Spicy Tomato Soup with Coconut Milk

Okay, okay. I have absolutely NO excuse for waiting so long to make my real post. I've been harassed, emailed, and teased for not being more on the ball this past month. I realize that if I don't get this done I'll be an ingredient in the next soup on here. Not good.

On a positive note, I've been given several good recipes from friends and family that I'll be featuring in the coming week. We have to earn our readership, we know. You all have waited this long, why not throw in a few extra posts for good measure!

In the meantime, this post is for my friend Kelly who spent much of December in India. She was kind enough to score me some recipes while she was there. She gave them to me handwritten with little doodles in a cool green textured journal. This is where I'll be storing my sacred soup scrolls from now on.

The first recipe I tried was a cauliflower soup aka "Gobhi Shorba." She'd originally steered me away from this one, but on the night I tried it, I was looking for something really straightforward and easy. It was, but unfortunately, it didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped. I won't be posting the recipe. If you'd like it, however, email me and I'll get it to you. I'm sure someone out there can work their magic and make it better.

Instead, I'm posting the second soup I tried, Spicy Tomato with Coconut Milk. My version wasn't spicy in the American sense. It was actually a bit sweet. I'm not sure if I'll make it again, as it wasn't one of my favorites, but I do look forward to trying the Pineapple Rasam recipe she also gave me. Stay tuned. In any case, it was fun to play with seasonings I haven't used in awhile. If you try it, let me know what you think!

Spicy Tomato Soup with Coconut Milk
1/2 cup split red lentils (redgram dal)
6 roma tomatoes (I actually used canned this go)
3 tsp of rasam (see recipe below, or purchase at an Indian grocer)

RASAM:
1 cup coriander seeds
1/2 cup dry red chilis, halved (I skipped this part)
2 tbsp split red lentils
5 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp tumeric powder
2 tbsp whole black pepper
Curry leaves or 1/2 tsp curry powder
Dry roast all the ingredients. Grind to a fine powder.

2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp tumeric powder
6 tbsp coconut milk (don't repeat my mistake. I used lite...go for the real deal!)
salt to taste
cilantro

Seasoning:
1 tbsp oil
1 black mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 whole dry red chili, halved (I skipped this one)
Curry leaves or 1/2 tsp curry powder

1. Cook lentils until soft and mushy.

2. Liquidize the tomatoes (if not using canned) and pour into a pot. Add the rasam, tumeric, salt, and brown sugar to the tomato puree. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes.

3. Add the cooked lentils. Simmer for five minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add some water to maintain a soupy consistency.

4. Add coconut milk to the rasam.

5. Use a separate pan for the seasoning. Add 1 tbsp oil. When it's heated through, add mustard seeds. Watch out, this will splatter the oil! Add the other seasoning ingredients and pour this on the rasam.

7. Garnish with cilantro or cilantro pesto. A dollop of yogurt or a swirl of the coconut milk also looks good!

Just because we're not posting soup...

...doesn't mean we're not eating it! And yes, sometimes two-handed soup is the way to go. That's right, chopsticks and a spoon! Here's a photo I took of Margaret eating at our favorite pho place on Wilson Boulevard in Arlington, right across the river from DC.

Pho 75 is bare bones, but don't be fooled by the stark decor and the no-nonsense waiters. They may not make eye contact or small talk, but they know how to get a bowl of soup in front of you. FAST.

Going solo? Bring $10 and an empty belly. This place is great any day for lunch and it's the perfect remedy for a bad day or a bad cold. A regular bowl is only $5.95 and it's the size you see in this photo. Oh, and whatever you do, don't forget to order the Vietnamese iced coffee (cafe sua da). I can't recommend this enough. It's made with sweetened condensed milk. Don't go overboard though! That one cup of coffee might be small, but it gives you enough kick to last the rest of the day.