Indian Style Tomato Soup

This tomato soup is the perfect accompaniment to grilled cheese sandwich. It is also great to serve warm with crusty bread on a chilly day.
I added Indian flavors to the soup along with some coconut milk to make it thick and tasty. Substitute ginger with garlic, omit the cumin seeds and red chili powder. Use cream or half-n-half instead of coconut milk and make a American style thick tomato soup.
Recipe adapted from here:  Tomato Soup:  Ingredients:  Diced Tomatoes - 1 14oz. (or use 3~4 medium ripe tomatoes -- blanch, peel and puree them) Red Onion - 1 small, finely chopped Ginger - ½" piece, grated
Cumin seeds - 1tsp
Red Chili powder - ½tsp
Coconut milk - 1½cups
Rice flour - 1tbsp (or chickpea flour)
Salt - to taste
Cilantro - 2tbsp, chopped
Method:

• Heat 2tsp oil in a saucepan, add the cumin seeds and once the seeds start to turn dark, add the onions and cook till they turn translucent, about 3~5 minutes.
• Add the ginger and saute for 30 seconds.
• Stir in the tomato puree, chili powder and salt. Simmer for 5~8 minutes.
• Gently stir in the coconut milk. Simmer the soup till all the flavors get a chance to mingle. If the soup seems too thin, then stir in rice flour that is whisked in water and simmer the soup for 2~3 minutes or till the soup is thick. 
• Garnish with cilantro and serve with grilled cheese sandwich.