. Once hot, add the butter or oil along with the raisins, and fry for about 1-2 minutes until the raisins are plump.
- Add the mustard seeds and fry for another 30 seconds or so until the seeds begin to sputter.
- Stir in the ginger and cook for another minute.
- Sprinkle in the turmeric and add the tomato pieces, then fry the mixture for about 2-3 minutes, mixing everything well.
- Pour in the water and salt, stir well to mix, then bring the saucepan to a boil. Once it boils, cover the pan and turn the heat down to medium-low, and continue cooking for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, mix the cornflour with 1 tbsp of water to create a slurry and set aside.
- After 10 minutes, uncover the saucepan and mash the tomatoes with the cooking spatula against the side of the pot. Continue cooking until the desired consistency; it should be like a thick soup.
- Pour in the sugar and the cornflour slurry and mix well to combine. Cook for another 1-2 minutes until the soup becomes slightly viscous.
- Serve the soup hot, garnished with mint leaves.
Ingredients
1 tbs butter or vegetable oil
20g black raisins
1 tsp mustard seeds
1″ ginger, thinly sliced or grated
3-4 medium red tomatoes, sliced into wedges or diced
¼ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp salt
3-4 cups water
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp cornflour
Directions
- Heat a medium-sized saucepan over a medium flame. Once hot, add the butter or oil along with the raisins, and fry for about 1-2 minutes until the raisins are plump.
- Add the mustard seeds and fry for another 30 seconds or so until the seeds begin to sputter.
- Stir in the ginger and cook for another minute.
- Sprinkle in the turmeric and add the tomato pieces, then fry the mixture for about 2-3 minutes, mixing everything well.
- Pour in the water and salt, stir well to mix, then bring the saucepan to a boil. Once it boils, cover the pan and turn the heat down to medium-low, and continue cooking for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, mix the cornflour with 1 tbsp of water to create a slurry and set aside.
- After 10 minutes, uncover the saucepan and mash the tomatoes with the cooking spatula against the side of the pot. Continue cooking until the desired consistency; it should be like a thick soup.
- Pour in the sugar and the cornflour slurry and mix well to combine. Cook for another 1-2 minutes until the soup becomes slightly viscous.
- Serve the soup hot, garnished with mint leaves.
Tips
- Dates can be added instead of raisins.
- The sugar is to taste: the amount can be decreased or even omitted entirely if preferred. However, the sugar will help balance the soup if the tomatoes are on the sour side.
