Tomato Shorba (Indian Spiced Tomato Soup)

A bowl of this Tomato Shorba or Indian spiced tomato soup is perfect and delicious to warm up your cold afternoons. Made in either an instant pot or stovetop, it is a warm, nutritious, low-calorie, and flavor-packed recipe containing warm spices.  To relish it most, top it with cashew cream or vegan butter. Serve it with crispy garlic bread on the side to enjoy a soul-warming Tomato Shorba, which is almost impossible to resist.

Why Make this Easy Tomato Shorba Recipe

• The texture of this Tomato Shorba soup is light and broth-based, not a heavy cream-based soup, so it is light but highly satisfying.  
• It's effortless to make and comes together quickly in an instant pot or stovetop in under 45 minutes.
• It's packed with flavors from fresh tomatoes, ginger, green chilis, cumin, cilantro stalks, turmeric, and black pepper.
• It contains added nutrition by including vegetables including onions, carrots, and beetroot, which cut down on the acidity of the tomatoes while balancing flavors beautifully.
• It's mildly spiced and perfect for the whole family.
• This recipe can be easily adapted to be vegan.

What is Shorba?

The word ‘Shorba’ comes from the Arabic word Shurbah, which means soup. Also, in the word Shorba, ‘Shor’ refers to ‘salty,’ and 'ba' means a ‘stew dish cooked with water.’ Shorba or Chorba is a lighter version of a hot soup relished across Middle-East Asia and South and Central Asia. Mughals introduced Shorba and many other beautiful aromatic dishes to Indian cuisine during their time.

Shorba is mostly broth-based and not a heavy cream-based soup. The broth is usually made by boiling seasoned meat and vegetables in water, spices, meats, and vegetables flavored with aromatics and herbs. Over the years, vegetarian variants of Shorba have become more popular.

Tomato shorba (also known as spiced Indian tomato soup) is a significantly lighter version of the classic tomato soup recipe. The combinations of herbs and spices give this Shorba a unique flavor. The essence of this beautifully aromatic shorba is in the tadka. Tadka is a quick sauté of spices to release their flavor and fragrance before mixing with the core ingredients.

Recipe Tips

• Use the ripest, deep red tomatoes for this Indian spiced tomato soup recipe.
• Add vegetables like onion, carrots, and beetroot to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
• Add spices such as ginger, green chilies, black pepper, and cumin seeds to elevate the flavor of this dish.
• Cilantro stalk and cumin are must-have ingredients for this soup.
• Adjust the spices according to your preference. It tastes best when it is mildly spiced since a bit of spice goes a long way in this recipe.  
• I prefer a thin consistency for Tomato Shorba, but you can adjust the consistency according to your preference.
• This recipe can be easily made in double batches and will last about five days in the fridge. The flavors will become more robust and stronger over time.
• This soup freezes perfectly with no change in the texture after it is defrosted. It can be kept for several months in the freezer.
• Use half butter and half oil in tadka (tempering) for richer and deeper flavors. You can avoid this by keeping the recipe vegan.

How to Make Tomato Shorba (Indian Spiced Tomato Soup) in an Instant Pot

This recipe is easy to make in an instant pot/pressure cooker or on the stovetop and takes under 45 minutes.

1. Put washed and quartered tomatoes in an Instant Pot’s inner insert.
2. Add roughly chopped carrots, beetroot, onion, spinach, cilantro stalks, ginger, and serrano chili pepper.
3. Sprinkle with salt and whole peppercorns.
4. Add water and pressure cook for 6 minutes on the high-pressure setting with NPR (natural pressure release). When the pin drops, open the lid.
5. Blend the boiled tomatoes along with the vegetables until smooth.
6. For an extra smooth texture, sieve the tomato puree, which is optional.
7. In a separate pan, prepare tempering and transfer the sieved tomato puree.
8. Simmer the Tomato Shorba in tadka along with all the spices.
9. Serve with cashew cream, vegan butter (optional), and cilantro.

How to Make Tomato Shorba (Indian Spiced Tomato Soup) on a Stovetop

If you don't have an Instant Pot, you can easily make it on the stovetop. Follow the instructions below and enjoy.

1.  Take a four quart deep pot (similar to a dutch oven) and add the quartered tomatoes, chopped vegetables, spinach, carrots, beetroot, onion, ginger, serrano pepper, and cilantro stalks to the tomatoes.
2. Add salt and whole black peppercorns as well.
3. Add 2-3 cups of water and cover the pot with a lid.
4. Cook the tomatoes and vegetables on medium heat until they become soft and mushy; it will take around 30-35 minutes.
5. Once the tomatoes and vegetables are cooked to a soft and mushy texture, switch off the heat.
6. Let the cooked tomatoes and vegetables cool down a bit.
7. Now blend the cooked mixture with an immersion handheld or mixer/blender.
8. For a smoother texture, sieve the blended tomato mixture through a sieve.
9. In a separate pan, prepare tempering/tadka and transfer the sieved tomato puree.
10. Simmer the Tomato Shorba in tadka along with all the spices.
11. Serve with cashew cream, vegan butter (optional), and cilantro.

