Masala Tomato Soup w/ Cilantro Chutney Grilled Cheese
One of my favorite things to do is taking traditional dishes or comfort foods and putting a more flavorful spin on them, so I knew I had to remix the ever classic, always loved grilled cheese and tomato soup.
I’ve been cooking my way through the Dishoom cookbook lately and absolutely loving experimenting with new flavors and dishes, so I knew I wanted to put an Indian twist on a classic. This tomato soup has warm spices like garam masala and cumin, a garlic and ginger flavor base, and a little kick from the kashmiri chili powder that balances the creaminess from coconut milk. It also uses canned tomatoes making this perfect for all year round.
Then the real star of the show is the cilantro chutney grilled cheese – a mozzarella + white cheddar grilled cheese with the cilantro chutney from Dishoom – it truly is a match made in heaven. The result is a meal that will add excitement to your dinner rotation, while still giving you all the coziness of a comfort food. You’re going to love this one!
Serves 4.
Ingredients:
For the Masala Tomato Soup:
- 28oz can whole plum tomatoes
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
- 2 tbsps neutral oil
- 1 tsp ground coriander or cumin
- 1 tsp kashmiri chili powder (can sub for ¼ tsp cayenne) – omit if sensitive to spice
- ¾ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 1½ tsps garam masala
- ¼ cup coconut milk + more for topping
- Salt to taste
For the Cilantro Chutney Grilled Cheese:
- 8 slices sourdough bread
- 1 cup shredded low moisture mozzarella
- 1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
- 4 tbsps butter, softened
- Cilantro Chutney:
- 1 large bunch cilantro
- 1-2 green chilies like serranos depending on spice preference*
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp sugar
- Juice from 1 lime
- 1 tbsp peanuts
*to adjust the spice, remove the seeds from the peppers
Directions:
For the Masala Tomato Soup with Cilantro Chutney Grilled Cheese:
- Heat a soup pot over medium heat. Once hot, drizzle in the oil.
- Add the onions and a pinch of salt and cook for 4-5 minutes or until soft, turning the heat down as needed to avoid browning.
- Add the garlic and ginger and toast for 1 minute, before adding the coriander, kashmiri chili powder and turmeric.
- Toast for 30 seconds more before adding the canned tomatoes. Stir well, and use a spoon to break the tomatoes down into chunks. Add the vegetable broth and a pinch of salt and bring up to a gentle boil. Cover and cook for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, start making your cilantro chutney. Toast the cumin seeds in a dry pan for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant before grinding into a powder in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.
- Add cilantro, green chilies, cumin, sugar, lime juice, and peanuts and blend until smooth. You may need to add 1-2 tbsps of water to get it to blend, but use a little at a time so it doesn’t end up too liquidy. The peanuts will help thicken the sauce.
- Set aside and start making your sandwiches. Spread a thin layer of softened butter on one side of each of the bread slices. Add cilantro chutney to the non-buttered side of half of the slices and top with a mixture of the mozzarella and white cheddar cheese. Drizzle any remaining cilantro chutney over the cheese, before covering with the remaining half of the sourdough slices, butter side up.
- Once the tomato soup is done simmering, add the garam masala and coconut milk and blend using an immersion blender or transfer to a regular blender and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Keep warm on low while you cook your grilled cheese.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat and add in 1 tbsp of butter. Add the sandwiches and cook until golden brown on the bottoms, about 3 minutes. Flip and cover, cooking for another 2-3 minutes or until golden brown and the cheese has melted.
- Ladle the soup in bowls and drizzle with more coconut milk. Serve alongside the grilled cheese sandwiches and enjoy!