Spiced Tomato Soup with Coconut Cream

1 large red onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped

3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

2 bay leaves

1 star anise

1 stick of cassia or cinnamon

1 tsp ground cumin

1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped (discard the seeds)

1 x 410g can whole peeled plum tomatoes

1 x 410g can tomato puree

1 litre tomato cocktail juice

500 ml/ 2 cups vegetable stock

1 Tbs sugar (or more, to ‘cut’ the acidity of all the tomato)

1 can coconut cream (NOT milk)

Serves 4 to 6

Saute the onions and garlic in olive oil until soft, with the bay leaves, star anise and cinnamon/cassia. Add the vegetable stock, chilli and tomato ingredients, bring just to the boil and simmer for at least half an hour for the tomato flavour to develop and to cook away much of the acidic bite of the tomato. Mash the whole tomatoes with something blunt, or a masher, or a knife (which I find does the job). Add 1 Tbs sugar, stir and taste. Add more if needed; it’s right when the acid has been tamed. Add the coconut cream, return to a simmer and let it cook for 10 to 15 minutes while flavours develop and the soup reduces a little.

Allow to cool to room temperature, then blend to incorporate any stray bits of the whole tomatoes. Let it stand for a few hours before serving, or even overnight; this will improve the flavours and texture quite pleasingly, as I discovered, just as a curry tastes better the day after it’s made. Then reheat it, and serve with the following drizzle:

Make a drizzle of very finely chopped coriander (dhania/cilantro) leaves, picked from their stems, mixed with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon, adding a little salt and pepper. Drizzle on top of the soup before serving. DM