Recipe

4.25 from 8 votes

Tomato Shorba (Indian Spiced Tomato Soup) - Instant Pot Recipe

A bowl of this Tomato Shorba (or Indian Spiced Tomato Soup) is perfect and delicious to warm up your cold afternoons. It is a warm, nutritious, low calorie and flavor packed recipe with warm spices.  To enjoy it most, top with some cashew cream or vegan butter and serve with some crispy garlic bread on the side. Enjoy a soul warming spicy tomato soup, which is almost impossible to resist.

Review Print Pin Share

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Instant Pot Recipe, Side Dish, Soup

Cuisine: American, Global, Indian

Diet: Gluten Free, Hindu, Low Calorie, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: Spiced Tomato Soup, Tomato Shorba

Servings: 6

Calories: 121kcal

Author: Rupali Agarwal

Equipment

• Instant Pot or pressure cooker
• Spatula
• Utility knife
• Cutting Board

Ingredients

Produce:

• 750 g Tomatoes Tamatar: 7-8 medium size
• 50 g Spinach Palak: ½ cup chopped/ handful
• 100 g Carrots Gajar: ½ cup chopped/ 1 medium size
• 50 g Beetroot Chukandar: ¼ cup chopped/ ½ of small size
• 50 g Onions Pyaaz: ¼ cup chopped/ ¼ of medium size
• ¼ cup Cilantro Hara Dhaniya: ¼ cup stalks and leaves separated
• 20 g Ginger Root Adrak: 1 inch knob
• 3 g Serrano Pepper Hari Mirch: 1 piece
• 500 cup Water Pani: 2 cups/16 fl. oz

Oil and Spice:

• 2 tablespoon Avocado oil or any Vegetable Oil:
• ⅛ teaspoon Asafetida Hing
• 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds Jeera
• ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder Haldi
• ½ teaspoon Black peppercorns Kali Mirch
• ½ teaspoon Roasted cumin powder Bhuna Jeera
• 1 teaspoon Salt Namak
• ½ teaspoon Black rock salt Kala Namak
• ¼ teaspoon Garam masala
• 1 tablespoon Sugar Cheeni
• ¼ cup Cashew Cream check notes
• 2 tablespoon Vegan Butter

Instructions

Show PhotosNo Photos

• Wash and quarter the tomatoes. Add the quartered tomatoes to the Instant Pot’s inner insert.
  
• Add chopped vegetables, spinach, carrots, beetroot, onion, ginger and green chili, to the tomatoes.
  
• Add salt and whole black peppercorns as well.
  
• Add water and close the lid with valve on the sealing position.
  
• Pressure cooks for 6 minutes on high pressure setting with NPR (natural pressure release). When the pin drops, open the lid. Blend the boiled tomatoes and vegetables until smooth, using an immersion blender or blender.
  
• For a smoother texture, sieve the pureed tomato mixture with a sieve. This step is optional and can be skipped if you like a less smooth texture.
  
• For tempering, heat oil in a separate pan and then add hing and cumin seeds to the hot oil. Let the cumin seeds splutter and then add turmeric powder and stir in the oil.
  
• Now add blended and seived tomato mixture to this tempering. Add the rest of the spices, roasted cumin powder, black salt, garam masala and sugar.
  
• Stir all the spices and let the tomato shorba simmer for 5 minutes. Do a quick taste test and adjust the seasoning. The tomato shorba is ready to serve, and can be topped it with some cashew cream, vegan butter, and cilantro.
  

Video

Notes

To make cashew cream soak ¼ cup raw cashews in ¼ cup hot water for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes blend the soaked cashew (along with water in which cashews were soaked) into a cream. I used Nutribullet Blender to make cashew cream. Cashew cream is ready to use as a topping.

Nutrition Facts

Tomato Shorba (Indian Spiced Tomato Soup) - Instant Pot Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 121 Calories from Fat 72

% Daily Value*

Fat 8g12%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Trans Fat 1g

Sodium 1630mg71%

Potassium 472mg13%

Carbohydrates 12g4%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 7g8%

Protein 2g4%

Vitamin A 4846IU97%

Vitamin C 22mg27%

Calcium 629mg63%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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