Easy Tomato Soup Recipe | Easy Soup Recipes

I like soups and hence when ever we go to restaurants soups would be definitely the first ones I would choose along with appetizers. I like both the thin and thick variety ones where as TH likes the thin varieties and we usually take one by two soup only so that we can try other varieties too. Nothing beats the comfort of a hot soup during winters of if you have sore throat, it gives a nice and soothing feeling.Preparing the soups at home is very easy and I have prepared this soup umpteen number of times for my little one as the soup itself was a meal for him when he was a baby. I had altered the recipe to suit my requirements like I have added potatoes and avoided cornflour in the recipe as the potatoes themselves give the thickness to the soup and also sometimes I have added dals like moong or masoor dal and oats too to make it a wholesome meal.

Coming to the classic tomato soup recipe, it is essential for one to choose nice, juicy and ripen tomatoes preferably the hybrid variety not the regular sour ones for this soup. I have also added carrots in the recipe which balances the sourness of tomatoes and also I have added a small piece of beetroot to give a bright red and appetizing color to the soup, however both the carrots and beetroot are optional in the recipe. The addition of sugar helps in balancing the sourness too and please be generous with pepper as it gives a nice spiciness tastes and complements the tartness of tomatoes.I always love the easy soup recipes and this is a simple one pot recipe which can be prepared in jiffy without any fancy ingredients. My mom always served this soup with deep fried bread croutons which makes the combination very delicious.

I usually do not add cream for the soup on regular basis unless I serve it with cream for guests or when served for my little one, but the addition of cream adds a very nice taste to the soup and hence do not avoid it if you do not bother about those little extra calories,one can add just 1-2 tsp of cream to one portion of soup.

Check out other soup recipes in my blog:

• Baby corn-Capsicum Soup
• Creamy Broccoli Soup
• Creamy Cauliflower Soup
• Pumpkin-Carrot Soup
• Spinach-Orange Soup

Easy Tomato Soup Recipe:

Serves 2 | Author: Prathibha

Prep time: 10 mins | Cooking time: 20 mins | Total time: 30 mins

Cuisine: Indian | Category: Appetizer- Soup

Ingredients:

2 large ripen Tomatoes

2 tbsp chopped Carrots

1.5 tbsp chopped Beetroot, optional

1.5 tbsp chopped Onion

2 Garlic Pods, roughly chopped

2 tsp Corn flour

1/2" Cinnamon stick

1 Bayleaf

3/4 tsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Pepper powder

Salt to taste

1 tsp Butter,optional

Cream,to serve(optional)

Parsley or Coriander leaves, for garnish

Salt and Pepper, to serve

Bread Croutons or Garlic Bread, to serve

Method:

• Wash and make a cross on tomatoes and pressure cook chopped carrots,beetroot,onion, garlic and crossed tomatoes with bayleaf,cinnamon and enough water for 3-4 whistles.

• Once the pressure comes down, fish out the bayleaf and cinnamon stick.Remove the tomatoes and peel the skin off it and chop them roughly by removing the eyes of tomatoes and put the tomatoes back into the cooker and using an immersion blender, blend the tomato mixture to a nice smooth puree. 

• Strain the mixture through a mesh colander and again put the mixture in the same cooker or another vessel.Switch on the flame.

• Mix cornflour in 3-4 tbsp of water nicely and add the cornflour mixture to the tomato soup by mixing it simultaneously to avoid any lumps formation in the soup.

• Add salt, sugar and pepper powder to the soup and let it come to a boil and continue boiling until you get the desired consistency. You can add more water accordingly and also taste the soup and adjust the seasoning. 

• Add butter to the hot soup and mix for a nice buttery taste, this step is optional but it adds a nice taste to the soup.

Serve it hot in soup bowl with generous sprinkle of pepper, cream and strips of coriander/parsley. Serve them with bread croutons or garlic bread.

Notes:

1. The addition of carrot is optional, but it balances the tartness of tomatoes beautifully, if you wish you can avoid it by adding a bit of more sugar to balance the tartness of tomatoes.
2. The addition of beetroot is again optional, I have added it to give a nice color to the soup.You can avoid it if needed.
3. If you want you can avoid onion but do not skip garlic for this soup.
4. You can make your own bread croutons by deep frying or shallow frying the cubed bread pieces.
5. Make sure you remove the skin and eyes of tomatoes for a smooth soup.Also drain the mixture else the soup will have lot of tomato seeds which spoils the taste of it.
6. If you are preparing this soup for the kids, you can add a potato while boiling and avoid cornflour in the recipe as the potatoes gives the thickness to the soup and also it will be a wholesome food for the toddlers.

Technorati Tags: tomato soup, how to make tomato soup, easy tomato soup recipe, quick soup recipes, indian style tomato soup, appetizers

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Tomato Bruschetta Recipe | Easy Bruschetta Recipes

'Bruschetta' should be actually pronounced as 'Bru-sket-ta'  but I often hear it being pronounced as 'bru-shet-ta'.It is a classic Italian appetiser which is very simple and quick to prepare that can jazz up your parties for sure.The addition of fresh basil leaves, garlic and EVOO  to the tomatoes takes it to the new level.

