Tomato and Coriander Shorba is a delicious thin tomato broth delicately flavoured with coriander, ginger and black pepper. A perfect winter warmer! It is a popular winter recipe in India popularly known as ‘tamatar dhaniye ka shorba’. ‘Tamatar’ translates to ‘tomato’, ‘dhaniya’ means coriander and ‘shorba’, on the other hand, means a ‘rich stew’. This recipe dates back to the Persian times.
As the weather cools down, soup becomes an essential part of everyday meal in my family. I remember growing up my mother and sister-in-law always prepared either a hearty soup like sweetcorn soup, tomato soup, vegetable soup, thumpa or a baked dish like macaroni and pineapple, au gratin as a starter during the winters. Winters in Delhi can be quite chilly and trust me that there was nothing more satisfying than slurping down a hearty bowl of warm-and-comforting soup.
Shorba and Soup are two different dishes. Firstly, soup is meant to be served as a starter and before the main course, whereas shorba can be eaten before or during the main course. Soups tend to have thicker consistency and shorba is more like a broth or consommé and is jam packed full of spices and lots of flavour. This shorba recipe is easy, quick and captures the flavours of fresh tomatoes and spices.
Shorba is prepared with a number of Indian spices like ginger, cardamom, black pepper, bayleaf and many more all of which are not only extremely beneficial for health, but they also have thermogenic properties that maintain that help in maintaining body temperature during winters. This tomato and coriander Shorba is a delicious recipe celebrating the tomatoes. Simple, quick to make and utterly delicious! Definitely worth a try especially during winters.
