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!
omg, omg- looks delightful suchi ! will surely try it
Looks good (if I can figure out where to get coriander roots!) About how much water do you add in step 3?
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.
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!
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
Hi! this recipe looks delish! can I substitute ground coriander seed for coriander root? If so, how much do you recommend?
thanks!