Spicy Tomato Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste

1 teaspoon garam masala

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

1 tablespoon Indian chili powder

½ cup water, or as needed

1 (28 ounce) can tomato puree

1 tablespoon white sugar

salt to taste

⅓ cup heavy cream or half-and-half

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; stir in onions and bay leaves, and cook about 5 minutes until the onions begin to soften. Add flour, ginger-garlic paste, garam masala, turmeric, and Indian chili powder. Cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Pour the water into the pan, and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom with a wooden spoon. Pour in the tomato puree and thin with additional water to desired consistency. Add sugar and salt; cook until sugar is dissolved and soup is hot, about 5 minutes.

Remove bay leaves and serve with cream if desired.