My Grandmother's Tomato Soup

Actually, it's Shorba

I inherited my grandmother's cookbooks a few years ago and it's only in the last year or so that I've started cooking some of her recipes. It was a bit intimidating since none of the recipes have any detailed measurements and most are about half a page long with scant instructions.

I've tried two other recipes before and this one seemed the most straightforward and given that we're well into soup season, I decided to give it a go.

Shorba originates from the Arabic word 'shurbah' which means soup. However, shorba doesn't include any of the ingredients of added to the soup. These ingredients are usually strained out to create the most flavorful broth.

Stage I: Tempering

We're going to add flavor to the shorba in stages. The first stage is to add whole spices into the oil we're cooking the shorba in so it infuses into the final dish.

My grandmother used black peppercorns, cloves and cumin so that's what I use. This stage is called tempering. Don't worry about the whole spices because we're going to strain them out.

The next layer of flavor is contributed by the aromatics which are ginger and garlic in this case. There's no need to chop anything finely but we want to crush the ginger and garlic so we extract maximum flavor.

Stage II: Base

Once you smell the delicious aroma of cooked ginger and garlic, add in the tomatoes and apples. Yes, there are apples in this soup.

Since there were no measurements, I used half a Fuji apple. I reckon the apple balances out the tartness of the tomatoes and probably helps the texture too. I couldn't taste any apple flavor in the shorba but it definitely added some sweetness.

The tomatoes and apples need to be cooked covered on low heat until they're completely softened. You should be able to mash them without any resistance.

Stage III: Another Layer

Now that we've developed the base flavor for the soup, it's time to add even more flavor. I saved some of the garlic from earlier and I add it in at this stage as instructed by my grandmother's recipe. This is the time to add in a bay leaf too. Bay leaf has a very mellow flavor so adding it in at this stage allows it to shine through in the finished dish.

Now it's time to add the water. I use two cups of water for 4 tomatoes. I wouldn't recommend using any kind of stock since it may overpower the subtleties of this soup.

Stage IV: Strain and Serve

Allow the shorba to cook away covered for a few minutes to infuse all the flavors. Strain and serve with some chopped cilantro.

This soup packs a punch. It's intensely tomato-flavored and the spices and garlic compliment it perfectly.

I served it with a chili grilled cheese which is essentially a regular grilled cheese with some chopped Bird's Eye chilies in it. I was reminded of the nostalgic flavors of the chili cheese toast from my childhood. If you know what I'm talking about, drop me a comment.