A little heat before summer kicks in - Thai Tomato Soup

I've always been a little wary of tomato soup. It all goes back to the time I saw part of a comedian's act about the gov'ts regulations regarding what the allowed limits of worm parts were in food. He used tomato soup as part of the joke, and it became associated in my mind with yuckiness. So, whenever my dad would heat up tomato soup, which he does often, I would cringe inside. I have the same reaction to pea soup; don't know why for that one, maybe it's just the canned nature of it.

I finally decided to face my fears and make my own tomato soup. The way I figure, I can see if there is any yucky stuff before I eat it. Didn't expect any yuckies, of course.

I got this Thai Tomato Soup from the 04/05 issue of Cooking Light. They recommend serving it with grilled cheese, but in all probability if I am going to be eating soup it is because I want a light meal, so I decided to go with the yogurt biscuits with it instead.

The soup has a nice flavor on reheat. I really discovered the true flavor after re-heating a frozen portion. It definitely is not hot, and I can't really describe the flavor except as to what it is not. It is not a traditional tomato soup - there is an underlying fragrance to it. It's not soothing - it has a little more flavor than I associate in my mind with the traditional tomato. It's a multi-note taste.

Thai is not a food that I have as much experience with, so I don't know if a person who is used to Thai food would consider this Thai at all. Either way, I like it, whether it is authentic flavors or not. I still will not eat canned tomato soup, though.


* Exported from MasterCook *

Thai Tomato Soup

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 tablespoons minced ginger
2 garlic clove -- minced
1 1/2 cups water
28 ounces canned diced tomatoes -- undrained
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon chili paste with garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup light coconut milk

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add ginger and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in sugar, chile paste, and salt. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes.

Place one-half of tomato mixture in a blender; process until smooth. Pour pureed tomato mixture into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining tomato mixture. Return pureed mixture to pan. Stir in coconut milk; cook over medium heat 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve with lime wedges.

Source:
"CL 04/05"

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 103 Calories; 3g Fat (22.8% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 17g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 821mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.


Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0