Tortilla Soup

Tortilla Soup
(Crispy fried strips of corn tortillas in a tomato-based Mexican soup garnished with scallions, cheese, and cilantro)

I made another CPK favorite, tortilla soup, at home. I'm finding this restaurant dining at home really fascinating. I love things spicy, and I always find myself adding hot sauce or chili flakes to my food anytime we eat out. This is so great that we can enjoy the things we enjoy eating out to our particular taste. Not only do you save money, but the best part is that you don't even have to dress up. Here is my version of tortilla soup. Some, if not most, soups are thinner than how ours turned out. We prefer the thicker version. Like I said, make it to your particular palette. Enjoy!

1 can of tomatoes
1 tsp garlic paste
1 cup vegetable stock*
½ red bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
½ tsp red chili powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
Salt to taste
Garnish with:
Readymade corn tortilla strips **
Shredded pepper jack cheese
Slices of avocado
Chopped scallions
Chopped cilantro

1. Heat oil in pan. Add the onions and sautee until soft. Add the garlic paste next as well as the peppers and sautee for a few minutes.
2. Add the salt and tomatoes next and cook the tomatoes for 5 minutes.
3. Now add in the vegetable stock and red chili powder.
4. Cook the soup for 20 minutes. Once the soup is cooked, liquidize and return the pot back on the stove for final 10 minutes.
5. Finally, add in the lemon juice and some chopped cilantro.
6. Now for garnishing, it's your choice whether you want serve the soup in bowls garnished with tortilla strips and toppings of your choice OR place the tortilla strips in the bowl and pour the soup on top.

* Instead of readymade vegetable stock, I use vegetable buillion cubes. To make your own stock, dissolve one cube in one cup of boiling hot water.

** I used readymade tortilla strips that I found in the salad dressing aisle (beside the croutons). Eventually, I will attempt to make my own strips. It's pretty simple -just cut corn tortillas in long stips and deep fry.

The verdict was a winner. B and I both loved the soup. I cannot really recall whether I have ever tasted the CPK soup, so I have no basis for comparison. It's some good soup. Try it for yourself!

Update: I tried the healthier version by baking the tortilla strips myself. It's so easy. You can use either the corn or flour tortillas. Cut the tortillas into 1/2 inch strips. To make it more fun I cut mine into diamond shapes. Coat the strips with olive oil (and salt and pepper, optional) Lay them out in a single layer on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Flip the strips over after 5 minutes, halfway through the cooking process. Voila, you're done!