Tomato Soup

Ingredients

• 10 medium tomatoes
• 6-8 garlic cloves
• 1 inch ginger
• 3 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons butter
• Salt to taste
• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 2-3 white bread slices
• Oil for deep frying 
• White pepper powder to taste
• 2 teaspoons tomato ketchup

Method

1. Roughly chop tomatoes, slice garlic and roughly chop ginger. 
2. Heat 3 tablespoons butter in a non-stick pan, add garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute. 
3. Add tomatoes, salt and sugar, mix well and sauté for 1 minute. Add 2 cups water, mix and let the mixture come to a boil. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes. 
4. Meanwhile, to make croutons, heat sufficient oil in a kadai.  Trim edges of bread slices. (You can use the trimmings for making breadcrumbs). Further cut bread into cubes. 
5. Gently slide in the bread cubes and deep-fry till golden brown and crisp. Drain on absorbent paper.
6. Add 1½ cups water to the tomato mixture. Mix well and switch the heat off. Blend the mixture with an electric hand blender till smooth. 
7. Strain the blended mixture into a bowl and pour it back into the same pan. Add ¼ cup water, white pepper powder, remaining butter and tomato ketchup and mix well.   
8. Place the pan on heat and let the soup come to a boil. Take it off the heat.
9. Transfer the soup into serving bowls. Garnish with white pepper powder and serve with fried croutons.