My Grandma's Applause-Worthy Tomato-Coconut Soup Is Ready in Just 15 Minutes

One of my favorite meals to eat is the comforting tomato-coconut soup that my grandmother used to cook for me whenever I visited her in Maharashtra at her home on India's west coast. It's known as saar throughout India, which means “soup” in Marathi. But my grandma always referred to it as "santosh," which in Sanskrit means “contentment.” I’ve always thought this name was well suited: The creamy coconut milk paired with sweet–tart tomatoes and ghee creates a velvety soup that makes me very content indeed. 

As a professional chef, I’ve cooked my grandmother’s tomato-coconut soup many times over the years. The first time was back in 2007 for my first catering gig at my ex-husband’s boss’s Christmas party, where I served it as the first course of the dinner. It was so well received that everyone clapped as we toasted my grandmother, who was 8,700 miles away in India. 

A few years after that, I put the soup on the menu of my first pop-up restaurant. One guest enjoyed it so much that a few months later, she called me to cater her family Christmas dinner and asked for my grandmother’s soup. I cooked her family’s Christmas dinner for years after, and every year they requested this tomato-coconut soup on the menu. 

Streamlining My Grandmother’s Tomato-Coconut Soup Recipe

Cooking the recipe the way my grandmother did—boiling, peeling, and seeding fresh tomatoes and making fresh coconut milk from scratch—was not practical for catering large scale parties in my California kitchen. So over the years I’ve made adjustments to her recipe, namely calling for canned tomatoes and coconut milk in place of fresh, to create this easy, one-pot recipe I’m sharing below. 

With these two changes, the soup is not only easier to make, but it can be made any time of year, even when fresh tomatoes aren’t in season. Having used many brands of canned tomatoes in this soup over the years, I believe that real Italian San Marzano tomatoes work best, thanks to their consistent sweetness and flavor (beware that not all canned tomatoes with the words "San Marzano" on the label are actually the true ones from Italy). Just remember to remove any basil leaves from the can before using the tomatoes. 

As for the type of coconut milk, I have experimented with full-fat and low-fat coconut creams and milks, and I find full-fat coconut milk has the best flavor and viscosity for this dish; coconut cream is too rich and low-fat milk is just too thin. 

Another difference between my grandmother’s version of the soup and mine is the type of onion used. My grandmother always used Indian onions, which are smaller and sweeter than American white, red, and yellow onions. The best replacement is shallots. They are about the same size and have comparable allium flavor to the onions my grandmother would use when making this soup in India.

Once the shallots are softened, chile powder is added with the blended-and-strained tomato mixture, followed by the coconut milk. When adding the coconut milk, be careful not to bring the soup to a boil. This eliminates any risk of the fat in the coconut milk separating and pools of coconut oil forming on the surface.

The final santosh doesn’t taste like a standard American tomato soup. It’s light and silky with a balanced flavor that’s enhanced with subtle heat from the ginger, shallots and chile powder. In Maharashtra, the soup is often eaten mixed into white rice or with bits of chapati or other griddle bread dipped into it, and in my opinion it’s sure to bring contentment in every bite.

Add tomatoes to a blender jar with their juices. Rinse out now-empty tomato can with 1 cup water, swish it around to collect more tomato flavor in the water, then add water to the blender. Blend tomatoes on high speed into a very smooth puree, about 1 minute.

Set a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl and pour tomato puree through strainer. Add remaining 1/2 cup (120 ml) water to now-empty blender and blend briefly to gather any remaining tomato liquid; pour that liquid through strainer. Using the back of a metal ladle, press tomato puree through strainer;scrape the puree  that collects on bottom of strainer into bowl. Set strained puree aside and discard any remaining pulp left in strainer.

In a 6-quart saucepan or Dutch oven, heat ghee or oil over medium heat until just shimmering. Add shallot and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes.

Add ginger and cumin and cook, stirring frequently, until aromatic, about 30 seconds.

Stir in strained tomato puree, chile powder, and salt, then cook until it just comes to a boil, 5 to 7 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer, then vigorously shake can of coconut milk to combine fats and liquids before opening. While stirring constantly, slowly pour coconut milk into simmering soup. Raise heat to medium-high heat and return soup to a simmer. Once simmering, immediately remove from heat. Do not let soup boil, as this may cause fat in coconut milk to separate. Taste soup: Season to taste and, if too tart, add sugar to taste.

Serve in a bowl as-is or pour over hot white Basmati rice. Drizzle with melted ghee and sprinkle with cilantro (if using) before serving.

Special Equipment 

Blender, fine-mesh strainer, 6-quart saucepan or Dutch oven

Make Ahead and Storage

The soup can be refrigerated for up to 1 day. To serve, warm it over low heat on the stovetop. Do not bring to a boil, as this might cause the soup to separate.