Hearty and Spicy Tomato Soup

From Ars Cookbook

Having wisdom teeth pulled isn't fun. I whipped this up today, while thinking about something that would be hearty and tasty at the same time.

Ingredients (Makes 3 cups, Serves 2)

• 1/2 white onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 5-6 (small) Red potatoes
• 6 Roma Tomatoes
• 1/4 cup soy milk
• Spices
  • Yellow mustard seeds
  • Ground Mustard
  • Cumin Seeds
  • Ground Cumin
  • Cayenne Pepper
  • Black Pepper
  • Basil
  • Turmeric
  • Salt
  • Garam Masala

Heat the oil in a frying pan at medium heat. Add in a teaspoon each of the mustard and cumin seeds and cover. Allow the seeds to pop.

Finely chop the white onion and garlic and add into the pan. Drop the heat to low, and slowly cook the onions. Add in 1/4 tablespoon of ground mustard, a teaspoon of Cayenne Peppers, a teaspoon of Turmeric, a teaspoon of ground cumin, and a little bit of Basil. Stir, and allow the onions to cook for 10-15 minutes until transparent and soft.

Peel the potatoes, and finely grate using a grater. Finely Chop the Roma tomatoes as well. You may substitute the Roma Tomatoes with 2 cans of diced tomatoes.

Add a teaspoon of Garam Masala, and 2 teaspoons of salt into the onions. Add the grated potatoes into the pan, and stir into the onions. It should turn a nice shade of yellow. Add in a 1/8 cup of water to help loosen the potatoes and prevent clumps. simmer for 5 minutes, or until the water in the pan starts to boil. Add tomatoes into the pan, and stir. (if using canned tomatoes, simply add the contents of the can) let simmer for 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium heat, and let simmer for 5 minutes. Add in soy (or normal) milk and stir. Let simmer for 5 more minutes.

Transfer contents of pan into Blender, and blend. I used the "smoothie" mode. Place back into a pot, or a rice cooker. If using rice cooker, turn it on and heat. If using a pot, place it at med-low heat, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. The important thing is to soften the potato, so that the soup becomes very smooth. If undercooked, the soup will be slightly gritty from the potatoes.

Add pepper and basil to suit.

The resulting soup is very hearty, and was spicy to be enjoyable to eat. I think I'll be making this soup even after I heal from my wisdom teeth extraction.