Whenever the theme is Italian cooking I always would choose either garlic bread,Garlic Bread Exotica or this tomato bruschetta as a starter as these are very quick to prepare and can be served to a large crowd with ease. You can even have this tomato bruschetta with a Soup for a light and comforting dinner too or serve it as an evening snack in your tea parties, it fits the bill anywhere!!

Check out other Italian recipes in my blog here:

• Basil Pesto with Spiral Pasta, Creamy Avocado Pasta
• Eggplant Pasta, Indian style Masala Pasta
• Sundried Tomato Pesto Pasta , Macaroni in White Sauce
• Garlic Bread Exotica 
• Pasta Salad, Stuffed Bell Peppers
• Roasted Bell Pepper Pasta, Spinach Pesto Penne Pasta
• Thin Crust Pesto Pizza

Tomato Bruschetta Recipe:
Serves: 3-4 | Author: Prathibha

Prep time: 10 mins | Baking time: 10 mins | Total time: 20 mins

Cuisine: Italian | Category: Appetizers/Snacks

Ingredients:

1 French loaf/Baguette

2 medium Red Tomatoes,finely chopped

12-15 Cherry Tomatoes, sliced into 4 pieces

8-10 Basil leaves, torn roughly(I used dried herbs and Coriander leaves isntead)

2-3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil(EVOO)

2 pods Garlic,grated

1 tsp Lemon juice or Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 tsp Black Pepper powder

Salt, to taste

Extra Virgin Oil, to drizzle

Method:

• Make a cross mark on the tomatoes and blanch them in hot water and remove the skin and chop them into pieces. You can skip this step and just remove the seeds and chop the tomatoes into small pieces. Cut the cherry tomatoes into 4 pieces lengthwise and keep them aside.

• In a bowl mix chopped tomatoes, cherry tomatoes,torn basil leaves, grated garlic, black pepper powder, salt and add lemon juice(or Balsamic Vinegar) and Extra Virgin Olive oil and mix nicely and leave the mixture for an hour.

• Cut the french loaf diagonally  to get pieces of 3/4"thickness.

• Place a big tbsp of tomato mixture on top of each piece and bake it in preheated oven for 7-8 mins until the tomatoes wilt slightly.Alternatively you can bake the slices(drizzled with EVOO) first in oven or roast them on tawa applying butter or EVOO and then rub one side of the toasted bread with a garlic pod and place the tomato mixture on it.

Drizzle more extra virgin olive oil on top and Serve.

Notes:

1. Ideally it is suggested to roast them in preheated oven until they are slightly crisp and one side of the roasted baguette slice is rubbed with a garlic pod to infuse more flavor into the slice.Then place the tomato filling on top and drizzle more EVOO on top.
2. I did not have basil at that moment and hence I had used dried Italian herbs and coriander leaves in place of basil.But I highly recommend to use fresh Italian basil for the recipe.
3. The addition of cherry tomatoes is optional,but it adds a nice look for the bruschetta. You can even add colored cherry tomatoes and skip the big tomatoes completely.
4. Balsamic vinegar adds a nice taste to it, if you have it add it otherwise replace it with lemon juice or vinegar or you can avoid it if you do not like it more tang.
5. You can even add few bites of buffalo mozarella cheese or feta cheese or paneer in the tomato  filling.

Technorati Tags: tomato bruschetta recipe, italian bruschetta recipe, how to make bruschetta, easy starter recipes, snack recipes, party recipes, international vegetarian recipes

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Tomato Kothimeera Pacchadi | Pacchadi Recipes

I am a big fan of Andhra style Pacchadis which is usually mixed with hot rice and ghee.Ideally Pacchadis are prepared in a stone mortar, as in the olden days and hence these kind of pacchadis are called 'Roti Pacchadis', where 'roti' stands for 'stone mortar' in telugu. Pacchadis can be prepared with various vegetables, greens and dals and the texture should be very thick and slightly coarse unlike the chutneys we prepare for the breakfast items. Today I am sharing a simple Pacchadi recipe with Tomatoes and coriander - Tomato Kothimeera Pacchadi which serves as a nice combination with rice.

Check out other Andhra style roti Pacchadi recipes here.

• Beerakaya Pottu Pacchadi/Ridgegourd Peel Chutney
• Dosakaya(Andhra Cucumber) Pacchadi
• Kobbari(Coconut) Pacchadi for Rice
• Mamidikayi-Kobbari Pacchadi/Mango-Coconut Pacchadi
• Radish leaves(Mullangi akula) Pacchadi

Tomato Kothimeera Pacchadi | Tomato Coriander Chutney for Rice:

Serves 4-5

Prep time:10 mins | Cooking time:15 mins | Total time: 25 mins

Cuisine: South Indian | Category: Pacchadis-Accompaniments

Ingredients:

3-4 large ripen Tomatoes,roughly chopped

a small bunch of Coriander leaves(roughly 1.5 cups)

2 tbsp Urad dal

1 tsp Cumin seeds

5-6 Red chillies

a small cherry size Tamarind

Salt to taste

1 tbsp Oil

to temper:

