Tangy and spicy, this is one delicious soup you can whip up in a jiffy with common pantry staples…. Let’s see now… onions, tomatoes, carrots, celery…. See anything exotic in this list?
With tomatoes to make it tangy, and the combination of simple seasonings to make it spicy, this light and refreshing broth-like soup will surely tickle your palate. It also goes really well with any kind of cuisine… So, whenever the craving hits, just make it! With just under 100 cal/serving, it’s a wonderful “meal-starter” soup – perks up your appetite for the rest of the meal!
This delightful concoction always lifts my spirits when it is damp and gloomy outside… It’s also perfect when you want to have something warm and comforting while you’re curled up on the couch, watching your favorite old movie… And Sure…. Go grab some more when your bowl is empty – This light soup isn’t really going to wreck your “healthy eating” resolve!
Cook the vegetables in a pressure cooker
Use your trusty pressure cooker (Instant Pot, stove-top..) to cook the vegetables… Super simple and fast! Just cut up the vegetables into biggish chunks, add water, some seasonings, and that’s it… you’re ready to roll! The pressure cooker will do its thing, in about 8-9 min, while you go about doing whatever else you need to do. No need to watch it while it cooks…
What if you don’t have a pressure cooker? No worries, you can just cook the veggies in a saucepan on your stove… although it will most definitely take longer, and you will probably need to keep an eye on it, and stir it occasionally. See Recipe Notes for details.
Don’t have a pressure cooker yet? Get One… It’s worth it!
If you don’t have a pressure cooker, though, I seriously urge you get one! Put this item on a high priority list of “things to get” for your kitchen!
Why? Well, for starters, since your food cooks faster in a pressure-cooker, you use less gas/electricity. Perhaps even more importantly, though, the nutritional quality of your food will be better! How come? Pretty simple…. Since many vitamins and other vital micro-nutrients are destroyed by prolonged heating, shorter cooking time leads to less nutrient loss.
And hey, just in case it’s important to you…. Do you also see the direct correlation between shorter cooking time, i.e., lower energy consumption…. and leaving a smaller carbon footprint?
Mash the veggies and Thicken the soup with cornstarch
Once your veggies are cooked, strain the broth with a mesh strainer. Set the broth aside while you work with the cooked veggies. Transfer the veggies to a plate or shallow bowl and cool for a bit. When cool enough to touch with your fingers, remove the bay leaf and star anise. Rub the peel off the tomato slices between your fingers and start mashing the veggies.
I like to use my fingers to feel the texture as I mash the different veggies.. it’s kind of fun to do that! But I suppose you could use a fork, if you wish. Then just mix the mashed veggies back into the broth and get ready to finish making the soup.
Bring the mixture to a boil, while you make a slurry with cornstarch and water. Season the soup (salt, sugar, etc.) add extra water to make up the volume you need, stir occasionally to distribute heat evenly.
When it starts to boil, turn the heat off and quickly pour and stir the slurry into the soup. Turn the heat on again…keep stirring…. Within minutes, you will see the soup become thicker, and start to look a bit glossy too. Taste-test a tiny bit in a spoon (careful… blow on it a little to cool it down first!) to make sure the corn starch is fully cooked.
The finishing touches to the soup…
Now for the finishing touches…. Drizzle a little sesame oil (or peanut oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil…) on the soup and immediately sprinkle paprika on the oil. Wait a few seconds for the paprika to mix with the oil, then gently stir the surface, to swirl the oil all over the top.
All that’s left to do is the garnish – chopped cilantro, or mint, or Thai Basil, Italian basil, parsley…. your call! That’s it! Grab some bowls, ladle the soup and let everyone add whatever they like… a squeeze of lime, hot sauce, soy sauce (use coconut aminos for soy-free soup), green onions, crunchy croutons….
And yeah… maybe you’d even like some shredded Parmesan cheese …. Why not?! It’s your tangy and spicy soup, after all…. You’re “allowed” to put whatever you want on it!
Lots of soup recipes posted
Are you, like me, a big-time soup lover? Are you always looking for interesting soups to try? Maybe you’d like to check out some that I’ve posted here….
