Spicy Tomato Soup

I love our spicy Indian tomato soups and since I've been down with some cold and cough, I wanted something hot to soothe my throat and also wanted it to have some tang, so I could taste it :) Sniffly-nosed, I pulled out some ingredients and made a soup that satisfied all my needs and was done in a jiffy... The colour of the soup may not be much, but the taste definitely worked out for me.

SPICY TOMATO SOUP

Ingredients:

Roma Tomatoes - 4 or Big Tomatoes - 2, chopped

Onion - 1/3 of a medium onion, cut into 1 inch pieces

Bell pepper - 1/4 of a medium sized one, cut into 1 inch pieces

Carrot - 1, medium, cubed

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Garlic - 2 to 3 cloves

Chilli powder - 1/4 to 1/2 tsp

Bay leaf - 1

Clove - 1

Cornstarch - 2 tsp

Salt & Pepper - to taste

Butter - 1/2 tbsp and more to serve

Tomato Ketchup - abt 1 tbsp (optional)

Method:

1) In a stockpot, heat the half tbsp of butter and add the clove and bay leaf, add the chopped onions, garlic & ginger, saute till they soften.

2) Next add the capsicum and carrot and fry for a few more minutes... then add the tomatoes, salt and chilli powder and cook till they turn a bit mushy.

3) Add about 3-4 cups of water and allow this to come to a boil. Simmer on a low to medium flame for about 15 minutes.

4) Pour this through a sieve, fish out the clove, bay leaf & discard them, puree the remaining solids in a blender/mixie till smooth.

5) Mix this paste and the stock and return to the pan. Heat this and add some cornstarch dissolved in water along with ketchup (if using) and allow this to boil, till it thickens to the right consistency.

6) Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with some additional butter and crunchy croutons.