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Authentic Garden Tomato Soup (Tamatar Shorba) – vegetarian recipe
Stav Kogan

Authentic Garden Tomato Soup (Tamatar Shorba)

Forget canned soup! This authentic Garden Tomato Soup, or Tamatar Shorba, is the ultimate comfort food, blending sun-ripened tomatoes, warming ginger, and a luxurious touch of cream. Inspired by traditional Bengali home cooking, it's the perfect fusion of a rustic Indian shorba a
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 4 serving
Calories: 220
Ingredients Method Nutrition

Ingredients
  

  • The Aromatics & Base
  • 4 tbsp (57 g / 2.01 oz) Unsalted butter, divided
  • 8 medium (2 lbs) / 1 kg (2.2 lb) Ripe red or yellow tomatoes, cut into 8 pieces
  • 1 small (5 oz) / 140g Apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 8 pieces
  • 1 to 2 Fresh hot red or yellow chilies, to taste
  • 0.5 inch / 1.5 cm Fresh ginger root, scraped and sliced
  • 0.5 piece Cassia bark or 1 Bay leaf
  • 4 to 5 Whole peppercorns
  • 0.5 tsp (1 g / 0.04 oz) Cumin seeds
  • 0.25 cup (60 ml) Water
  • The Soup Body & Finish
  • 2 cups (480 ml) Vegetable stock
  • 2 tbsp (15 g / 0.53 oz) Whole wheat pastry flour
  • 0.25 tsp (1 g / 0.04 oz) Sugar
  • 1 tsp (6 g / 0.21 oz) Salt, or to taste
  • 0.5 cup (120 ml) Half-and-half or light cream
  • 2 tbsp (8 g / 0.28 oz) Fresh coriander cilantro, parsley, or dill, chopped
Optional Garnish
  • 1 tbsp (14 g / 0.49 oz) Softened spiced herb butter
  • Never boil the soup after adding cream or half-and-half. The dairy is sensitive to high heat and acid from the tomatoes and will curdle. Gently heat until just steaming to maintain a silky texture.
  • Use the ripest, most flavorful tomatoes you can find. This recipe shines with fresh, sun-ripened produce, so let them sit on a sunny windowsill for a few days if they're not quite ready.
  • For a milder soup, remove the seeds from the chilies before cooking, or simply remove the whole chilies from the pot before you sieve the mixture.

Method
 

  1. Melt 1 tbsp / 14g (0.49 oz) of the unsalted butter in a 3-quart saucepan over moderate heat.
  2. Add the 2 lbs / 1 kg (2.2 lb) chopped tomatoes, apple, chilies, cassia/bay leaf, peppercorns, ginger, and cumin seeds.
  3. Sauté for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
  4. Pour in 0. 25 cup / 60 ml water, cover, and reduce heat to low.
  5. Cook gently for 20–25 minutes until the tomatoes and apples are very soft and pulpy.
  6. Press the cooked mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl to remove skins and spices.
  7. Mix the strained pulp with the 2 cups / 480 ml vegetable stock.
  8. In the clean saucepan, melt the remaining 3 tbsp / 43g (1.52 oz) of butter over low heat.
  9. Whisk in the 2 tbsp / 15g (0.53 oz) flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2–3 minutes to create a light roux.
  10. Do not let it brown.
  11. Slowly pour the tomato-stock mixture into the roux, whisking continuously to prevent lumps.
  12. Bring to a simmer.
  13. Stir in 0. 25 tsp / 1g (0.04 oz) sugar and 1 tsp / 6g (0.21 oz) salt.
  14. Simmer gently for 5 more minutes.
  15. Stir in the 0. 5 cup / 120 ml half-and-half or cream and heat through gently.
  16. Do not let it boil.
  17. Ladle the hot soup into bowls, garnish with a dab of optional herb butter, and sprinkle with 2 tbsp / 8g (0.28 oz) fresh herbs.
  18. Don't skip the sieving step. Pushing the cooked mixture through a fine-mesh sieve is the secret to a velvety, restaurant-quality soup, removing all skins and coarse spices.

Nutrition

Calories: 220kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 3gFat: 16g

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