February 29th
2008
A really good tomato soup will always have a front row seat in my virtual "I hope nobody is watching me licking the soup bowl clean" - list. Quite likely, a well done tomato soup will even outrun the most comforting potato soup as well as a bowl of silky, orange pumpkin soup. Do you have a favorite tomato soup recipe? You do?! Well, I don't or more accurately: I can't say. Wait, before you start feeling sorry for me and my inaptness to come up with a great tomato soup recipe - my problem is of a different kind. I actually have too many good and proven recipes to choose from, I know, I know, that's hardly a real issue.
The kind of tomato soup I am talking about is not very likely to be found in restaurants, when push comes to shove, I don't remember a single bowl of ordered tomato soup that left a lasting impression. Homemade tomato soups are a whole different story! One of my favorites has got to be my grandma's - she pureed the plump and flavorful deep red fruits straight from her well maintained greenhouse, using her Flotte Lotte - handheld blenders were still to conquer German kitchens. The secret to her soup's look and taste was the egg she had lightly beaten and stirred in just before serving, we kids loved the fancy look. Next in line is a tomato soup with roasted peppers. I think tomatoes and roasted peppers should seriously consider marriage, that's how well they chime together. Or the one with a generous shot of booze (Vodka) and fennel.
You see, I wasn't really in need of a good tomato soup recipe, when I stumbled upon this recipe from a dear colleague. Tanja Dusy is probably the most knowledgeable food writer I know when it comes to Indian cuisine. She has traveled the continent armed with her camera and recipe notebook, the last treats she pampered us with included a traditional white curry and the juiciest chocolate cake ever (with cardamom and fresh coconut). Her recipes have proved more than once to delight my palate in so many ways, and besides, an Indian version of a tomato soup would add some cosmopolitan flavor to my t-soup recipe repertoire, so why wait? The soup (my version is a little different) was prepared in the blink of an eye, the aroma of the roasted brown mustard seeds is too good to miss out on and while I'm thinking about proper terms to describe to you how addictive this spicy soup really is, I'm seriously considering having it again tomorrow. And the day after tomorrow.
Heat the ghee in a large pot (medium heat), then add the ground cumin, chiles, garam masala as well as the minced garlic and sauté shortly while stirring.
Add the lentils, the canned, slightly mashed tomatoes (I discarded their stems beforehand) including the juice and the vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, season with sugar, turmeric and salt, then let simmer for 20 to 30 minutes - a chatty friend on the other end of the telephone line won't ruin your dinner, no worries.
If you prefer your soup smooth and silky, this is the time to turn to your [handheld] blender for some assistance - I prefer this one chunky, so no blender for me. In a small pan, roast the brown mustard seeds until they start to crackle and jump around, then add them to the soup. Adjust the soup's seasoning to your liking and fill in bowls. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve with sour cream and bread.
Tomato soup with lentils - Indian style
Recipe source: Tanja Dusy, Küchengötter.de, adapted
Cooking time: ~30min.
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Ingredients (serves 2-3):
2 tbsp ghee
1/4 tsp cumin, freshly ground
2 small dried chiles, freshly ground
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 garlic clove, finely diced
50g red lentils
400g canned tomatoes, including juice
500ml vegetable stock
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp turmeric
salt
1/2 tsp brown mustard seeds
fresh cilantro, chopped
serve with sour cream and bread to taste
The lentil tomato soup looks amazing! I've always enjoyed tomato soups and lentil soups, mixing both is genius. I'll definitely try this recipe this week.
One can never have too many good tomato soup recipes! My favorite recipe is with booze, too, but I use gin or tequila, you have to try it!
the soup looks really good and sounds even better than the original from küchengötter.
Ah, this resembles my favorite dal, which I love. Very good idea, will be making tomorrow night!
This is so mouth watering! I love the deep orange red color of the soup. It is a must try!
I definitively must look for Ghee in München. This indian variation of the Tomato soup looks great!
Definitely my soup of choice! Smashing!!
I've got a jar of unused ghee and all other required ingredients in my pantry, so the tomato soup with lentils is unconditionally on my menu for this weekend!! Thanks for a great recipe!
Kannst Du Gedanken lesen? Bei diesem scheußlichen Wetter kann nur eine gute Suppe helfen, werde heute meinen Freund damit überraschen. Der mag Linsen zwar nicht so besonders, vielleicht funktioniert das Rezept auch mit Reis?
Simple and tasty, just as a tomato soup should be. Bravo!
Vielen Dank für das feine Rezept! Ich habe die Suppe gleich heute zu meinem frisch gebackenen Fladenbrot gemacht. Hat allen ausgezeichnet geschmeckt!
This looks gorgeous, and despite the appeal of its refined simplicity, I want to know, can we put Paneer cubes in it too?
I can already imagine the great texture that the lentils are adding to this comforting soup. I'd have to eat double portions of this! In summer when our tomatoes are ripe, we eat tomato soup at least once a week and other tomato dishes for the rest of week. Can't wait!
Ooooh. People need to stop posting such delicious-looking soups! It's all I ever want to make anymore.
This one looks especially beautiful...and tasty!
Wow, the soup looks great. Maybe i find somebody who can cook it for me. Really amazing picture.
What's a good alternative to ghee? :) I don't have any handy in my pantry right now and surely there's a healthier option too?
