The inspiration to make this came from the unpalatable tomato soup that I have eaten at many restaurants. No matter how many times I try to give the British enough chances to prove that their Tomato soup doesn’t taste like dirty dishwashing liquid, they never cease to disappoint. So one day I decided to make it on my own and with basic ingredients too.
If you’ve only had one choice for eating light soup (pepper soup), I suggest you try this out for yourself. Go ahead and boil yam and add to it or white rice, just as you would with pepper soup. You could also lightly toast a baguette or sliced Agege bread and you are good to go. It is just as quick and stress free as pepper soup and it can serve a light dinner option for those on a diet.
So, what do you need
1 pound of deveined King Prawns/Shrimp
2 tablespoons of Tomato paste – you can use Derrica
1/2 of a Red Onion
2 pieces of Ata Rodo (scotch bonnet or habanero)
Olive Oil
Curry powder
Dried Thyme – you can also use fresh
Basil – You can use Efinrin
Salt
Seasoning Cube
Here’s how to
1. Dice the onions and finely chop the Ata Rodo and set aside
2. Sprinkle a pinch of curry, thyme and half a seasoning cube over the raw prawns and toss
3. Heat up 2 tablespoons of Olive oil in a deep frying pan and sear the prawns. 1 minute on each side
4. Take the prawns out of the pan and you will be left with seasoned oil with yummy brown bits of prawn. Add the diced onion and ata rodo and fry till the onions are golden.
5. Then scoop in the tomato paste and fry till you have a thick tomato sauce. Remember this is soup, so you add 1 to 1 1/2 cups of hot water to dilute the sauce. Don’t drown it though
6. Then re-introduce the prawns into the pan and let it all boil together for 5 minutes. Taste for salt and seasoning and make adjustments if you wish
7. Shred the Efinrin or basil leaves and add to the pan. Let this cook for 2 minutes to infuse the aroma into the soup
……..and that’s it. Prawns in Tomato and Basil Soup. If you are going to be eating it with yam, simply boil it separately in another pot and cut bite sized portions and introduce into the pan for a minute or two. Be careful though that the soup doesn’t dry out. If it does, just dilute with a little hot water and you are back in business. Open that bottle of wine, kick back and soothe your taste buds and tummy.
Bon Appetite
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