Tomato Soup

INGREDIENTS:

Ripe Red Tomatoes - 3 or 4
Garlic - 3 cloves
Onion - 1/2 chopped
Pepper powder  - 1 teaspoon
Red chilli flakes - 1 teaspoon
Corn Flour - 1 tablespoon
Water - 1 cup
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Butter - 100 gms
Salt to taste

HOW TO MAKE:

1) Boil some water in a pan and switch off the stove. Place the whole tomatoes in this boiling water for 10 minutes covering the lid of the pan.

2)  Cool the tomatoes and peel off the skins of the tomato. Chop them and grind them coarsely.

3)  In another pan, heat the butter, add the onions and the garlic and fry over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Cool this and grind to a paste.

4)Stir in tomatoes and their juice. Stir in sugar and chilli flakes; bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally for 5-10 minutes.

5) Add cornflour mixed with cold water and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook till desired consistency . Remove from the stove.

6) Garnish with grated cheese/cream / toasted bread sticks, more pepper & serve soup in individual bowls.

RATING NOTES:

              DIFFICULTY LEVEL    :   EASY

              RATING  POINTS         :    8/10**

**  For an even smoother soup, pass the pureed tomatoes through a fine-mesh strainer before stirring in the chicken broth in step.

** You can also add a small piece(1 inch) of beetroot to the boiling tomatoes and puree it along with them so that you can get a more prominent color to the soup if the tomatoes are not ripe red.