- Lentil Vegetable Soup – Moroccan style, hearty soup
- Navy Bean Soup with Carrots – a satisfying “One-dish Meal”
- Carrot-Ginger Soup – light, smooth, tangy, spicy and beautiful
- Fast-fix Tomato Basil Soup – always a winner, anytime, anywhere
- Creamy Mushroom Soup – with brown rice and tofu “cream” sauce
- Creamy Kale Chowder – with lots of veggies, it fills you up fast
As you can probably tell from the brief descriptions, some of these are light, others are pretty hearty and can be your “one-dish meal”…. All are designed to provide you with rock-solid, balanced nutrition, and all are pretty easy to make. Of course, some do involve more prep work than others, but that doesn’t mean they are “hard” to make! I’ve got several other soup posts coming up soon… be on the lookout!
Meanwhile, hope you make, share and enjoy some that I’ve listed here! Please also leave a review and rating… Thanks!
Special Diets
This deliciously tangy and spicy soup is vegetarian and vegan, soy-free, gluten-free and nut-free. If you are prefer to avoid onion and/or garlic, substitute the onions and the optional garlic with some of the alternatives I have listed in Recipe Notes. Obviously, the onion-free soup will taste different, but it will still tickle your palate and make you reach for seconds!
Super easy to make, this soup makes a frequent appearance on my table, especially during the cold and gloomy winter months…. or when I simply have a craving for it! Best of all, I never have to worry about whether it will “go well” with the rest of the items on my menu.
So…. When you want an easy soup to accompany your meal, don’t reach for a can of store-bought soup! Just fish out the veggies from your refrigerator / pantry, and whip this one up instead! Sure, the store-bought is easy, but taste-wise, it can’t hold a candle to this one! Plus, you can also customize the flavors of this light and refreshing soup – make it as spicy as you want, as tangy as you want… you decide!
Make it, share it with friends and family…. steaming hot, with any meal, any cuisine, any time!
Do leave a review and star rating… thanks a bunch!
Enjoy!
Tangy and Spicy Soup: It’s Vegan and Easy to Make
Equipment
- Pressure cooker preferred any kind – electric (like Instant Pot), stove-top; if not available, see directions for stove-top cooking.
- Mesh strainer – stainless steel preferred plastic mesh strainer is OK if you do not strain the cooked vegetables when they are very hot. It's better to wait until they cool down till lukewarm, before straining.
- Heavy bottom stainless steel saucepan – 2-3 quart/liter a non-stick coated pot is OK too; do NOT use an un-coated aluminum or cast iron/carbon steel pot: the acids in the soup will react with these metals – not good!
Ingredients
- 1 cup Tomatoes – cut into quarters (about 2 medium large Roma) any variety of red and ripe tomatoes OK
- 1/2 cup Carrots – cut into chunks (about 5-7 baby carrots) orange/pinkish orange carrots preferred – for best color
- 1/2 cup Onions – sliced thick any variety OK: white, yellow, red
- 1/2 cup Celery – sliced into 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) thick pieces – about 2 medium thickness sticks trim the leaves away and reserve, separately – use leaves for garnish – see below, under Garnish
- 1 whole Bay Leaf
- 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp Fennel seeds
- 1 whole Star Anise
- 1/4 tsp Crushed Red pepper adjust as per spiciness desired
- 4 1/2 cups Water – divided into 3 portions: 2 cups, 2 cups and 1/2 cup adjust as needed for desired soup consistency
- 1/2 tsp Salt – divided into 2 equal portions, 1/4 tsp each adjust as desired – don't add extra salt until after the soup is ready
- 1 1/2 tsp Sugar adjust to your taste preference – I like the soup to be just a tad sweet – to balance the tangy and spicy flavors
- 1/4 tsp Black pepper, freshly crushed, preferred
- 2 tbsp Corn Starch also known as Cornflour; if not available, use equal amount of Arrowroot or Tapioca flour; use up to 1 1/2 tsp more if you want the soup to be thicker
- 2 tsp Oil Extra Virgin Olive Oil preferred; if not available, use Peanut or Sesame oil, or another neutral oil you like; I do not recommend Coconut oil for this soup.
