Roasted Tomato Chickpea Soup

Tomato soup is not something that I appreciated until I started to make my own. Canned varieties just never pleased me, as they are overloaded with sodium and always taste like they were dumped from a tin, as they are. But I have quite a few homemade favorite tomato soups now — using my own ingredients, the tomato flavor is much more robust.

This recipe is one that I drafted on a whim, as I was craving not only a warming tomato soup but also chickpeas. And spice it up with Indian seasonings I did too, as I often tend to do. Partially puréeing the chickpeas lends a delightful creamy texture to the soup, and with the added protein, the soup is sufficiently filling when served up with a vegetable dish and some rice to complete a meal.

Roasting the tomatoes beforehand adds a sweet smokiness to the soup that is really unmatched. Tinned tomatoes in this case, especially if you are able to obtain roasted ones, won't detract from the enjoyment of this soup, but I highly recommend roasting fresh tomatoes as you can prep the remaining components of the soup while they are in the oven, and this is one of the easiest and fuss-free soups I know of. Fresh cilantro adds a wonderful citrus-y taste as well. I've added coconut milk for additional creaminess, but if you prefer, swirl in a bit of yogurt or cream instead before serving.

Roasted Tomato Chickpea Soup

Recipe by Lisa Turner
Cuisine: Indian
Published on January 13, 2020

Vibrant roasted tomato soup with chickpeas and Indian seasonings

Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 20 to 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

1 cup dried chickpeas (3 cups cooked or 2 14 oz cans)
6 medium vine ripe tomatoes
2 tablespoons ghee or sesame oil
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
4 black cardamon pods, slightly crushed
1 shallot, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated or minced
2 to 3 fresh green or red chilies, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon Kashmiri or other chili powder
2 tablespoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon asafetida
5 cups water, or more as needed
2/3 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Rinse the chickpeas and soak in several inches of water for 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse again, then transfer to a large saucepan or soup pot and cover with fresh water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until buttery soft — 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Drain and set aside.
While the chickpeas are cooking, line a baking tray with foil wrap and brush with oil. Preheat an oven to 425°F. Halve the tomatoes and place cut side down on the prepared baking sheet. Brush with a bit of oil. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the tomatoes begin to collapse and blacken a bit. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Remove the skins, transfer to a bowl, and set aside.
Wipe the saucepan or soup pot dry and add the ghee or oil. Heat over medium-high heat. When hot, toss in the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and cardamon pods. Fry until the mustard seeds turn grey and begin to splutter and pop — 30 to 60 seconds.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the shallot, ginger and chilies, and stir for a few minutes. Toss in the turmeric, paprika, chili powder, coriander, ground cumin and asafetida, and stir for another minute.
Add the chickpeas along with the tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer uncovered for 12 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and cilantro, and simmer for another few minutes.
Remove from the heat and discard the cardamon pods. Stir in the salt and black pepper, then purée to your desired consistency with an immersion blender or in batches in a countertop blender.
Serve hot, garnished with additional chopped cilantro if desired.

Makes 6 to 8 servings