Tomato Saar (Tomato Soup)

The weather outside is nippy and as the winter draws closer, my grandmother's Tomato Saar is the perfect soup to combine with a cup of steaming hot rice.This is a traditional Mangalorean recipe and one that  frequented our dinner table a lot. I love the combination of the peppercorns and tomatoes,gives the soup a warm and comforting taste,especially on a cold day like today.

Ingredients :

• 3 medium sized  ripe tomatoes
• 1 medium sized onion (chopped)
• 1 green chilly slit
• 4-5  flakes of garlic ( sliced)
• 1 inch ginger (finely chopped)
• 5 tender stalks of cilantro leaves (finely chopped)
• 5-6 curry leaves
• 8 peppercorns
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper powder
• A small marble sized piece of Tamarind soaked in water
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons of Oil
• 1 and half cups of water

Method :-

1. Boil the tomatoes for 5 minutes and once they have cooled,discard the water,peel the tomatoes and run your fork through them and mash them.
2. In a heavy based pan,add the oil and heat the oil on medium heat.
3. Once your oil is heated,add the mustard seeds,once the seeds start to splutter add the curry leaves and green chilly.
4. Add the chopped onions,garlic and ginger.Saute this mixture till its golden brown.(make sure this mixture doesn't burn,keep stirring it constantly)
5. Add the tomatoes,pepper corns and salt,give this a quick stir.
6. Add the powders ( chilly,turmeric,cumin and pepper powder)
7. Add the tamarind juice ( adjust this to your taste,if your tomatoes are really sour,then you may want to cut down on the tamarind juice)
8. Add the cilantro leaves and saute this mixture for a quick minute.
9. Add a cup and half of water and let this soup simmer covered till it reaches a boil. (this mixture can simmer for a good 10 minutes)
10. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and enjoy with a steaming cup of rice.