Thursday, January 03, 2008

It's Soup! Coconut and Tomato Soup with Horseradish

With temperatures finally dropping below zero here in Estonia, we're craving soup again. And our first soup in 2008 was this little sweet number from the Finnish Ruokala.tv site (Kati Forsin tomaatti-kookoskeitto), but I played around with the preparation instructions a little. The subtly sweet coconut soup gets its kick from grated horseradish, as opposed to the much more 'usual' chilli flakes or grated ginger or lemongrass. The girl behind the recipe, Kati Fors (the Tango Queen of Finland in 2005, no less!), suggests adding chicken strips or shrimps, if you prefer a slightly more substantial meal.

Oh, and it's on your table in about 5 minutes. How good is that for a weekday supper?

[Siinkohal tänusõnad Qsti'le, kes sellest supist novembris oma blogis kirjutas. Olin retsepti küll juba varem Nami-nami retseptikogusse lisanud, aga supi tegemiseks tuli väike lisainspiratsioon just sellest blogist. Igatahes: suur aitäh, hea lihtne retsept oli!]

Coconut and Tomato Soup with Horseradish
(Tomati-kookosesupp vähese mädarõikaga)
Serves 2



400 grams canned chopped tomatoes
400 grams coconut milk
1 Tbsp grated horseradish
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
olive oil
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a saucepan, add the garlic and fry on a moderate heat for a few minutes until softened.
Add the tomatoes, coconut milk and horseradish, season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, simmer for a minute or two.
Blend until smooth (optional).
Check for seasoning and serve, with an extra grinding of black pepper on top.

17 comments:

David T. Macknet said...

Oooh! Now that sounds like a good soup! Rich, too, with the coconut milk!

Mariajaan said...

YESSSS, This is a recipe we had in our Estonian friends`house last September, and ever since we make it at least once a week. Children love it, but in our "version" chopped onions are also needed. We serve the soup with toasts and butter and top it with pumpkin seeds and crispy (fried very fast)corn tortillas or puerros/leeks/porrolauk(?).
It is superb, one of the best soups we have tried!

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

I am in the middle of making tomato and basil soup, right now,. but this sounds great with the horseradish and coconut milk. I will definitely give it a go!

Unknown said...

An excellent combination, looks so amazing!

Shayne said...

Thank you for the New Year wishes and Happy New Year to you too Pille.

2008 has a lot to offer and I am hoping that it takes my family to Europe, for good.

Puhvis Kukk said...

This comment is completely unrelated to the post. However, I had 2 questions/suggestions.
My parents are coming to visit and I'd like to have them bring some Estonian cookbooks. Any that you'd recommend?
Secondly, under Edinburgh links you have listed some of your favorite restaurants. Why not do the same with restaurants/cafes in Estonian/Tallinn? Stenhus, O and Controvento are given, I suppose. Thanks!

pam said...

That sounds so good. I love tomato soup and I'm always looking for different variations of it.

lobstersquad said...

sounds just about right for coming out of the holidays. Feliz Año Nuevo!

Pille said...

DaviMack – and it’s vegan, so should suit the pair of you well :)

MariaJaan – how interesting! So you add horseradish as well? And yes, puerros is ‘porrulauk’.

Holler – hope you’ll like it – it’s an excellent quickie!

The Columbia Foodie – thank you!

Shayne – that sounds like a great adventure. Where in Europe are you heading to?

H – thank you for commenting. Re: cookbooks – considering you’re an Estonian based in the US, I’d probably go for the Eesti perepeod/Estonian Family Parties- it’s very pretty, it’s bilingual (Estonian/English) – and I really like how Estonian lifestyle is depicted in the book. I was surprised myself how incredibly cool and smart and stylish we are :) If you’re after typical Estonian recipes, I guess the new ‘Pereköögi kokaraamat’ would be a good choice? Re: recommendations for Tallinn – well, I guess I should do one indeed. There’s a slightly out-of-date list of recommendations written in February 2007 - Culinary City Snapshot: Tallinn - over at my friend Johanna’s blog, but I’ve got lots of new favourites now. Yes, Stenhus is still given, Controvento is lovely (their pizzas are much better than their pasta dishes), but I haven’t yet been to Ö, so cannot really say anything about it. My partner K. loves the place, however.

Pam – well, I do hope you’ll like this one!

Ximena – yes, we needed something light and simple. K. noted that it looks a lot like your excellent gazpacho:)

Anonymous said...

I just saw this on eGullet and had to check it out! This sounds amazing-and so simple too. If it's got horseradish, I'm in. Thanks for the recipe.

Dori said...

The horseradish in this soup sounds great...will give it a try soon :)

Mariajaan said...

Hola! NOOOO, horseradish not indeed. But the coconut-tomatoe mix was the common denominator I thought determined the basis of the soup. Does mädarõigas mean gone bad radish? Be wel! MariaC.

Suzana Parreira said...

That sounds really yummy! I love tomato soup but around here we have it mostly cold and it's (of course) summer food. I'll have to try your version.

Mariajaan said...

Dear Pille, I am trying to find something about linnupiim. The candy is sensational, I`ve not tried a better one, but what I am really thinking about is an easter cake that is also very sui generis. I would say that it has the same consistency than a vanilla linnupiim candy, like a fluffy sponge, moist and sweet, light and without any flour. Do you recognize it now? My husband says that he has no idea what I am talking about and I cant believe! I saw these cakes everywhere and was also offered in many homes...while in Estonia...Do you know where to get the recipe?

markymark said...

Hi! Coriander seed works excessively well in this lovely soup which i first saw in an Indian recipe book, with slightly less coconut in it and no horseradish but plenty of pimento! My recommendation would be to roast the seeds first in a pan for a few minutes till they slightly change colour and give off a lovely smell and either grind them and incorporate them or sprinkle them whole on top, or both.

Pille said...

Ramona – well, mix coconut milk (from a can) and chopped tomatoes (from a jar) and season with horseradish? That’s definitely easy :)

Meeso – horseradish definitely differentiates it from the much more common tomato-coconut-lemongrass-ginger soups. Do try it!

MariaJaan – well, horseradish makes it different from the other (Thai etc style) tomato and coconut soups. Do try it! Mädarõigas would indeed translate as ‘rotten radish’, but actually it’s a different plant altogether (Armoracia rusticana, known as rábano picante/rábano rusticano, taramago in Spanish.)
Re: linnupiimakook – I see what I can do. Luckily, there’s still plenty of time until Easter!

Suzana – K. noted that this soup could be lovely when cold, too, but then we didn’t have any left over to check that (plus we’re not sure coconut milk would be as nice when cold. Any suggestions?)

Mark - coriander and tomato is a very common soup base - especially in South-East Asian countries, so the addition of coriander seeds doesn't surprise me. Roasting/toasting spices on a dry frying pan/skillet before grinding and using is always a good idea, as it intensifies all the aromas and flavours.

P H I L said...

I made a variation on this soup that you might like. i substututes the coconut milk for yogurt and tomatos for red pepper. plus i added some sliced grapes for a hint of sweetness.have a look if you want to.