Tomato soup

A few decades back, I was just a little kid. Whenever we went to a fancy restaurant to eat 'North Indian Food' we did order tomato soup, gobi manchurian, roti, panner and probably a vegetable subzi and fried rice- noodles. Finish it with the tall decadant 'Gud-Bud' icecream. I was a kid who loved slurping the scary red tomato soup. In fact soup to most of us back then meant tomato soup. Was it not the food colour tainted thinned down version of a cheap bottled ketchup tongue ticking? Of course it was, for my untrained palate and my blissful ignorance.
Then a few years later during the peak of Delhi winters, the Maggi version of tomato soup kept my heart warm and my body and soul together.
Now it is time to think of Sunny boy and what he did like to eat. He is a 'soup guy'. He adores soup. Just this afternoon his lunch was two tiny bowls of thinned down tomato ketchup version of Tomato soup. My heart bled looking at him eat the warmed up concoction of artificial food colours and unidentified stuff out of all sort of coloured cans. I felt like screaming at the top of my lungs, to convey the point. But it is hard to convince a two year old.
Never mind, another day he will figure out what is the better deal. This is a picture of something made at home and tastes like nothing ever served at a regular restaurant.


We will need, Tomatoes canned 1 (Else 3 medium tomatoes blanched and skin removed)
Butter 1 tbsp
Cloves 2
Garlic clove 1
Cilantro 1/2 cup
Sugar  1 tbsp
Salt
Black pepper
Heavy cream (optional)

Method:
  • Heat butter in a soup pot. Saute the garlic and throw in the cloves.
  • Once the cloves are fragrant, throw in the tomatoes. Cook till the tomatoes are soft. Turn off the heat and allow it to cool.
  • Once the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, throw it into a blender with the cilantro and pulse till smooth. Thin it down with water to the desired consistancy.
  • Pour the soup back into the soup pot and turn on the heat. Adjust salt and pepper.
  • Once the soup is hot,stir in the heavy cream if using. Else serve it with a crouton of your choice.

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