Tomato Shorba / Indian-style Tomato Soup

5 from 98 votes

Tomato Shorba / Indian-style Tomato Soup

Tomato shorba is a hearty, delicious, and easy-to-make Indian-style tomato soup. Also called tamatar ka shorba, this soup is made using cilantro/coriander stems and tomatoes along with a few spices. Making it in an Instant Pot is a breeze, and the soup is ready in 20 minutes.

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 99kcal

Author: Shilpa Kerur

Ingredients

10 tomatoes roughly chopped
2 teaspoon oil
2 bay leaves
2 inch cinnamon
1 star anise
4 cloves
1 tablespoon besan (gram flour)
2 cloves garlic grated
½ inch ginger grated
1 tablespoon cilantro/coriander stem finely chopped
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon coriander powder
½ teaspoon pepper powder
½ teaspoon sugar
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon coriander leaves
1 tablespoon coconut cream

Instructions

Set the Instant Pot in saute mode and add oil. Add whole spices (bay leaf, cinnamon, star anise, cloves) and saute for a few seconds.
Add ginger and garlic. Saute for one minute. Add besan, turmeric, chili powder, and coriander powder. Add ¼ cup water and saute for two minutes.
Add 2 cups of water. Mix well and deglaze the pot. Add tomatoes, cilantro stem, and salt. Mix well.
Secure the lid of the Instant Pot and set it to pressure cook mode.
Pressure cook on high for 5 minutes. Do natural pressure release for 10 minutes, then do a quick release.
Pick the whole spices and discard them.
Using an immersion blender, blend the shorba well.
Add crushed black pepper and coconut cream. Mix well. Top with coriander leaves and serve with bread croutons.

Video

Notes

Use ripe and juicy tomatoes to make shorba. While fresh tomatoes taste best, you may also use canned tomatoes. For canned tomatoes, reduce the amount of water by ½ cup.

I use a small amount of besan in this recipe as it adds thickness to the soup. Also, frying the besan adds a nutty taste to the soup. This is an optional ingredient and can be skipped.

It is important to pick and discard the spices after cooking. I do not sieve the shorba and blend it after discarding the whole spices. It is silky smooth once you blend it well.

Nutrition