Tomato Shorba (Tamatar ka Shorba) is a thin Indian-style spiced tomato soup made with ripe tomatoes, aromatic whole spices and finished with coriander. It’s perfect as a light starter and can be ready within 15 minutes.
I use my pressure cooker for speediness but you can make it in a saucepan too.
Note – This recipe has been updated from the archives – first published February 2013. I’ve added new images and helpful content, the recipe remains the same.
Funny enough, this recipe actually comes from an Indian restaurant in Switzerland — yes, Switzerland! I was nine, on holiday, and this tomato shorba was the appetiser. Even then, I could tell this wasn’t just any tomato soup – the layers of spicy, tangy and sweet flavour and the light, thin texture were so incredibly warming and comforting that I couldn’t resist going back for another bowl. It was the first time I ever liked something with tomato in it! My mum insists it was the fresh mountain air that made me “hungry,” but I know it was the incredible soup!
I loved it so much that my mum asked the chef for the recipe. He shared the basics, and once we were back home, she looked it up in a cookbook to recreate it. Since then, it’s become our once-a-year winter tradition!
I tend to serve it for light lunch with some crusty toasted tiger rolls but it’s usually served as a starter/appetiser for an Indian meal.
The Recipe Details
This tomato shorba really is as quick as it gets! All you do is add the fresh ingredients into a pressure cooker (I use my Instant Pot) along with the whole spices. Let it cook for 1 minute until everything softens, blend it up, and finish with a cumin tempering.
Normally with soups, I sauté the onion and garlic before adding the veggies. That’s the method I use in my others, like my vegan mulligatawny soup . Tamatar shorba though is traditionally made by boiling the aromatics directly with the tomatoes.
It’s blended to a broth-like consistency – making it unique from western-style thicker soups. I like to remove the whole spices before doing this so that the soup isn’t too strong. After blending, you can either sieve it or leave the tomato bits in. I like it both ways, so it really is down to personal preference.
Ingredients notes
Be sure to check out the full recipe and exact ingredient list below in the recipe card.
Tomatoes – I use ripe, juicy tomatoes for this recipe. I prefer the lightless and flavour of fresh for tomato shorba rather than using canned tomatoes. If your fresh tomatoes are orange in colour rather than red, then you may want to add some passata or tomato paste. I usually add a little because it deepens the tomato-eyness. (Yes it’s a word in my dictionary).
The aromatics – red onion, fresh garlic, fresh ginger and green chillies. Fresh makes all the difference as this soup has few ingredients – much better than using bottled!
Whole spices – cinnamon stick, cloves, black peppercorn, bay leaves, black cardamom pod, green cardamom pod, star anise.
Salt to taste
Sugar – adding a little sugar helps to neutralise the acididic taste from the tomatoes.
Oil – any neutral flavoured oil works
Cumin seeds – these are tempered over the cooked shorba.
Pinch of hing ( asafoetida )
Fresh coriander to garnish – to give freshness and flavour.
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
- YouTube
Tomato Shorba
Ingredients
- 1 kilogram tomatoes ripe & juicy, chopped
- ¼ cup passata
- 1 red onion roughly chopped
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 inch ginger
- 2 green chillies adjust to spice level
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 3 cloves
- 8 black peppercorn
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 black cardamom
- 4 green cardamom
- 2 star anise
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- pinch hing
- coriander
Instructions
- In a pressure cooker or Instant Pot, place the 1 kilogram tomatoes , 1 red onion , 5 cloves garlic , 1 inch ginger , 2 green chillies and whole spices ( 1 small cinnamon stick , 3 cloves , 8 black peppercorn , 2 bay leaves , 2 black cardamom , 4 green cardamom , 2 star anise along with 2 cups of water.
- Pressure cook for 1 minute or 2 whistles and allow for natural pressure release.
- Remove the whole spices and set aside.
- Blend the mixture until there are no lumps with the help of an immersion blender or jug blender.
- Sieve the shorba (optional) and place back on the heat. Tip the whole spices you removed earlier back into the pot.
- Add ¼ cup passata and if mixture is thick add more water. It should be thin. Bring it to a rolling boil.
- Add 2 tablespoon sugar and salt to taste . Switch off the heat.
- Prepare the tempering by heating 2 tablespoon oil in a small pan, add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds . Once they crackle, add pinch hing and pour over the tomato shorba.
- Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve hot with fresh chopped 1 small cinnamon stick
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Tomato Shorba
Ingredients
- 1 kilogram tomatoes ripe & juicy, chopped
- ¼ cup passata
- 1 red onion roughly chopped
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 inch ginger
- 2 green chillies adjust to spice level
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 3 cloves
- 8 black peppercorn
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 black cardamom
- 4 green cardamom
- 2 star anise
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- pinch hing
- coriander
Instructions
- In a pressure cooker or Instant Pot, place the 1 kilogram tomatoes , 1 red onion , 5 cloves garlic , 1 inch ginger , 2 green chillies and whole spices ( 1 small cinnamon stick , 3 cloves , 8 black peppercorn , 2 bay leaves , 2 black cardamom , 4 green cardamom , 2 star anise along with 2 cups of water.
- Pressure cook for 1 minute or 2 whistles and allow for natural pressure release.
- Remove the whole spices and set aside.
- Blend the mixture until there are no lumps with the help of an immersion blender or jug blender.
- Sieve the shorba (optional) and place back on the heat. Tip the whole spices you removed earlier back into the pot.
- Add ¼ cup passata and if mixture is thick add more water. It should be thin. Bring it to a rolling boil.
- Add 2 tablespoon sugar and salt to taste . Switch off the heat.
- Prepare the tempering by heating 2 tablespoon oil in a small pan, add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds . Once they crackle, add pinch hing and pour over the tomato shorba.
- Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve hot with fresh chopped 1 small cinnamon stick
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
You’ll love my Indian-style Cranberry Chutney that’s irresistibly sweet and has a hum of spice from dried red chillies and ginger. I make it on the stove, using fresh cranberries, in less than 10 minutes.
Quick, easy & dangerously tasty!
Upgrade your Thanksgiving table with this spicy cranberry chutney and a variety of Indian vegetarian thanksgiving recipes !
I have to say, we’re not really a dip household but if there’s one (ritual) that I take from American cuisine – it’s cranberry dips! As soon as fresh cranberries are available in our supermarkets, I’m busy making cranberry whipped feta dip and cranberry jalapeno cream cheese dip .
My Mum likes to experiment with fruit chutneys adding a desi twist – saffron apple chutney and carrot, cardamom tomato chutney – and she made a variation of this cranberry one almost 2 decades ago!
The sweet and savoury flavour goes great with an appetizer like samosa tart and is equally a side for this stuffed butternut squash centrepiece . Leftovers can be scooped up with paratha or palak puri .
Serve it on Christmas day with this stunning paneer nut roast .
The Recipe Details & Ingredients
Be sure to check out the full recipe and exact ingredient list below in the recipe card.
The recipe itself is simple. Start with a tempering of panch phoran (more on that below) + red chillies, then tip in cranberries, ginger, sugar, salt and water. Fresh cranberries will cook down in less than 5 minutes. Then you just need to let it cool and thicken.
I’ve kept my version of cranberry chutney a little on the looser side, not jam-like in consistency. I don’t completely cook away all the moisture, so don’t expect it to last in the fridge for weeks! For that version, check out my Instant Pot cranberry sauce .
Onto the ingredients ..
Cranberries – I’ve used a 250 grams punnet of fresh cranberries and it made around 350 grams of cranberry chutney. You can absolutely use frozen here – you may just need a little less water.
Panch phoran – the classic Indian pickling spice. It’s made from 5 different spices that when tempered will bloom and release the most incredible aroma. It’s available from most supermarkets in the Indian food aisle. If you cannot find it, use a mix of mustard seeds, cumin seeds and kalonji at least.
Dried red chillies – when added to the tempering release a warm heat and add spice.
Ginger – fresh grated ginger is key here. Grated ginger releases juices which fragrance the syrup. You could sub in ginger powder at a pinch, it will taste a little different though.
Brown sugar – I like the earthiness from brown sugar but you can use white sugar if that’s what you have to hand.
Storage
Store cranberry chutney in an airtight container and store in the fridge as soon as it cools to room temperature. It will keep well for up to 1 week.
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
- YouTube
Cranberry Chutney
Ingredients
- 250 gram cranberries fresh
- 150 gram brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon panch phoran
- 2 dried red chilli
- 1 teaspoon ginger fresh, grated
- salt
- 250 millilitres water
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a saucepan on medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add 1 teaspoon panch phoran and 2 dried red chilli .
- As soon as the panch phoran crackles, add 250 gram cranberries , 1 teaspoon ginger , and stir for a few seconds.
- Tip in 150 gram brown sugar and salt to taste. Mix well and pour over 250 millilitres water .
- Once the water comes to a boil, cover with a lid and cook on medium-high heat for around 5 minutes or until the cranberries are mushy and you get a syrup consistency.
- Switch off from the heat and allow to cool completely. The chutney will thicken as it cools.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
