Indian-Spiced Tomato, Rice, & Chickpea Soup (With a Little Hummus on Top) for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

Sometimes a week just gets away from you. I have been madly trying to meet a writing deadline for a workshop I am delivering in a couple weeks and have had my head down and my blurry eyes focused on the computer. Little time to focus on much else like a soup for today's Souper Sundays. When I did take time to stick my head in the kitchen, I wanted something easy and for it to come from the pantry and fridge and not require a trip to the store.

I was craving something tomatoey, a bit brothy, maybe some beans and rice, definitely some spice.I have made tomato rice soups before but I thought it would be fun to put more of an Indian flare to this one and along with garlic and ginger, use garam masala and cumin and use basmati rice. It turned out to be a good idea, giving me a thick and satisfying soup with plenty of flavor. I like soup with a good topping and I was going to add some chutney to this one when my eye was caught by a container of leftover hummus. Stirring it into the soup gives it a layer of creaminess that takes it from really good to really great.

Indian-Spiced Tomato, Rice & Chickpea Soup
by Deb, Kahakai Kitchen
(Makes 4 Large Servings)

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 yellow or sweet onion, diced
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 small red chile pepper, seeded and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 tsp garam masala, or to taste
1/2 tsp ground cumin, or to taste
1/2 cup rice (basmati preferred)
2 (14.5 oz) cans low-sodium diced fire-roasted tomatoes with juices
1 (15.5-oz) canned low-sodium chickpeas, rinsed well and drained
3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or water
salt and black pepper to taste
squeeze of fresh lemon (optional)
prepared hummus and chopped fresh cilantro to top (optional) 

In your soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and carrot and saute for 5 minutes, until vegetables have softened and onions are translucent. Add garlic and ginger and saute for another 3 minutes, then add garam masala and cumin and saute for 1-2 minutes, until you can really scent the spices.

Add the rice, tomatoes, chickpeas and broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is cooked and vegetables are cooked. Season to taste with salt and pepper and if you like, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Serve with chopped fresh cilantro and a small scoop of hummus (optional but highly recommended). ;-) Enjoy with a piece of paratha or naan. 

Notes/Results: This is a good one. It's a thick soup with the rice, beans and pieces of tomato and carrot, but not at all heavy. The garam masala and ground cumin add great flavor with a touch of heat from the red chile and it is brightened up from a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Although not necessarily in keeping with the Indian-spice flavor profile, the hummus is a perfect touch--great to mix into the soup or to dip some paratha in. A happy combination of flavors and textures, I would make this again.

We have some good friends waiting in the Souper Sundays kitchen--let's take a look.  

Joyce of Kitchen Flavours is here with a refreshing Lettuce, Cucumber, Cherry Tomato Salad with Ranch Dressing. She says, "This is a really simple salad, easy and quick to put together especially if you are rushing for time when preparing the main dishes. Another lovely recipe from The Deen Bros. The Ranch Dressing is so yummy, we love it! According to The Deen Bros., any extra dressing can be used as a dipping sauce for chicken fingers or chicken wings, and can be covered in the refrigerator for a week. We like all the flavours in the dressing; the garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, minced garlic, chopped fresh chives, parlsey, mayonnaise, milk and white wine vinegar." 

Janet of The Taste Space shares her variation on a sandwich, these Quick & Easy Salsa Chickpea Tacos. She says, "I envision this as the perfect travelling meal – mix and eat. Until then, it will have a happy place in my kitchen. Mix some salsa with chickpeas and chopped bell pepper. Throw it overtop some shredded broccoli and carrots for more crunch on a taco shell, and you’ve got a meal.  I topped mine with a healthy dose of nutritional yeast which became creamy and gooey with the extra salsa. Totally not optional for those who love nooch."

My friend and fellow I Heart Cooking Clubs co-host Kim of Stirring the Pot brings these cute Giada De Laurentiis Mini Meatball Sliders and says, "This is definitely a family friendly meal that worked for us.  The kids were tricked into eating the meatballs because they were placed inside a fluffy, soft, sweet little roll.  Plus, ketchup and kids just go together.  Put a little ketchup on that meatball and you're good to go."

Thanks to Joyce, Janet, and Kim for joining in this week. If you have a soup, salad or sandwich to share, just click on the Souper Sundays logo on my sidebar for all of the details. 

Have a happy, healthy week!