SAVOURY,  VEGETARIAN

TOMATO-CARROT SOUP…DELICATELY FLAVOURED WITH STAR ANISE

“Men are like soup: you always want to have one on the back burner, just in case.”
Unattributed feminist quote
IMG 3180 Tomato-Carrot Soup with Star Anise
Tried my hand at a tomato-carrot soup this morning, flavoured delicately with a spice that has intrigued me endlessly over the past few days. None other than the pretty star anise ! A nice & gentle vegetarian soup, beautifully flavoured & great for the winter chill that has descended upon us. This is an adaptation of a soup my mother makes almost everyday in the winter months.IMG 3192Star Anise…the pretty spice!
Star anise plays a key role in the slow cooked dishes that characterize Eastern Chinese cuisine. Its licorice flavor enhances red cooked dishes. It is also the secret ingredient in many Indian stews and curries. IMG 3121And yes…literally…’No croutons required’!!
Ingredients:
Tomatoes – 8-10 medium / quartered
Carrots – 2 / chopped roughly
Onion – 1 / quartered
Garlic – 2 cloves
Red Lentil (Masoor dal) – 1 tbsp (optional/I add it to increase food value)
Star anise – 2 flowers
Salt to taste
Butter – 1 tbsp
Freshly ground white pepper
Method:
  • Put all the vegetables + lentils + star anise in a cooker or pan with salt & about 2 cups of water.
  • Cook until soft.
  • Remove the star anise (reserve for garnishing if you like) & run the soup in a blender . Strain.
  • Take some butter in a pan & saute the white pepper for a minute. Turn the soup into the pan & simmer till it comes to a boil. Serve with a drizzle of cream & freshly ground pepper.

IMG 3179

Warm soup for the soul…pipe a heart on top & you’re all set for V-day!!

no croutons required

No Croutons Required‘ a new monthly food blogging event alternately hosted by Lisa’s Kitchen and Tinned Tomatoes. Each month the host will invite bloggers around the world to submit a vegetarian soup or salad recipe, sometimes with a theme, sometimes not. The theme for February is simply vegetarian soups…which fits me in quite warmly! My entry’s on its way…

About me: I am a freelance food writer, recipe developer and photographer. Food is my passion - baking, cooking, developing recipes, making recipes healthier, using fresh seasonal produce and local products, keeping a check on my carbon footprint and being a responsible foodie! I enjoy food styling, food photography, recipe development and product reviews. I express this through my food photographs which I style and the recipes I blog. My strength lies in 'Doing Food From Scratch'; it must taste as good as it looks, and be healthy too. Baking in India, often my biggest challenge is the non-availability of baking ingredients, and this has now become a platform to get creative on. I enjoy cooking immensely as well.

9 Comments

  • Purnima

    Deeba, ToCa soup looks inviting! SO its soup, staranise n a heart…3 birds in one stroke..:D nice post!!I can handle this recipe 😉

  • meeso

    How delicious! I never had carrot in my tomato soup, and now I’m wondering why…this sounds great. The star anise sounds like a great addition, too 🙂

  • Miri

    After carrot and orange soup, this is another favourite of mine – the star anise must have raised it to another level!

  • singairishgirl

    Hi there. Just dropping by to say hello. Love all the stuff you make and all the lovely presentation. I’m gonna try your chocolate strawberry cake but don’t know when yet. 🙂 It’s gorgeous, by the way.

  • Julie

    These flavors sound like they would be wonderful together. My mother would love this soup, she loves anything with tomatoes or carrots.

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