Sivi' spicy tomato soup with ginger and lemongrass

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 ½ kg tomato(s), ripe, preferably beefsteak tomato(s)
• 2 onions
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp powdered sugar
• 1 piece(s) ginger, thumb-sized
• 2 stalks of lemongrass
• 2 chili peppers, red
• 2 tsp vegetable stock cubes, ideally homemade
• Salt
• possibly water, hot

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 45 minutes

a fruity-spicy variation of the classic

Peel the onions and garlic and chop them roughly, as well as the tomatoes. Peel and finely dice the ginger, and cut the lemongrass in half a few times so it fits in the pot. Melt the butter in a sufficiently large pot and sauté the onions, ginger, and garlic. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and caramelize briefly, then add the tomatoes and stir briefly. Halve the chili peppers and add them to the soup along with the lemongrass stalks and the vegetable stock. Bring the soup to a boil briefly, then simmer over low heat for 30-40 minutes. If the soup is too thick, add a little hot water. Remove the chili peppers and lemongrass from the soup and blend briefly with an immersion blender, then pass the mixture through a sieve. I use a food processor (also known as a “Spitze Lotte”), which makes it pretty quick. Pour the soup back into the pot, bring back to a boil briefly, and season with salt if desired. The soup tastes fruity and spicy “just like that,” but we also like it with boiled rice and a dollop of sour cream.