When winter is almost bidding us adieu, enjoy this delicious & nutritious tomato shorba to celebrate the last chill of the season!
Festival time is long gone, but I am sure you are still searching for more healthy recipes to get back to your healthy eating regime. Hence I am here for your rescue!
I know I am late, but I am sure you will forgive me for my absence once you see today’s wonderful recipe which will not only help you stick to your healthy eating habit, but also warm you in chilly winter.
Not a regular soup, but today I have a delectable shorba recipe made of plump, red, ripe & juicy tomatoes. This tomato shorba is sure to win your heart this chilly season with its flavorful taste and soul-satisfying aroma.
What is tomato shorba?
Tomato shorba is a delicious tomato broth infused with beautiful Indian spices! This is a smooth & silky warm soup that will undisputedly win everyone this winter season.
If you love the regular tomato soup, I would urge you to give that a break and try this velvety tomato shorba to soothe your soul! I can guarantee you will thank me later!
Shorba, in general, has a very smooth and silky texture and is not thick at all. This is light on the stomach and hence best suited for a light dinner especially when you are trying to eat light or maintaining a calorie-deficit diet (just like your’s truly!).
To make a full meal with the delicious tomato shorba, add an oats vegetable chilla or a couple of wholewheat bread and you would be sorted with a wholesome meal for your weightloss dinner!
Ingredients for tomato shorba
Red tomatoes: For making a delicious & stunning tomato shorba, you will need plump red tomatoes which are naturally juicy. Make sure all the tomatoes are fully ripe as otherwise they will not melt well.
Whole spices: A good tomato shorba is beautifully infused with whole warm spices to soothe your soul. The aroma of bay leaf a.k.a. tej patta, cloves, green cardamom, cinnamon and black peppercorn makes this tomato shorba a winning recipe in these colder months!
Coriander stalks: An unique addition of this recipe is coriander stalks. Stalks of fresh coriander are packed with more flavors than the leaves and add a burst of flavors to your shorba!
Ginger garlic paste: Add a small amount of ginger & garlic paste for a subtle hint of pungency without overpowering the fresh flavors of tomatoes.
Powdered spices: I flavored my tomato shorba with a few spices that we typically use in daily Indian cooking. A dash of turmeric powder, coriander powder and red chilli powder will make this winter soup soul-satisfying!
Oil: You would need an oil to saute your tomatoes; feel free to use any oil of your choice – olive oil, mustard oil or any other vegetable oil that you use for your daily cooking.
Salt & pepper: Add the right amount of salt & pepper to season your shorba but my recommendation is to go easy on pepper as the soup is already flavored with warm spices.
Fresh coriander leaves: Finally, a bunch of fresh coriander leaves a.k.a. cilantro to garnish your tomato shorba before serving!
How to make tomato shorba?
Step 1: Wash and cut the tomatoes into large chunks. Wash the coriander stalks nicely to get rid of all dirt; but no need to cut them.
Step 2: Take a saucepan or stock pot and add the oil of your choice. Once the oil is hot, add all the whole spices to temper it – bay leaves, cloves, green cardamom, cinnamon, peppercorn.
Step 3: Once the whole spices become fragrant, add the ginger garlic paste and saute for a quick minute until the raw smell is gone.
Step 4: Then add the coriander stalks and tomato chunks and saute them on medium flame for a good 10 minutes until the tomatoes turn soft and mushy. You can cover the pot and cook them on low flame to allow the tomatoes to cook in their own steam.
Step 5: Now add the powdered spices – turmeric powder, coriander powder and red chilli powder. Saute them for 2 minutes.
Step 6: It’s time to add the water! Add about 3 to 4 cups of water to the pot and let it come to full boil.
Step 7: Once the water starts boiling, reduce the flame to minimum and cover the pot to let the tomatoes cook with spices for 5 minutes.
Step 8: Now switch off the flame and take the bay leaves out. Transfer the tomato mixture to a blender and allow it to cool.
Step 9: Once cooled, blend the mixture to get a thick liquid. We now need to strain it to get a velvety smooth tomato shorba.
Step 10: Place a large strainer over the cooking pot and pour the blended tomato mixture over the strainer. Using a spatula stir the mixture carefully to allow the liquid to pass through the sieve.
Step 11: Once most of the liquid is passed through, you will be left with the coarse mixture in the strainer. You can blend this again in the blender with just a little water and strain it similarly using the strainer. Discard the strained left-over.
Step 12: Now bring the pot back to the stove and warm it up on medium flame. Season it with salt & pepper to taste. Once it starts to simmer, you can switch the flame off. Your tomato shorba is ready to serve! Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and enjoy!
Other winter special recipe from Flavor Quotient
- Red tomatoes - 500 gms (about 6 to 7 large tomatoes)
- Mustard oil or vegetable oil - 1 tbsp
- Bay leaf/tej patta - 2, small
- Cloves- 3 to 4
- Green cardamom - 2 to 3
- Cinnamon- 1-inch stick
- Whole black peppercorn - 6 to 8
- Coriander stalks - 10 to 12
- Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
- Coriander powder - ¼ tsp
- Red chilli powder - ¼ tsp
- Salt & black pepper to taste
- Fresh coriander leaves to garnish
- Wash and cut the tomatoes into large chunks. Wash the coriander stalks nicely to get rid of all dirt; but no need to cut them.
- Take a saucepan or stock pot and add the oil of your choice. Once the oil is hot, add all the whole spices to temper it - bay leaves, cloves, green cardamom, cinnamon, peppercorn.
- Once the whole spices become fragrant, add the ginger garlic paste and saute for a quick minute until the raw smell is gone.
- Then add the coriander stalks and tomato chunks and saute them on medium flame for a good 10 minutes until the tomatoes turn soft and mushy. You can cover the pot and cook them on low flame to allow the tomatoes to cook in their own steam.
- Now add the powdered spices - turmeric powder, coriander powder and red chilli powder. Saute them for 2 minutes.
- It’s time to add the water! Add about 3 to 4 cups of water to the pot and let it come to full boil.
- Once the water starts boiling, reduce the flame to minimum and cover the pot to let the tomatoes cook with spices for 5 minutes.
- Now switch off the flame and take the bay leaves out. Transfer the tomato mixture to a blender and allow it to cool.
- Once cooled, blend the mixture to get a thick liquid. We now need to strain it to get a velvety smooth tomato shorba.
- Place a large strainer over the cooking pot and pour the blended tomato mixture over the strainer. Using a spatula stir the mixture carefully to allow the liquid to pass through the sieve.
- Once most of the liquid is passed through, you will be left with the coarse mixture in the strainer. You can blend this again in the blender with just a little water and strain it similarly using the strainer. Discard the strained left-over.
- Now bring the pot back to the stove and warm it up on medium flame. Season it with salt & pepper to taste. Once it starts to simmer, you can switch the flame off. Your tomato shorba is ready to serve! Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and enjoy!
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