Tomato Shorba

A shorba is a flavour packed, wholesome, healthy, filling and a must have soup in winters. Shorba originally is from the Middle East, Shorba is derived from the arabic word ‘Shurbah’ meaning soup. Shorba is traditionally prepared by simmering meat in boiling water along with salt and flavoured with aromatic curry spices and herbs. However it has become extremely popular in India with lots of vegetarian and vegan variations, and tomato shorba is one of the most famous. It is super easy to make and come together in less than 30 minutes and perfect to serve as a starter or as a part of a main meal.

Soups and shorba are different in a few key aspect the main being soup may or may not include ingredients like vegetables and meat, but shorba never includes any added ingredient. Shorma is prepared with meat or vegetables and spices, but the broth is separated from the ingredients before being served.

Over years many vegetarian alternatives of Shorba have surfaced. The main base of this shorba is with thick, plump tomatoes with a few more vegetables to make it healthy and hearty. It uses many Indian whole spices such as cardamom, cumin seeds, anise star and curry leaves which give the soup its intense flavours. Shorba usually is like a broth and no cream or milk is used, in order to give the soup a bit of creaminess and thickness I’ve added a bit of flour. This shorba can be easily be made vegan and gluten free by substituting the ghee or butter for oil and avoiding the use of flour.

This one pot shorba is all that you need to warm up your winter evenings.

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Helpful Tips and Tricks to make Tomato Shorba:

• A shorba always tastes best with fresh ingredients but you can use canned tomatoes. Just reduce the quantity of water. After blending, if you find the shorba thick, gradually stir in more liquid until your shorba reaches the desired consistency. 
• If you like a hint of chilli in your shorba you can add 1 green chilli along with the vegetables.
• If you want you can add a tempering to the shorba before serving. It adds flavour and texture to the soup.
• The shorba keep well in an air tight container in the refrigerator for uptown 2-3 days.

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Tomato Shorba

Serves: 6 Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 20 Minutes 20 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

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Ingredients

• 750 grams ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 red onion, roughly chopped 
• 1/2 beetroot, chopped (optional)
• 1 small carrot, chopped
• 1 stick celery, chopped
• 15-20 curry leaves
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1" ginger, chopped
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 star anise
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves
• 6-7 black peppercorns
• 1 black cardamom
• 1 clove
• 900ml water
• 3 tbsp all purpose flour
• 3 tbsp ghee or butter

method

1. Add ghee or butter in a deep pan over medium heat, as it melts add the cumin, garlic, curry leaves, star anise, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, cardamom, peppercorns and clove. Sauté for 1-2 minutes, or until you smell the aroma of the whole spices. 
2. Add the chopped onions, carrots, beetroot and celery and sauté till the onions are soft and pale, roughly 5-6 minutes.
3. Add the flour and sauté for a few minutes till it all comes together. Add the tomatoes and salt. Stir well. Add the water and bring to a boil. Simmer and cook until the vegetables are well cooked, this should take 15-18 minutes. Switch of the gas and let the mixture cool for some time. 
4. Remove the bay leaves, star anise, cardamom and cinnamon stick. Put the mixture in a high speed blender and blend until pureed. 
5. Return the soup to the pan, make sure the soup is well blended and smooth if not put through a strainer. Reheat the soup over a medium-low heat stirring often. Taste and adjust the seasoning. 
6. Serve hot with croutons, Indian fried bread to coriander leaves.

Did You Make This Recipe?

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