Tomato Saar
This Indian style tomato soup is especially comforting on a chilly winter evening.
Ingredients:
8-10 tomatoes, 3-4 fresh green chillies, 2 onions, sliced, 7-8 garlic pods, crushed 2 tbsp freshly grated coconut, 1 tsp tamarind paste, 1 tsp black peppercorns,
For the tempering :
1 tbsp oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, a few curry leaves, 3-4 pods of garlic finely chopped, 1 slit green chilli, salt to taste.
For the garnish :
Khakra, raw mango chhundo
Soak freshly grated coconut with just a splash of warm water. Squeeze through a muslin cloth to procure thick coconut cream. Alternatively, you can use readymade coconut cream. Add all the ingredients (except the ones for tempering and garnish) to a heavy-bottom vessel or a pressure cooker with just enough water to cover it. Cook for 15 minutes or for up to 3 whistles. Once cool, blend this mixture and strain. In a pan, bring the strained tomato soup to a simmer.
On a low flame, mix in the thick coconut cream slowly, using a whisk to combine it with the soup. Avoid using a high flame as this may split the coconut milk. This is traditionally a thin soup, but not watery. So adjust the consistency according to your liking by adding water. Heat oil in a tadka kadai. Add mustard seeds and let them pop. Add garlic and green chillies. Once brown, add the curry leaves and pour the tadka into the soup. Serve warm with khakra and chhundo. Chhundo is a tangy raw mango pickle. Add a small amount of chhundo and top it with pieces of crushed khakhra. Tomato Saar is ready.
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Chef Nilesh Limaye