Mum’s the word…Hearty Tomato Soup

You know Mom's cooking the best. You can live anywhere in the world, learn all sorts of cooking techniques and cuisines. You can be a professional cook , for god's sake. But at the end of it all, you want to come home and have Mom cook you that wonderful stuff and transport you to those golden days. There are those days when I really miss Mom's food (I miss mom, period). Of course, there are those days when you just miss somebody else cooking for you, but thats another post . It is on the days of the first variety , that I end up making either or both of the following recipes . 

Mom makes a mean Tomato soup that has spoiled our taste buds to the extent that we never like any other tomato soup. It is such a simple recipe , the secret lies in fresh juicy tomatoes and only tomatoes. She doesnt add any other veggies or spice and there in lies the taste. On those chilly winter nights , I often make this soup served with grilled cheese sandwiches and reminisce about the past.

Very simple. Pressure cook about a kilo (about 2 pounds) of ripe juicy tomatoes. Crush in the blender and sieve in a fine siever to remove seeds and skin.
Pour into a pot and bring to a boil .Skim the white stuff that gathers on top. Add salt, sugar, pepper to taste. Mix 1 tbsp butter(room temperature) with 1 tbsp cornflour(Use a fork, its simpler) and add to the soup. Bring to a boil once more stirring continously. Remove from flame and add 1/2 cup milk. (I add about 4 tbsp cream). Delicious soup is ready.

Drop in a few homemade croutons, a dollop of butter and it is ready to be consumed!!

Thanks, MOM!

Batata Song (Potato with Red Chillies and Tamarind)

Konkani Curries are mostly a blend of fresh grated Coconut,roasted Red chillies and Tamarind. However, there are those side dishes that skip the coconut part and concentrate just on Red Chillies and Tamarind, hmmmmmmmmmmm…my favorite kind . The heat from the chillies is toned down by the sourness of the tamarind. A little bit of roasted coriander seeds to cool down the palate is added ,however that is strictly optional. 

Traditionally, Coconut Oil is used in konkani cooking. But , You have to use the good variety. (Kind of like extra virgin olive oil). If you cant find the good one ( aka…one that doesnt smell of rancid coconuts), you might as well use any other oil. The red chillies are roasted in a little bit of coconut oil. Normally, in any konkani kitchen, you will find a week longs supply of whole red chillies roasted and kept aside as there is nary a konkani dish that doesnt use it. Any other spice that requires roasting is done as and when required. As for the tamarind, I use the bottled variety.

The recipe below is my bapama's recipes. Hence, I dont have any specific measurements.
Everthing is just eyeballed. However, I have tried to give approximate quantities.
Here are a couple of dishes. Consider yourself warned, you are entering the hot zone.

Batata Song (Potato in a chilli-tamarind gravy)

Before you ask me, let me tell you, I have no idea why this dish is called a song. I dont know if the word song has any other meaning in konkani. All I know is that this simple onion and potato curry zinged with the chilly+tamarind conoctation, makes my taste buds sing.

Onion 2 medium size chopped finely.
Potato 3 medium size boiled and chopped into bite size pieces.

Whole Red Chillies 8-10
Tamarind Paste 1/2 tsp
Coriander seeds 1/2 tsp
Oil, Salt.

Roast Red Chillies and coriander seeds in a little bit of oil. Grind together with tamarind paste and little bit of water if required. Cook onion in a little bit of oil. After it has softened, add the ground paste, salt and potatoes. Add enough water to bring it the consistency of a semi-dry curry. Cook till everthing blends together. Batata song is ready.

The same curry can be made with mushrooms instead of potatoes. The ones used traditionally are small button size ones, the ones that I only find canned here. Baby portabellos most resemble the taste of the mushrooms I have had in India. I have also used the normal white mushrooms that you find in grocery stores here,they work out great too.

Methi Matar Paratha(Fenugreek Leaves and Peas Paratha)

I love the combination of methi(fenugreek leaves) and matar(Peas). The bitterness of the methi is beautifully complemented by the sweetness of the matar. I am a sucker for any recipe that includes both the ingredients and I have found that it is loved by everyone else too.

 

Methi Matar Paratha.

I dont have measurements for this recipe. I just eyeball everything. I have , however, tried to give approximate quantities. Use fresh methi Leaves for this one and add a pinch of Kasuri Methi for that aromatic punch. I dont add any masalas in this recipe since I make it for breakfast and I am not a great fan of too much spice early in the morn. Best of Luck!

Matar 1 cup
Dhania Couple of Sprigs
Ginger 1" Piece
Garlic 1 Pod
Green Chillies 3-4

Methi Leaves Washed and Chopped finely.
Oil 3 tbsp
Wheat Flour About 2 cups
Salt, Sugar to taste

Grind Matar, Dhania, Ginger, Garlic, Green Chillies till the blend together. Transfer to a vessel. Add chopped Methi Leaves, Sugar, Salt,Oil and mix together. Knead in the Flour. Use water if required. However, dont add too much as the methi leaves already have a lot of moisture. Roll into parathas and cook both sides on a hot tava. Make parathas immediately.