Читать книгу Gordon Ramsay’s Great Escape: 100 of my favourite Indian recipes - Gordon Ramsay - Страница 12

500g tomatoes

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

2.5cm ginger, peeled and chopped

2 large garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped

¹/₂ tsp dried fenugreek, crushed with a pinch of salt

1 bay leaf

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin

100g tomato purée

400ml tin coconut milk

pinch of sugar (optional)

1 tbsp coconut or vegetable oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

pinch of asafoetida (optional)

handful of coriander leaves and 2 tbsp toasted flaked coconut, to garnish (optional)

This is my take on rasam, a spicy South Indian tomato soup, which is generally served with rice as a second course, following an appetising dish of sambar (see page 213). It is thought that our much loved mulligatawny soup is a derivative of rasam, although we have, through the years, toned down the heat level to suit tamer British palates. For this soup, it is better to use cheap cooking tomatoes that are flavourful but slightly sour, as this provides an astringency to balance the slightly sweet and creamy coconut milk.

Bring a pan of water to the boil. Lightly score a cross at the top and base of each tomato then lower them into the boiling water for 15–20 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and refresh in a bowl of iced water. Once cooled, peel off the skins of the tomato and roughly chop the flesh. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and add the onion, ginger and garlic. Add a pinch of salt and some pepper and sweat for 4–5 minutes until the onion begins to soften. Add the chillies, fenugreek, bay leaf, turmeric and cumin and cook for another 3–4 minutes. Tip in the chopped tomatoes and tomato purée and stir well.

Pour in the coconut milk and use the tin to measure out an equal amount of water. Add this to the pan and bring to a simmer. Cook gently for about 15–20 minutes until the tomatoes are very soft and have broken down.

Purée the soup using a stick blender (or an ordinary one) and if you want a really smooth result, push the purée through a fine sieve into a clean pan. Season well to taste with salt and black pepper, adding a pinch of sugar if it tastes too acidic from the tomatoes. If you prefer a thinner soup, dilute it with some boiling water and adjust the seasoning.

When you are ready to serve, reheat the soup. In a small saucepan, heat the coconut or vegetable oil and add the cumin seeds and asafoetida, if using. As they begin to pop, take the pan off the heat and pour the spiced oil into the tomato soup. Stir well.

Ladle into warm bowls and garnish with coriander leaves and toasted flaked coconut, if you wish. Serve immediately.