This is great. I'm obsessed with lentils right now and have been using a lot of stew recipies with lots of variations. Green lentils, red lentils, yellow lentils, brown lentils... curried lentil stews and stews spiced with aleppo pepper...
This this looks like a fun variation to try. Thanks for posting!
Vivian, if you don't have ghee at hand, you can always use butter or vegetable oil instead. But Ghee has its own flavour, why not make it yourself? Just melt some unsalted butter and separate the oil from the water and solids. Discard water and solids.
This looks like just the thing for winter. And here in the American Midwest, winter is endless this year. I was going to whip up some vegetable soup this week, and this one sounds perfect.
Any oil can be a good alternative including but a flavorful one that can complement the spices would be peanut oil or untoasted sesame oil. By the way ghee is a very healthy fat because just a small amount adds enough flavor plus it has many beneficial qualities; refer to ayurvedic principles. Also, it has a high smoking point.
I was just thinking this morning what I was going to make with the lentils I have. This soup looks delicious & I love the Indian touch added to tomato soup! Cheers!
my favorite tomate soup isn't as fancy as this but the one and only food i can prepare in all conditions: getting home late being too hungry to cook anything decent, being sick or hungover ...
damn easy but still delicious.
just olive oil plus onion plus red lentils (half a pack) plus a can of tomatoes plus 1l vegetable stock plus some fresh basil in the end. if wanted: a spoon of sour cream or any other dairy product you have at hand.
your soup however looks tempting and worth spicing my ordinary tomato-lentil-soup -recipe up!
Thanks for this recipe,
This looks scrumptious! My husband hates lentils but I know I can get him to eat this since he loves tomato soup...
This looks like a perfect tomato soup for winter! In summertime, it's gazpacho all the way....
I miss India - we are having a Bollywood night at mine next week! I'm still not very good at cooking Indian cuisine, though. :( Must practice - maybe I'll start with some ghee since you need it for a lot of recipes!
PS: Are those lentils in your header? I LOVE that picture.
SIMPLE GOODNESS. Comfort at its best. Now all you need is a side of toasty grilled cheese and a cold wet afternoon with a reason to leave work early.....
looks like a tomato soup recipe i surely need to try
I think tomatoes and dal are a match made in heaven, especially when mustard seeds are involved. I often like adding lemon to the combination of the two, for a Three Musketeers effect.
Stunning picture, as always. Brava!
I must admit I also like chunky soups better because of their rustic effect. For me rustic=warmth :)
Tried your recipe and as always already included it in my sucess-safe-list! thank you!
Carolina
I love the bowls! (and the recipe of course) But where did you get those bowls? Thanks!
Delicious! I had all of the ingredients handy, so I just made this for dinner - thanks for the inspiration..
I prepared this soup last week and even my husband liked it. Usually he regrets anything containing lentils, but he finished his bowl and had no regrets! Thank you for another great recipe.
Man, that is some good soup. Stupendous. SOUPer, if you will pardon the pun. I am huge fan of tomato soup, but I have never made it with lentils and ghee. This is a great recipe.
Sounds wonderful, I will definitely try the recipe very soon and I am sure it tastes perfect!
You could do a twist on an old classic -- grilled cheese and tomato soup -- if you ate this with a bit of paneer tikka wrapped in hot naan and a spritz of lemon juice.
We had this soup for dinner yesterday and it was very good! Adding mustard seeds was new to me, thank you for this recipe.
I just wanted to make the recipe tonight and was wonderung if you add the lentils just like they are or if you soak them beforehand? I remember using red lentils for Dal and in my recipe it said that the lentils need to be soaked in water for about 2 hours before cooking them?
Alicia, I'm drawing a blank on the shop's name, but it was in Moab (Utah, USA), during a little lunch break we had.
Hi Ulrike, No, there is actually no need to soak the lentils beforehand, it works perfectly without doing so.
This looks wonderful. A good alternative to my favorite tomato soup which does come from a restaurant, The Kitchen in Boulder, Colorado...
Tomato soup is the ultimate comfort soup for me, thank you for adding another great variation to my colllection. I served it at my weekly book club meeting, everybody raved about it.
[...] è toccato a Deliciusdays e alla sua Tomato soup . Non a caso da Munich son tornata con un po’ di spezie. L’unica altra zuppa di pomodoro fatta [...]
[...] it’s not quite spring yet, and there’s still time for comfort food… Indian-Style Tomato Soup with Lentils from delicous:days. Since it’s been chilly the last few days, I really am craving some soup. [...]
Great soup, I made it already three times now and it tastes wonderful. However, I doubled the amount indicated in the recipe as we had it as a main course for dinner. The perfect soup for such a cold spring!
Several years ago while visiting London I had an amazing tomato soup from a pub (The Mitre) in Bayswater ... made with tomatoes and oranges. It still makes me smile to remember it. And I've never seen a recipe using those two ingredients for a soup. If you come across one, do try it!
The BEST t-soup I ever had was in Florida at Cafe' Margaux (a little French restaurant in Cocoa Village). It's tomato basil bisque I believe and is award winning! If you're traveling in FL you've gotta try it! It's amazing!
Great pictures! My husband loves spicy foods and I'm always looking for easy and quick recipes. Thanks for sharing!