Tangy and Spicy Soup: It's Vegan and Easy to Make
Pressure cook tomatoes, onions, carrots and celery with seasonings with water till soft. Strain the broth and reserve. Remove the bay leaf, star anise and peppercorns, then gently mash the veggies and mix them back into the broth. Heat this mixture in a saucepan; meanwhile make a corn-starch and water slurry. When the soup is almost boiling, add chopped cilantro and the cornstarch slurry - stir to prevent lumps, and cook till soup is thickened. Drizzle sesame oil, sprinkle with paprika, and after 2-3 min, stir the surface gently to distribute the paprika infused oil. Serve hot, along with sides of soy sauce, red chilli paste, salad and fresh bread. Enjoy!
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 -
Nutrition
Calories: 91kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 1gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 358mgPotassium: 305mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 3039IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 47mgIron: 1mg
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