1 tsp Oil/Ghee

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp Urad dal

a sprig of Curry leaves

1 Red chili,broken

a pinch of Asafoetida

Method:

• Clean the coriander leaves and retain tender stems along with the leaves and chop it roughly.
• Heat oil in a pan/kadai and add urad dal and roast until it turns slight red in color.Remove and keep the urad dal aside.
• In the same pan add cumin seeds and red chillies and fry them until they are roasted and remove them aside.
• Now in the same pan add chopped tomatoes and fry for a minute and cover it and cook until it turns pulpy.It takes 4-5 mins.
• Add chopped coriander leaves along with the tender stems and tamarind to it and fry for another 3-4 mins until the mixture becomes slightly dry.Cool the mixture slightly.
• Grind roasted urad dal with roasted red chillies,cumin seeds and salt to a coarse powder.Add cooled tomato - coriander mixture and grind it to a coarse paste.I usually do it in whipper mode to get slight coarse and pulpy pacchadi.
• Heat oil/ghee in a small tempering pan and crackle mustard seeds and add urad dal and red chillies,curry leaves and asafoetida and fry until they wilt and add this tempering to the pacchadi.

Serve it with hot steamed rice and ghee.

Notes:

1. You can store it in refrigerator for 2-3 days in an air tight container.
2. If you are preparing this chutney for Idli or Dosa,grind the chutney to a smooth paste instead of coarse paste.
3. If you find the pacchadi very tangy add a pinch of sugar or jaggery while grinding the chutney.

Technorati Tags: tomato kothimeera pacchadi, pacchadi varieties for rice, andhra pacchadi recipes, tomato pacchadi for rice, chutney varieties for rice, chutneys, tomato coriander chutney, tomato recipes, coriander recipes, andhra recipes

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Tomato Chutney Recipe | Easy Chutney Varieties for Idli/Dosa

Tomato chutney is one of the easiest options for Idli and Dosa varieties and also is a nice change from regular Coconut Chutney. I have posted earlier a version of Tomato-Onion chutney and I am posting a simple and easy version of Tomato chutney today. It is very tangy and tastes delicious with Idli and Dosa or other Breakfast varieties.

Check out other chutney varieties for Breakfast items:

• Coconut Chutney
• Green Capsicum Chutney
• Hotel Style Coconut Chutney
• Mint-Coriander flavored Coconut Chutney
• Onion Chutney
• Magaya Perugu Pacchadi 
• Mango Ginger Chutney | Mamidi Allam(Maa Inji) Chutney
• Peanut Chutney
• Red Coconut Chutney
• Tomato-Onion Chutney

Tomato Chutney for Idli/Dosa Varieties:

Serves 2-3

Prep time: 10 mins | Cooking time: 10 mins | Total time: 20 mins

Cuisine: South Indian | Category: Chutney for Breakfast - Accompaniments

Ingredients:

3-4 Tomatoes, roughly chopped
2-3 Garlic pods

4-5 Green chillies

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp Tamarind Pulp
1 tsp Sugar/Jaggery

Salt to taste

1 tbsp. Oil

to temper:

1 tbsp. Oil/Ghee

1/2 tsp Mustard seed
1 tsp Urad dal

a sprig of Curry leaves
a pinch of Asafoetida

Method:

• Heat 1/2 tsp oil and add cumin seeds, green chillies and garlic pods and fry the chillies wilt. Remove it and keep aside.
• Heat remaining oil in the same pan and add chopped tomatoes and fry them until they turn pulpy. This might take some 4-5 mins. Add soft tamarind at the end and mix well, if you are using tamarind pulp add it while grinding. Cool it a bit.
• Grind roasted garlic, green chillies and cumin seeds with salt to a coarse paste.
• Add cooked mushy tomatoes, sugar(jaggery) and tamarind pulp and grind it to a smooth or chunky chutney according to your preference. Add little water if required while grinding. Remove the chutney to a bowl.
• In the same pan heat 1 tbsp. ghee/oil and crackle mustard seeds and add urad dal, curry leaves and asafoetida and fry for some time and add this tempering to the chutney and mix well.

Serve it with Idli and Dosa varieties.

Notes:

1. You can add 1 roughly chopped onion and fry along with tomatoes and grind together to make tomato-onion chutney.
2. You can grind this chutney smooth or slightly chunky according to your preference.
3. You can even add 1/2 cup- 3/4 cup of coriander leaves when you are frying tomatoes, it adds a nice flavour to the chutney.
4. In case if you do not like smooth chutney you can also roast 2 tsp urad dal along with cumin seeds and grind it first before adding tomatoes, this adds some body to the chutney and also makes the texture different.
5. As the tomatoes add sourness it is important to add some sugar or jaggery to balance the taste. If you like it sour you can avoid adding sugar.
6. Green chillies can be replaced with red chillies in the recipe.

Technorati Tags: tomato chutney, how to make tomato chutney for idli and dosa, side dish for idli and dosa, chutney varieties, south indian chutney recipes, breakfast chutney varieties, quick chutney recipes, no coconut chutney recipes for idli and dosa, andhra recipes

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