Instant Pot Jain Tomato Soup (No Onion, No Garlic)
Silky tomato soup with lauki and carrot, pressure cooked without onion or garlic. Blend until smooth, finish with lemon, and serve as a light main with bread or rice.
Equipment
- Instant Pot or 6-quart electric pressure cooker
- Immersion blender or countertop blender
- Heat-safe silicone spatula
- Fine mesh strainer (optional, for extra-smooth soup)
Ingredients
Tempering
- 2 tbsp neutral oil sunflower or grapeseed
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 bay leaf optional
- ⅛ tsp hing asafoetida; optional
Vegetables
- 500 g Roma tomatoes about 5 medium; cored, roughly chopped
- 250 g dudhi bottle gourd / lauki; peeled, seeded if mature, diced
- 80 g carrot about 1 small; peeled, diced small
Spices and liquid
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ to 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder optional
- 1¼ to 1½ tsp fine salt plus more to taste after blending
- 2½ to 3 cups water
Finish
- 1 to 2 tsp lemon juice to taste
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro optional
- ¼ tsp sugar or a tiny pinch of jaggery only if tomatoes are very sharp
Instructions
Temper and soften tomatoes
- Set pot to Sauté (Normal). When Hot, add oil, cumin, and bay leaf if using. Sizzle cumin 20 to 30 seconds until fragrant, not brown.
- If using hing, add it and stir about 5 seconds on Low or off heat so it does not scorch.
- Add Roma tomatoes with a small pinch of the measured salt. Cook 4 to 6 minutes, stirring often, until tomatoes slump and release liquid. Scrape the bottom clean before pressure.
Add vegetables and pressure cook
- Stir in dudhi and carrot. Add turmeric, Kashmiri chili if using, and remaining salt. Pour in water. Stir once, level the mixture, scrape tomato from the pot sides into the liquid.
- Cancel Sauté. Seal lid, valve to Sealing. Pressure Cook on High 6 minutes. Natural release 10 minutes, then quick-release remaining steam. Open lid away from your face.
Blend and finish
- Cool slightly if using a countertop blender; never fill a blender jar to the top with hot liquid. With an immersion blender, blend in the pot until completely smooth.
- Optional strain through a fine mesh strainer for restaurant-fine texture.
- Reheat on Sauté Low if needed. Stir in lemon juice. Taste salt and acidity; add sugar or jaggery only if still harsh. Serve hot with cilantro if using.
Notes
If tomatoes are very juicy on the cutting board, start with 2½ cups water and thin after blending if needed.
For strict no-root-veg tables, omit carrot and use an extra 100 to 150 g dudhi or diced zucchini; timing stays the same.
Refrigerate leftovers up to 3 days in a shallow airtight container; reheat gently with a splash of water.
Freeze up to about 6 weeks with headspace; re-blend after thawing if texture separates.
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