A delicious broth based flavorful tomato soup with basil and coriander.
By Suchitra Vaidyaram
I come from a family where picky eating was frowned upon. So, I pride myself as someone who can pretty much manage everything. The big exception is soups. I am a bit annoying when it comes to soups. I don’t like creamy soups and I am more in favor of broth based soups. I seldom try out soups in restaurant as most of them are cream based. So, to my big surprise, when I recently tried out this tomato soup at a hotel in Hyderabad, I loved it! The flavors were clear and lovely. Highlight of the soup was the inherent coriander flavor that just left a lingering burst of flavor in my tongue. I had to meet the chef to get my hands on the soup recipe. Lucky me, the chef was more than happy to share this recipe with me. – I made subtle changes and though it’s not 100% copy of the soup I had at the restaurant but it still packs in a punch and is delicious. 
Tulsi Tamatar Shorba
Description
A broth based flavorful tomato soup with Basil & Coriander
Ingredients
- 4–5 medium sized tomatoes (chopped)
- 1 tsp Roasted cumin powder
- 1 small carrot (chopped)
- 4 cloves of garlic (crushed and chopped)
- 1 small sized Apple (peeled and cut in cubes)
- 50 grams Coriander roots (don’t use the leaves)
- Salt according to taste
- 3/4 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
- Black pepper (dash of it)
- Olive oil to saute (2 tbsp)
- 1 tsp dried Basil
Instructions
- In a pan, heat oil and add chopped garlic. Allow the oil to absorb the garlic flavor.
- Saute the garlic slowly and after a few seconds add the tomatoes, carrot, apple, salt, Kashmiri chili powder.
- Add water and cook them for 45 minutes till the vegetables get tender and mashed.
- Add the chopped coriander roots with pepper and cook for another two minutes.
- Blend the mixture using a blender and strain with a soup strainer if you want a clear soup.
- Else, you can keep the soup chunky and thick without straining it (that’s my preference).
- Heat the soup again and add Basil and adjust the salt according to your taste.
- Serve hot!
Hi! this recipe looks delish! can I substitute ground coriander seed for coriander root? If so, how much do you recommend?
thanks!
50 grams Coriander roots (don’t use the leaves)!!??
what’s wrong with the leaves? and what good about the roots? can you explain/
Thanks
Couple of points i failed to mention in my instructions- Cumin powder. Cumin powder can be readily bought from the store. If not, you can dry roast one tsp of cumin seeds in a pan and grind it to a fine powder. when to add it? when you add the basil and adjust the salt towards the end, add the cumin powder. When I said coriander roots, i meant the stem/stock close to the roots- If you are curious about how coriander and basil will work out in the soup, let me tell you the coriander flavor stands out with basil taking the back stage- try it out!
You can get the coriander from any Asian store. You could buy a bunch of coriander leaves with stem and use the stem close to the roots (after rinsing them thoroughly in water). I used enough water to submerge all the vegetables while cooking. You could add more if need be.
Looks good (if I can figure out where to get coriander roots!) About how much water do you add in step 3?
omg, omg- looks delightful suchi ! will surely try it