Ingredients

• 1 kg. fresh tomatoes, quartered or roughly chopped*

• 1 tbsp. olive oil

• 1 tbsp. butter

• 1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced

• 1-2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

• 3 cups vegetable stock or use stock pots or stock cubes or vegetarian bouillon granules. If you eat meat, add chicken or other meat stock.

• Salt to taste

• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, dry roasted and coarsely ground

• 1 tsp. sugar, to be added only after tasting and it is too tart

• Freshly ground pepper to taste

• 1/2 cup chopped spring onion greens, finely chopped

• Chilli sauce (optional) to taste

• *You can make it with tinned tomatoes, even tomato purée, if you do not have fresh tomatoes.

Instructions

1. Heart butter and oil together in a pan.

2. Add onions and ginger and fry until onions are softened, but not browned.

3. Add tomatoes and fry for another minute.

4. When tomatoes are a little bit softer, add vegetable stock or water +stock cubes/granules/stock pots.

5. Bring to boil and simmer for 15 minutes or so, until tomatoes have softened.

6. Blend the soup and press through a sieve to remove any seeds and skins.

7. Place it back in a pan, adjust salt according to taste.

8. Add cumin.

9. Add 1-2 tsp. sugar or sweetener here, if it seems too tart (khutta).

10. Add black pepper, and chilli sauce to taste, if desired.

11. Before serving, add chopped spring onion greens and simmer for a couple of minutes.

12. Pour into soup bowls and serve hot with a slice of fresh bread.