Don't knock it til you've tried it... Tomato-ginger soup

I know this isn't going to be my most popular post - the two comments I had on Facebook to this soup were 'yuck' and 'ew, pregnancy does give you weird cravings'.

But let me state officially for the record. I liked this LONG BEFORE I became pregnant. And it's yummy. If you like any sort of Indian food, you'll like this. And even if you don't like Indian food, I think you'll like it, as in my mind it has more of a European feel to it than anything else.

I first tried this back in 2005, when I found a recipe for tomato-ginger soup paired with grilled cheese and fennel sandwiches with curry mayo. I was very intrigued by the combination, and found I loved it - with or without the always wonderful grilled cheeses.

The second time I had it was in Provence in the summer - after picking lovely ripe wonderful tomatoes from the garden, we wondered what we could do to give a tomato soup a bit of oomph - and my mind raced back to the warmth that the ginger brought to the soup.

Years later, in the late months of winter, I think this soup has its merits - it's so easy to make, it's healthy and it's really tasty. And you can use those tins of basic chopped tomatoes from the supermarket that cost only 31p a go to make a fantastic soup. I made a huge batch and freezed some in individual portions.

Tomato-ginger soup

serves 2

2 tins chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 medium red onion, finely sliced

fresh ginger - about 1 inch, peeled and chopped

pinch of cinnamon

pinch of paprika

pinch of curry powder or garam masala

salt and pepper

cracked dried red chillies

optional: reduced-fat sour cream

Okay, this is almost too easy: heat the oil in the pot. Saute the onions over medium-high heat until translucent. Add the garlic, ginger and spices and saute for a few more minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Allow to simmer for about half an hour, checking the seasoning along the way and adding more salt/pepper/water to the mixture if needed.

After half an hour, use a handblender to puree the soup. Serve immediately or allow to cool and serve later. 

Lovely with a dollop of sour cream on top if you want a cool aftertaste to all that lovely warm ginger.

Calories: I don't have the exact figure, but each serving is easily less than 250 calories, including the sour cream. Would be good with a slice of bread to (or those grilled cheese sandwiches...)


So tell me your thoughts - would you try it? Do you think it sounds disgusting? Or would you only eat it with the divine grilled curry and cheese sandwiches?!