Tomatoes are a familiar fruit that can be used to prepare many delicious dishes from Asia to Europe. If you are looking for some new but simple ways to prepare tomatoes, then right now, let’s get cooking with TasteVN and make 2 enticing soup recipes from tomatoes!
1. Spanish Cold Tomato Soup
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Preparation
15 minutes
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Cooking
15 minutes
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Difficulty
Medium
Ingredients for Spanish Cold Tomato Soup Serves 4
Medium-sized tomatoes 3 pieces Cherry tomatoes 10 pieces Cucumber 1 piece Red bell pepper 1 piece Green bell pepper 1 piece Onion 1/2 bulb Garlic 2 cloves Bread 2 slices Basil 10 leaves (or cilantro) Vinegar 2 tablespoons Salt 1 teaspoon Olive oil 1/4 cup Pepper 1/2 teaspoon Fennel powder 1/4 teaspoon
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose delicious cucumbers
- Choose cucumbers that are bright green in color, fairly evenly colored, without any dark spots or yellowing, as these are signs that the cucumber has been stored for too long and is starting to spoil.
- Cucumbers should be straight, with little or no curvature. Long, evenly sized cucumbers are the type that are crisp and tastier compared to short, round cucumbers.
- Opt for heavier cucumbers with a smooth skin, without bumps, and smaller ones tend to be sweeter than larger cucumbers.
- Avoid purchasing cucumbers that are swollen, large in the middle, or have a big head with a small tail (and vice versa) as these are old cucumbers with many seeds, tough, and not tasty.
- If you accidentally buy a bitter cucumber, you can peel it to remove the bitter taste.
How to choose delicious bell peppers
- To select good bell peppers, choose ones with a shiny, smooth, thick skin, still attached firmly to the stem, feel heavy in hand, and have bright colors. These will be fresh and nutrient-rich bell peppers.
- Avoid buying soft, mushy bell peppers with dark spots, dull colors, and cracks as these are spoiled and lack nutrients.
- Bell peppers come in two types: male and female. If the bottom of the pepper has 4 sections, it is female; if it has 3 sections, it is male. The female peppers are usually sweeter and are often eaten raw, while the male ones are sour and used for cooking dishes like stir-fried dishes, grilled dishes,…
Tools needed
How to Make Spanish Cold Tomato Soup
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Prepare the Ingredients
Tomatoes and cucumbers should be soaked in salt water for about 10 minutes after purchase, then remove the stem ends and cut into pieces.
Red and green bell peppers should be washed, seeds removed, and then cut into pieces.
Peel the garlic, cut off the ends, then slice it. Pick the fresh parts of the basil and wash it thoroughly, then let it drain.
For the onion, use a knife to peel it, cut it in half, and slice it thinly.
Tip for you: Save 10 tips for cutting onions without tears
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Blend the ingredients
You put medium tomatoes and cherry tomatoes into the blender, blend until slightly smooth.
Then add cucumber, bell pepper, onion, garlic, basil, 1 cup of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of fennel powder, 240 ml of cold water and then press to blend the mixture.
When the mixture is nearly smooth, add 2 slices of bread and continue to blend the mixture until smooth.
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Completion
You season one more time to suit your taste, you can add a little salt, then pour into a bowl, garnish with more basil, a bit of toasted bread, a little olive oil, sprinkle a bit of green onion on top and cut 2 slices of cucumber rolled up for a nice appearance.
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Final Product
The cold Spanish tomato soup, also known as Gazpacho, is very popular in European countries during the summer because it is delicious, refreshing, and contains plenty of tomatoes, providing full nutrition for the user. It is often eaten alone or served with white bread, inviting the family to enjoy together.
2. Cold Tomato Shrimp Soup
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Preparation
15 minutes
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Cooking
20 minutes
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Difficulty
Medium
Ingredients for Cold Tomato Shrimp Soup For 4 people
Tomatoes 3 pieces Shrimp 120 gr Egg 1 piece Minced ginger 1 teaspoon Cornstarch 1 teaspoon Sesame oil 1 teaspoon Cilantro 3 sprigs
How to choose fresh and delicious shrimp
- If buying frozen shrimp, you should choose shrimp that still have all parts intact, feel firm to the touch, and are naturally soft and elastic (to avoid buying shrimp that have been injected with gelatin to increase weight), and especially, they should not have a fishy or spoiled smell.
- Choose live shrimp to ensure freshness, with shiny shells, looking firm and healthy; when pressed, the shrimp should have elasticity, and the shells should not be too soft.
Tools needed
Blender, knife, cutting board,…
How to Make Cold Tomato Shrimp Soup
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Prepare the shrimp
Remove the shrimp’s head, peel the shell, then use a small knife to make a cut along the back to extract the shrimp’s intestine. Gently squeeze the shrimp’s body to push the intestine out a little, then pull it out with your hand.
Wash the shrimp and let it drain. Marinate the shrimp with a little salt, a bit of monosodium glutamate, and 1 teaspoon of fish sauce.
Tip for quickly removing the black vein on the shrimp’s back:
- Count back from the shrimp’s tail to the second groove connecting the two segments of the shrimp shell, insert a toothpick through this position and gently pull the black vein out.
- You don’t need to cut the shrimp’s back with a knife; you can also use a toothpick to dig out the part at the head of the shrimp’s body to find the black vein. Gently pull this black thread out, and the shrimp will be clean.
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Prepare other ingredients
Wash the tomatoes, use a sharp knife to cut off the top, then use a spoon to scoop out the insides into a bowl and set the tomatoes aside on a separate plate.
Separate the eggs and take the egg whites. Wash the cilantro and let it drain.
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Puree the shrimp
You put the shrimp into the blender, add egg whites, minced ginger, cornstarch, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, 1/4 teaspoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil then blend the shrimp mixture until smooth and then transfer the shrimp to a bowl.
Tip: If you don’t have a blender, you can use a mortar and pestle to mash it, and you can add seasonings while mashing to let the shrimp meat absorb the flavor better.
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Put the shrimp into the tomato
You scoop the pureed shrimp into the inside of the tomato.
Note: Do not pack too tightly, as the cooked shrimp will expand and cause the tomato to burst.
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Cook the tomato soup
You put the tomato pulp into the blender with 200 ml of filtered water and blend until smooth.
Then you place a pot on the stove over medium heat, pour the tomato water into the pot, season with 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning powder and stir well, add the tomatoes and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes, to let the shrimp inside cook without the tomatoes breaking down.
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Finished product
After cooking, scoop the tomatoes into a bowl, add the soup, and garnish with some cilantro and pepper. Since the tomato shrimp soup has no oil, it can be eaten cold or placed in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before eating; the soup will not have a greasy layer or smell fishy. The cold tomato shrimp soup is very suitable for hot summer days or as an appetizer for a light party with friends.
How to choose fresh and delicious tomatoes
- You should choose tomatoes with smooth skin, juicy and bright red color, and a green stem.
- Avoid choosing those that are bruised or have small black spots, or have uneven colors of both green and red.
- If they feel too soft or too hard to the touch, or if there is juice coming out, do not buy them, as they may be spoiled.
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Wish you success in making 2 ways to cook tomato soup with cold shrimp and cold Spanish tomato soup to treat your family!
*Source of the recipe and images from: YouTube channel The Cooking Foodie and Cookpad