- 1/4 tsp Paprika (ground) – (not spicy) if not available, use any mild-flavored, Red chilli powder – for good color; Kashmiri Chilli powder, Byadgi/Bedgi chilli powder, Guajillo Chile powder, etc
Garnish and serve on the side
- 1/4 cup Cilantro (Fresh Coriander leaves)- chopped or…. Italian Basil, Thai Basil, Mint, Parsley – YOU decide
- 1 whole Lime/lemon – cut into wedges cut it just before serving for best flavor
- 2 tbsp Fresh Red Chilli Paste if not available, see Recipe Notes for alternative options
- 1 tbsp Red Chilli Oil (optional) If not available, mix 1/8 tsp red chilli powder, 1/8 tsp paprika and 2 tbsp oil (I prefer to use peanut oil or sesame oil; olive oil OK too)
- 1/4 cup Green onions (optional) – sliced green tops OK to use the white and light green parts if you like – otherwise reserve for another use
- 2 tbsp Celery leaves (optional) – chopped
- 2 tbsp Soy sauce (optional) – low-sodium Avoid regular soy sauce- it has very high sodium content
Instructions
Prep the vegetables
- Peel and slice onions – medium thick about 1/8 inch (1/4 cm) thickness
- Rinse, peel and cut carrots into chunks – if using baby carrots, no need to peel or cut – I do recommend rinsing them, thoughRinse and cut tomatoes: chunks quarter them lengthwise Rinse and slice celery stalks : about 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) thicknessPlace all the the prepared vegetables in a pressure cooker insert-pot (a pot/mixing bowl that comfortably fits inside your main pressure cooker pot). See Recipe Notes for details
Cook the vegetables in Pressure cooker: If NOT using pressure cooker, check Recipe Notes for stove-top cooking directions.
- Add the spices: bay leaf, peppercorns,crushed red pepper, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, star anise and 1/4 tsp portion of salt.Set up your pressure cooker for pot-in-pot cooking: Place a trivet in the main pressure cooker cooker pot. Add 1 1/2 -2 cups water to the main pot. Place the vegetable container on the trivet. Add 2 cups water to the vegetables. Close the lid and pressure cook for 8-9 min at full pressure. Turn heat off and allow natural pressure release – this may take about 15 min or so. If you're in a little bit of a rush, increase the pressure-cooking time to 10 min at full pressure; after allowing natural pressure release for 10 min, you can safely force-release the residual pressure. Doing this will save you about 5-7 min of waiting around for natural pressure release to be 'done'. Of course, you can start prepping your garnish materials while you wait….or set the table…. or do something else!
Make the soup
- Place a mesh strainer over a pot/bowl. Remove the insert-pot containing the cooked vegetables from the pressure cooker and strain.
- This is the broth collected in the bowl. Set it aside while you mash the cooked veggies.
- Transfer the cooked veggies from the mesh to a plate or shallow bowl to cool a bit. Remove and discard the bay leaf and star anise. When cool enough to handle, use your fingers to gently rub off the peels from the tomato pieces – place the peels back in the insert pot in which you cooked the veggies. Use your fingers, or a fork, to gently mash the cooked veggies – I do not recommend using a blender – I find the texture is much better when you gently finger-mash or fork-mash these veggies.
- Transfer the mashed veggies and the strained broth you had set aside to a medium saucepan – 2-3 quart/literAlso: Add the 1/2 cup portion of water to the saved tomato peels and rub them again. The peels will look stripped clean of the residual tomato pulp sticking to them. Remove and discard the peels. Add this liquid to the broth with the mashed veggies. Add the remaining 2 cups of water (I recommend that you pre-heat it to boiling first – it will save you some time!), the remaining 1/4 tsp salt, 1 1/2 tsp sugar and 1/4 tsp freshly crushed black pepper. Stir to mix, then cover the saucepan and start heating on low-medium heat, stirring occasionally to distribute the heat evenly. Taste-test and adjust salt and sugar if need be. However, I recommend not adding any extra salt or sugar at this stage: wait until the soup is completely ready to adjust these and the spiciness level.
- While waiting for the soup mixture to come to a boil, make a slurry with corn starch and water. Add 2 tbsp corn starch and 1/4 cup water into a small bowl.
- Mix well and break up any lumps that might form.
- The corn starch quickly and easily mixes with water to make a smooth lump-free slurry.
- When the soup mixture is almost boiling, it's time to thicken it with the slurry.
- Turn the heat off, and quickly add the slurry while stirring the soup to prevent forming lumps. Note: Mix the slurry again just before adding to the soup – the corn starch tends to settle to the bottom very quickly!
