Indian-style tomato soup

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 kg tomatoes
• Coconut milk as needed
• Oil or ghee
• Curry paste, red, amount to taste
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 tsp vegetable broth
• some coriander leaves, with root
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• 1 chili pepper(s), dried
• Salt
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• ½ tsp cumin
• some ginger root

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 55 minutes

Wash the tomatoes and remove the green stems. Set aside three tomatoes for the garnish and quarter the remaining tomatoes. Finely chop the ginger and garlic. Grind the pepper, mustard seeds, and cumin in a mortar and pestle. Trim the coriander roots and set the green parts aside. To preserve their color, trim them last. Toast the ground spices with 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric in a large pot. After about a minute, add a little oil or ghee, heat until hot, and then add the curry paste. Sauté the garlic and ginger for about a minute, then add the quartered tomatoes to the pot. After another minute, top up with water, add the vegetable stock, coriander roots, and chili pepper, and simmer everything on low heat for about 30 minutes. Finally, add the coconut milk; the amount depends on your taste and the desired consistency. Bring water to a boil in another pot. Briefly blanch the three reserved tomatoes in boiling water and then refresh them under cold water to make the skin easier to peel. Quarter the peeled tomatoes, remove the seeds, and cut into small cubes. Divide these among individual soup bowls and pour over the hot soup. Now chop the fresh cilantro and garnish the soup with it. Tip: If you don’t have fresh tomatoes, use two packages of passata and omit the tomato garnish.