Serves: 4
Total Calories: 68

1/4 cup Tamarind Paste or store-bought
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorn
1/2 teaspoon dried fenugreek seeds
4 to 5 cups water
1 large tomato, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon peanut oil
3 dried red chili peppers, such as chile de arbol, whole or broken
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 to 2 fresh green chili pepper, such as serrano, sliced diagonally, with seeds
1 clove fresh garlic (large), minced
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground asafoetida

1. Prepare the tamarind paste. Then, heat a small skillet and dry-roast together the coriander and cumin seeds, peppercorns, and fenugreek over medium heat until they are a few shades darker, about 3 minutes. Let cool, then grind them finely.

2. Stir together the water, tamarind paste, and tomato in a large saucepan, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and boil about 5 minutes. Mix in the roasted spices and the salt, and boil another 5 minutes.

3. Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and add the red chili peppers, and the mustard and cumin seeds they should splutter upon contact with the hot oil, so lower the heat and cover the pan until the spluttering subsides. Add the onion and green chili peppers and cook, stirring, until lightly browned and soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, turmeric, and asafoetida and stir another minute.

4. Mix these seasonings into the tomato soup base and simmer over low heat about 10 minutes to blend the flavors. Adjust seasonings, if needed and serve.

VARIATION: Instead of dry-roasting the spices in step 1, use 2 tablespoons South Indian Soup Powder (see Spices and Other Seasonings), or store-bought.

From "1,000 Indian Recipes." Copyright 2002 by Neelam Batra. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 4
Total Calories: 68
Calories from Fat: 30

More Recipes from the 1000 Indian Recipes Cookbook:
* Soups
Cabbage Soup with Vegetables
Carrot-Ginger Soup
Cashew Corn Soup in Chicken Broth
Chicken Soup with Chayote Squash
Chicken Soup with Cream-Style Corn and Green Chili Peppers
Chicken Soup with Ginger and Coconut Milk
Chickpea Soup with Chicken Broth
Chilled Chickpea Soup
Chilled Potato Soup
Chilled Roasted Vegetable Soup
Chunky South Indian Tomato Soup
Classic South Indian Ginger Soup
Creamy Almond-Poppy Seed Soup
Creamy Tomato Soup
Curried Green Pea Soup
Fast Black Bean Soup, Indian Style
Fragrant Yogurt Soup
Goan Caldo-Verde Soup with Cauliflower
Goan Shrimp Soup
Mulligatawny Soup
Mysore Coconut Soup
Puréed Mushroom Soup with Yogurt
Puréed Pumpkin Soup
Puréed Spinach Soup
Quick Black Chickpea Soup with Cumin Seeds
Quick Lentil, Barley and Vegetable Soup
Quick Puréed Root Vegetable Soup
Quick Sindhi Split Pigeon Pea Soup with Tamarind
South Indian Buttermilk Soup
South Indian Lemon Soup with Mung Beans
South Indian Tamarind Soup
Spicy Chicken Broth
Spicy Lamb Broth
Spicy Shrimp with Coconut Milk and Tomato
Spicy South Indian Vegetable Soup with Tamarind
Spinach Yogurt Soup
Tomato Soup with Fresh Curry Leaves
Tomato Soup with Sautéed Vegetables
Tomato Soup with Yellow Mung Beans
Traditional South Indian Split Pigeon Pea Soup
Vegetable Soup with Yogurt and Coconut
Vegetarian Broth
Yellow Mung Beans and Spinach Soup with Sizzling Cumin Oil
Yogurt Soup with Flame-Roasted Eggplant