Cold Ruby Soup

It's a cold soup. It's also almost raw ! Well at least 2 of the 3 key ingredients are raw. Summer days bring in much exhaustion and a general loss of appetite. Fluids are downed by the litres. But soup is one thing we don't want to drink. However an easy and refreshing solution to that is cold soups.
I am constantly updating my repertoire with more season specific dishes using seasonal produce , as much as possible.
Tried this soup. Tasted gorgeous cold and the hubby , with his conservative tastes , enjoyed it hot.
Just 3 main ingredients , serves 4

1 cup finely grated carrot
1/2 cup baked beans with the tomato sauce it is canned in.
2 large , firm , red tomatoes peeled and development seeded.
Salt , pepper , tobacco sauce to taste.

Puree the vegetables along with the beans. Thin down the soup to your preferred consistency. Season with salt , pepper and a dash of tabasco sauce.

If you prefer it cold , just boil it on a low flame for about 3-5 minutes.

Serve it with a crisp salad and cold meats , or with crusty bread and an olive oil +balsamic vinegar dip.

Beetroot Tomato and Carrot Soup

Long winter evenings. The family gathers. There is an overload of parties and get togethers. Over worked digestive system is crying for reprieve. Just the kind of situation to bring in this gorgeous delight. Its healthy , easy to cook and is totally non fussy. This one is from my sister in Law , Amita's kitchen. My niece Tanya had lovingly served me this with a generous blob of butter. It was love at first sip. I'm sure you will enjoy this as much as I did.

Peel and chop 4 red tomatoes, 2 small beetroot and 2 medium carrots.Remove the seeds from the tomato. Peel and grate 1/2 " PC of ginger. Cook all the vegetables and ginger till soft . Grind in a mixie till smooth. Do not strain. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with a small blob of butter. Or just a spoonful of cream is just as good, If you are calorie conscious , then hold the butter / cream.

Green Snowdrop soup

A yummy soup that is pleasing to the palate as well as the stomach. Mother will never complain about this one. This uses greens and egg whites. Nutritious , healthy, chunky and pleasing to the eye. Now that we've listed its virtues lets get down to how easy it is to make.

You need just a cupful of greens you like. Sliced french beans, capsicum, snow peas, spinach, bok choy, spring onions, coriander leaves, celery, cabbage etc. 2 cups chicken / vegetable stock, 1 tsp oil, 1 tsp crushed garlic, 1 ts grated ginger , salt, pepper to taste, 1/4 th tsp sugar. 1 egg white. 1 tsp cornflour mixed with water to make a thin paste .

Heat a pan and add 1/4 tsp oil to it. saute the ginger and then add garlic. add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add in the greens and the seasonings.Bring to a boil. Beat the egg white and slowly add to the boiling soup. Add in the cornflour paste and stir well. Serve.

Tomato Celery Soup

This soup is an excellent example on how to make a simple everyday dish , exciting and fancy.  Its as simple at that, just take a normal tomato soup, add in chopped celery , give it a boil , add a dollop of cream and VOILA! a lovely fresh  exotic soup. 

You have the additional trick of using packaged tomato soup if you don't have the time to make it. But in love the longer process , and if you do too, here it is.

4 firm red tomatoes, 1/2 a potato peeled and diced, 2 inch piece of carrot peeled and diced, 1 small onion chopped,2 cloves garlic chopped, 1 stalk of fresh celery or about 2 heaped tbsp of chopped celery . salt and pepper to taste. Fresh cream to garnish

Cut the tomatoes into half and scoop out the seeds.In a large pot put in the tomatoes, carrot, potato, onion, garlic  and 4 cups of water. Cover and cook till the carrots and potatoes are tender. Cool , blend into a smooth paste and strain. Put the strained soup into another pan , season with salt and pepper and the chopped celery. Cook till it comes to a boil, lower the flame and let simmer for 5 mins. Serve the soup with a dollop of fresh cream.

Garlic bread, soup sticks, croutons or crackers go well with this soup.

Celery Soup

Celery. Its an excellent source of Vitamin C , folic acid, potassium, vitamins and fibre,  but most important , everyone loves the tangy fresh taste of celery. Here is a quick and easy way to serve celery.

A bunch of celery ,  use only the leaves and the top stem which is still delicate. Finely chop the leaves and stalks. 1 onion finely chopped, 5-6 garlic cloves finely chopped, 1 tblsp flour , 1/4 cup milk , 1 tblsp oilve oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Heat oil, saute the onion till light brown and translucent, saute garlic. Add in the celery , cover and cook. Cool and blend in a mixer and return to the pan. Blend the flour with the milk , add 1 cup of water.  lower the flame and add the flour, milk and water . Stir continuously till it thickens. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches or with a hearty  pasta salad.

Green Treasure Soup

2 cups water, 2 tblsp each of greens like french beans, capsicum, chinese cabbage, pok choy spinach, spring onion, celery, sliced green chillies ( light green non spicy variety), 1 cube stock, 1 tbsp vinegar, salt to taste, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/4 tsp white pepper,1 egg , 2 tsp cornflour mixed with a little water.

Boil the water with the stock cube, add in the greens except spring onion greens,add vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar. mix the cornflour with water and add to the soup as soon as it cmes to a boil. As the soup thickens, whip up the egg and add to the soup, stirring all the while.
Serve immediately

Spinach and Garlic soup

Soups are the mainstay of our daily dinners. As is commonly believed dinner has to be the lightest meal of the day. However that is the only meal when the family eats together. To keep this meal interesting is a mothers nightmare. My experiments and variations are tried out at this meal.It should be the time when i need my creative juices to flow, but alas after a long tiring day , its the flash in the pan ideas that strike me.This started as one such experiment, but turned out edible. So all is well!

