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Indian

Tomato saar

Vegetarian

टोमॅटो सार · ṭomĕṭo sār

A thin Maharashtrian tomato soup, sweet-sour with jaggery and enriched with coconut, tempered with cumin, curry leaves and green chilli. Served with rice or sipped hot.

Tomato saar is an Indian soup, ready in about 35 minutes and made with tomato and coconut. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Tomato saar: thin tangy tomato soup with cumin tempering in a white bowl
Photo: Sulabha prabhune / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
10 min
Cook
25 min
Total
35 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
76

Ingredients

4 servings

For the tempering

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Simmer the tomatoes (opens in a new tab) in the water until the skins split and the flesh is soft.

    A sauce simmering in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Nanda Mends on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Cool slightly, then blend the tomatoes (opens in a new tab) and their liquid with the coconut (opens in a new tab) until smooth. Strain through a sieve, pressing on the solids.

  3. Step 3

    Return to the pan, whisk in the chickpea flour (opens in a new tab), if using, then add the jaggery, salt and goda masala (opens in a new tab). Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring, thinning with water to a soupy consistency.

    • 6 min
    • medium-low heat
    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Heat the ghee (opens in a new tab), crackle the mustard seeds (opens in a new tab) and cumin (opens in a new tab), add the curry leaves (opens in a new tab), green chilli (opens in a new tab) and asafoetida (opens in a new tab), then pour over the saar. Garnish with coriander.

    • 2 min
    • medium heat

About this dish

Origin
Maharashtra, India · Commonly attributedMore food from India
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Soups
Cooking method
Boiled, Blended, Simmered
Taste
sweet & sour, tangy, aromatic / warmly spiced, mild
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat
With the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Everyday · Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Tomato · Coconut · Jaggery / palm sugar · Ghee · Cumin · Mustard seeds
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering · Wet grinding · Emulsification

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom ghee
  • May contain: Wheatfrom asafoetida
  • May contain: Glutenfrom asafoetida
  • May contain: Sesamefrom goda masala
  • Contains: Mustardfrom mustard seeds

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

76 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 265 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 7%
  • Carbohydrate 45%
  • Fat 48%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy76 kcal29 kcal
Protein1.5 g0.6 g
Carbohydrate9.3 g3.5 g
Net carbohydrate7.2 g2.7 g
Sugars6.9 g2.6 g
Added sugars3.2 g1.2 g
Fibre2.1 g0.8 g
Fat4.4 g1.6 g
Saturated fat2.9 g1.1 g
Trans fat0 g0 g
Cholesterol6 mg2 mg
Sodium594 mg224 mg
Salt equivalent1.5 g0.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
334 mg
Calcium
33 mg
Iron
0.7 mg
Magnesium
21 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
74 µg
Vitamin C
21 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
21 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: chickpea flour, goda masala.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): curry leaves, asafoetida.
  • Jaggery / palm sugar: Brown sugar (FDC 168833) used as a stand-in for unrefined cane jaggery and palm sugar.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Use the ripest, reddest tomatoes; add a little more jaggery if they are sharp.

Common mistakes

  • Boiling hard after the coconut goes in — it can split and turn grainy.

Serve with

  • Serve with hot rice and a dry bhaji, or in cups as a starter.

Storage

  • Keeps 2 days refrigerated.

Reheating

  • Reheat gently; coconut can split if boiled hard.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3

Masalas in this recipe

Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.

  • Dry spice blend

    Goda masala

    This recipe uses ½ tsp (1 g for 4 servings).

    Make Goda masala

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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