Rajma (Red Bean)~ Tomato Soup with grated cheese

“Rajma (Red Bean)~ Tomato Soup topped with grated cheese” … Monsoon dinner times are mostly soups as they are filling when had with some pav or toast … Here is a very simple~delicious soup prepared with beans and they really to taste good and fill that growling tummy too … Enjoy this delicious soup steaming hot and stay warm through night … Yummilicious …

** As I have always said come Monsoon / Winter and it is different types of hot soups in my home. I simply love trying out various mixes and match and coming up with my own delicious soups. Some are successful and loved by all, while some are not so, but I always love them as I always see to it that whatever soups I make they should fall under nutrient label, otherwise there is simply no use preparing them. Over 30 years of my married life, I must have at least prepared 100 types of soups, which unfortunately those days I never wrote down much. I am just going through those that I have jotted down while trying to recollect others. Anyways, I love soups and I am sure I will come up with many more new ones. So do keep a keen eye on my Blog for more if you are a soup lover lime me.

** Coming to Rajma (Red Bean), I am sure all of you enjoy that at home in different forms. We use them in preparation of curries extensively and soups were something new long back. It so happened that my hubby who loves eating plain cooked beans as it is, insisted that I add them to tomato soup. That is how I started preparing soups with beans decades back and got hooked on to them. I have already posted Rajma soup, where I had used only rajma then, this soup contains tomatoes and a little bit of beet and is much healthier as it has the inclusion of veggies. I have a few more combos of Rajma soups with me, till then you prepare this one this monsoon and enjoy it steaming hot with your family and friends. Addition of cheese is optional and you can leave out the same if you do not like it.

** Remember today’s children are tomorrows generation and to have them strong is our moral responsibility. Bad habits are easy to be formed, but very difficult to be rectified later on. So it is important that we elders instill in them and make them know what is good and bad for their health. If you make / cook healthy food at home they will grow up learning to eat the same, so will their children and so on. All it needs is a little forethought and planning and off course the desire to keep your family healthy. If you are a working parent, share the load with your children too as they grow. Teach them the responsibility when they are young of running a home along with career be it a boy or a girl. It is very important lesson of life, Even in schools they have now begun to practice and teach the same as health promotion. Today the world is being health conscious. Be fit and spread fitness through good food.

** Here is the simple recipe for “Rajma (Red Bean)~ Tomato Soup topped with grated cheese” … My Style ….

** Ingredients :

Rajma/ Red Beans/ Tambdi bee : 1 cup

Tomatoes : 4 large sized.

Beetroot : One small piece.

Garlic/ losun/ Lehsun : 2-3

Red Chilly Powder : 1 tsp

OR

Black Pepper Powder : 1 tblsp

Salt/ Namak/ Meeta : to taste

** For Topping : One cube of cheese.

** Wash and soak rajma/ red bean/ tambdi bee in plenty of water overnight or for 6 – 8 hours. Wash well and put it in pressure cooker pan with 3-4 cups of water and pressure cook to 3 whistles. Keep this aside for 2-3 hours. Remove and strain the cooked water and keep aside the cooked rajma.

** Add in the strained water back into the pressure cooker pan along with tomato cut into 8 pieces, beetroot peeled and cut into small pieces and also the garlic. Pressure cook this on medium heat for 2 whistles. Remove and let cool.

** Add half of cooked rajma/ red bean into a mixer grinder along with the cooked tomatoes-beetroot-garlic along with the cooked water and grind to a very smooth paste. Remove and strain this through a thick holed sieve into a thick bottomed vessel. Add in the other half of the cooked rajma retained aside and mix well.

** Add in water to bring the soup to a thick consistency and bring to a boil on medium heat. Add salt to taste, chilly powder or pepper powder and mix well. Let it simmer for a good 10 minutes. Check consistency and if too thick add in some water. Remove and pour into individual serving bowl and add on top some grated cheese.

** “Rajma (Red Bean)~ Tomato Soup topped with grated cheese” is done and ready to be served. This is a wholesome filling soup that can be replaced as dinner serving along with some bread slices/ toast. In my home hubby loves pav, while I prefer toast, so I served it steaming hot topped with some grated cheese along with pav and toast, after all food is always about individual choice, so go ahead with yours.

** Always remember to serve soups steaming hot and relish them with your family and friends. I am sure they will love them especially during monsoon or winter. Do try out different types of soups and serve your family as they are healthier options to the once that we get in packets called instant. While they are OK once in a way, do not make it a habit of serving instant food to family, specially children as they are loaded with preservatives, salts and are really bad for health.

** You can use the search option for "Soups" where you will get many more combinations of the same prepared using different ingredients/veggies. Do try out various types of dishes to relish with yummy side dishes that are also included in the Blog. Just use the labels on the right side of the blog for various types of dishes. Enjoy the dishes with your family and friends and do give me a feedback if possible.