Chilled Spiced Tomato Soup

Ooh, this is delicious. I wanted a chilled soup to serve in shot glasses as an accompaniment to an Indian meal, and this is what I came up with. Use plenty of chilli powder - the soya cream will ameliorate the heat. Serve it as an appetiser in small bowls, or as I did - in shot glasses alongside a casual meal. You could try adding vodka if you're brave.

Makes about a litre (1 3/4 UK pints, 4 US cups)

• 1 tsp sunflower oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped, or 1 tsp pre-prepared puree
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger root
• 1 litre (32 fl oz) tomato juice
• 1 tsp hot chilli powder, or to taste
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) or 1 tsp pre-prepared puree
• 100ml (4 fl oz, 1/2 cup) soya cream

1. Saute the onion gently in the sunflower oil until soft; do not let it brown. Add the garlic and ginger, and cook for another minute.

2. Pour in the tomato juice and add chilli powder to taste. Mix well, bring to the boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Add the coriander, re-cover, and simmer for a further 10 minutes.

4. Puree and rub through a sieve to remove any bits of coriander stem or onion skin. Leave to cool.

5. Stir in the soya cream, cover, and chill in the fridge for at least a couple of hours.

Kake's (Vegan) Cookery Site - http://www.earth.li/~kake/cookery/
This page added 24 March 2004 - comments and questions to Kake L Pugh (kake@earth.li).