Recipe: Great Tomato Soup

Soup! It's a tom yum rasam fusion, for the height of the tomato season. If you don't have the two kinds of masalas (spice blends) use an equal quantity in curry powder...

1. Submerge:

-6 small tomatoes

in boiling water for 4 minutes. Drain, cool, and pull off skins.

2. Meanwhile roast in a little oil until fragrant:

-10 peppercorns
-1 tsp cumin

and grind with a mortar and pestle or food processor.

3. In soup pot, cook until fragrant:

-1 tbs ghee (or oil)
-1/2 tsp mustard seed
-1/2 tsp cumin seed

then add, cooking until golden:

-1 serrano chili (red; de-seeded)
-1 bulb shallot, minced
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 thumb ginger, minced

and then, along with the tomatoes and spice paste above:

-6 cups broth (vegetable is good)
-1 tbs masoor dhal (red lentils)
-1 stalk lemongrass (bruised)
-1 leaf kaffir lime (scorched)
-1/2 tsp garam masala
-1/4 tsp Madras masala
-1 tsp tamarind paste (optional)
-1/2 tsp jaggery (or brown sugar)
-1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)

simmer until dhal disappears. Puree with an immersion blender, then continue to cook until reduced to your likeness -- we ate ours sauce-thick, in shallow bowls containing:

-slices of colourful tomatoes (raw)
-balls of sticky rice (aka Thai sweet rice)
-splashes of coconut milk.