- Turn heat on again and stir, almost continuously, until the soup thickens and becomes a little clearer – it should only take 2-3 min. Let it boil and simmer on low heat for another 2-3 min. Taste-test a small portion to check whether the corn starch is fully cooked, then turn the heat off.Careful…! I don't want you to burn your tongue while you do this! So… take some soup in a small spoon, blow on it a few times to cool it down a little, and then taste it.
- Drizzle 2 tsp of olive oil, or another oil you prefer, on top of the soup. Sprinkle paprika on the oil. Cover for 2-3 min, undisturbed.
- While waiting, prepare the garnish materials: wash and chop cilantro, cut the lemon/lime into wedges.Also OK to use fresh Italian basil, fresh Thai basil, fresh parsley….. it doesn't have to be cilantro!
- Maybe slice up some green onions too… Then, set everything out for your meal…. sliced fresh bread, fresh red chilli paste, maybe some soy sauce (or coconut aminos for soy-free)… and oh yeah, maybe some cheese too! lots of options!
- By this time, the paprika will be nicely absorbed in the oil, which will have turned a brilliant red. Gently swirl the red oil all over the top of the soup.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Pot-in-pot cooking with pressure cooker:
I love this method of cooking in the pressure cooker, because it allows you to control how much water is in your food. Since the water that generates the steam to build ‘pressure’ is in the outer container, you can essentially cook something in the insert container without adding any liquid to it at all! Also, cleaning everything afterwards is simpler too. The main pressure cooker pot never actually comes in contact with any food! Click the link below to see the pictures of- Insert containers
- Trivets, racks to use for pot in pot cooking
- How to set up for pot-in-pot cooking
No Pressure Cooker?
No worries…. Just cook the vegetables and seasonings in water on the stove-top until very soft cooked (do the “thumb-mash” test to check)- May take about 25-30 min.
- I recommend using only one cup of water at first- bring to a boil and then turn heat down to simmer, covered.
- Check on it every 5 min or so; add more water, boiling hot preferably, about 1/2 cup at a time, as needed.
- Do a “thumb-mash” test
- remove a celery piece (or carrot) set it to cool a bit on a plate
- when cooled, press down of the celery piece with your thumb – does it get mashed easily?
- If so, it’s done – check with the carrot too, to confirm
- If not, continue to cook and repeat the “thumb-mash” test.
- Strain the hot mixture in a mesh strainer.
- Continue as directed in the recipe.
Red Chilli Paste not available?
No worries…. Try one of the following alternatives to add an extra Zing to your soup:- Any type of hot sauce – Sriracha, Cholula, etc.
- I do NOT recommend using Tabasco sauce
- Whip up a Quick-Fix Hot Sauce
- Mix the following ingredients for a – store leftover sauce in a small glass bottle in the refrigerator; it’s good for at least 2 weeks, maybe more:
- 1/2 tsp Red chilli powder (cayenne)
- 1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar (or other mild vinegar),
- 1 tbsp water
- 1/16 tsp salt
- 1/16 tsp sugar
- Mix the following ingredients for a – store leftover sauce in a small glass bottle in the refrigerator; it’s good for at least 2 weeks, maybe more:
Don’t want to use Onions?
No worries…. Replace the onions with one of the following:- Any white-yellow-orange-fleshed squash: peeled and chopped
- Pumpkin
- Butternut
- Kabocha
- Acorn
- Calabash (aka Dudhi, Lauki, Opo)
- Zucchini – peeled
- Yellow Summer squash – peeled
- Ash Gourd (Petha, Kohlaa)
- White-fleshed pumpkin
- When cooked properly, any of these vegetables will be easy to finger-mash along with the other vegetables
- These veggies also add a hint of sweetness – mimicking the sweetness of cooked onions
Storing Leftovers:
Transfer leftover soup to a glass/ceramic lidded container. In Refrigerator:- Use within 2-3 days
- Re-heat on the stove-top or in the microwave till heated through. Stir well and be sure to let it come to a boil before serving.
- Use within 3-4 weeks, may be good for longer
- Thaw to room temp first –
- remove lid and set on he counter for about 30 min
- heat at 30% power in the microwave (defrost setting) for a few min, checking frequently, until thawed.
- Re-heat on the stove-top (in a saucepan), or in the microwave till heated through. Stir well and be sure to let it come to a boil before serving
- Thaw to room temp first –
Me too a soup fan, will definitely try this simple tasty recipe 👍😊
I hope you enjoy it, Padmaja! 😊