1 cup of coarsely pureed boiled spinach, 1 tbsp of wholewhaet flour, 1 cup milk, 1 tbsp chopped garlic, salt and pepper to taste.Heat oil and lightly fry garlic, add spinach puree and boil. Mix the flour and milk to a smooth paste. Add to the spinach. Add 1 cup water and salt and pepper to taste. Stir on slow flame till well blended.
Serve with crusty bread, croutons or soup sticks.

Vegetable and Ginger soup.

Monsoons is the time for hot and filling soups. Mumbai rains are are erratic. Sometimes its a soothing drizzle and another time it will be the most violent downpour for hours on end. This soup helps get by those dark, cold and depressing days.

4 cups of stock ( veg, chicken) sliced carrots, spring onion, cabbage, finely sliced new ginger, 2 cloves of garlic crushed. Salt and pepper to taste, a pinch of sugar. 1 cup of puffed rice ( optional).
Boil the stock add in the ginger and let it simmer, then add carrots and cook till half done. Add the spring onions and cabbage and take off the stove. To give a dramatic twist to the soup, fry puffed rice ( Kurmura, lahiya) in a tsp of oil till crisp. Add to the soup directly into every soup bowl after the soup has been served. The sizzle sure lifts up the spirits. Serve with garlic bread.Enjoy.

Hearty Oats Soup

Another one dish meal for a tiring day.
This soup combines the nutrition of vegetables, oats and chicken sausage. A filling meal in itself , very easy to make. More vegetables can be added and substituted. Prawns, fish can be substituted for the sausage. Perfect as supper after a long tiring day.

Ingredients
1. medium onion sliced and browned
1. chopped carrot
8-10 french beans, roughly chopped
1 tbsp garlic
1 tbsp green coriander
1 cube vegetable / chicken stock
2 tbsp oats (plain breakfast variety)
1 chicken sausage sliced
1 tsp oil

Heat oil, fry garlic and corriander add corrots and beans, saute, add stock cube and 2 cups water and oats. Cover and cook for 2 mins.Add in the sliced sausage and the sliced browned onion.add salt n pepper to taste.

Serve with garlic bread, or on its own.

BON APPETIT!

Minty Peas and Potato Soup

A smooth soup with a twist.
1/2 cup green peas, 1 small potato peeled and chopped, 1 onion chopped, 4 pods garlic chopped, 1/2 cup mint leaves ( pudina), 1 tbsp wholewheat flour, 1 tsp cumin powder, a dash of pepper, salt to taste, 1 tsp oil,1 cup water.

Fry the onions, garlic, potatoes till potatoes are soft. Add peas, mint , pepper and cumin powder. cook for 2 mins. Sprinkle flour ,mix well, add water, cover and cook for 3 mins. Cool, strain and set aside this cooking liquid, puree the peas, potato mixture and strain again , adding the cooking liquid set aside. Add salt to taste. heat evenly on a low flame. Serve with a tbsp of thick whipped yoghurt ( dahi)

Tomato Saar - Tomato soup with a desi flavour

In many sarawsat homes an aperitif is also used as a accompaniment to rice. A kokum kadi , is drunk as an apertif , as a digestive or with steamed rice. Similarly the tomato saar serves as soup or as an accompaniment to steamed rice or curd ( yoghurt) rice. The tomatoes are usually left in their mashed form if used with rice. I preferred to strain them in this recipe.

4 firm ripe tomatoes, quartered , de seeded and cooked.
1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, a generous pinch of asafoetida, curry leaves, 1 tsp of sugar , chopped corriander ( cilantro). salt to taste.
Cool the cooked tomato, puree, strain. Add 2 cups water.
In a saucepan , heat oil. Add cumin, asafoetida, curry leaves and red chilli powder.
Add the tomato liquid and boil for 5 minutes. Serve as a soup or with steamed rice.
As a soup can be served with a spoonful of coconut milk , or yoghurt, buttermilk
Or plain , garnished with cilantro ( corriander)
Or as a tangy companion to curd rice ( yoghurt).

Hearty Corn and Peppers Soup

A Rainy Stormy night.... Tired and cold. I am in no mood to cook or eat a regular meal. Just a soup should be great. But the kids will be back from the club , hungry and eager for a hearty meal. Here is just the right dish to suit us all.

Hearty corn and peppers soup

1 tsp olive oil ; 1 tbsp chopped garlic , half cup red onion diced ; half cup potatoes diced; half cup red peppers diced ; 1 cup sweet corn , 2 cups milk , 1 cup water , 1 vegetable stock cube,1 tbsp whole wheat flour, salt and pepper to taste. Corriander to garnish.

Heat oil , add onions , saute till soft. Add garlic , potatoes and peppers. Cook on low flame for 2-3 mins.
Add flour and sautee on low heat. Add milk , water, stock cube and corn. Cover and cook till vegetables are tender.
Add salt n pepper to taste. Garnish with Corriander.
Served with bread, makes it a hearty dinner. Happy Meal :)

Spinach Soup

How often do we feel like a light non fussy yet filling supper? A quick soup which feels like a gourmet treat.

4 tblsp spinach paste, 1 tblsp olive oil,2 cloves crushed garlic, 1 heaped tsp flour, 4 tblsp milk, 1 cup water, salt & pepper to taste.
Heat oil, fry garlic, add flour. Fry. take off heat , add water. Mix, add milk.Mix.Add spinach puree and put it back on the stove.simmer till well heated. Add salt and pepper. Put in your preferred topping and drizzle 2 tblsp milk over it. ENJOY.

Topping:
Croutons, cream crackers grilled with paneer/ cheese, garlic bread slices, roasted pine nuts ( chilgoza),sliced almonds.

Cooked and Presented by: Mandira Mehra