Lemon & Pepper Soup

Ingredients

Lemon juice - 2 tablespoons
Black peppercorns, crushed - 1/2 teaspoon
Oil - 1 teaspoon
Gram flour (besan) - 1 tablespoon
Carrot, sliced thinly - 1 medium
Cabbage, shredded - 1/4 small
Mushrooms, sliced - 4-6
Green capsicum, seeded and chopped - 1 medium
Tomato, chopped - 1 medium
Salt - to taste
Vegetable stock - 4-5 cups
Bean sprouts - 1/2 cup

Method

• Heat oil in a saucepan, add besan and stir-fry briefly.
• Add carrot, cabbage and mushrooms and stir. Add capsicum, tomato and salt.
• Stir for a minute.
• Add vegetable stock and let it come to a boil.
• Simmer for two to three minutes.
• Add crushed black peppercorns and take off heat.
• Add bean sprouts and lemon juice.
• Stir and serve piping hot.

Dal Soup With Tomato

Healthy dal soup topped with toasted brown bread cut in the shape of hearts

Ingredients

Ripe red tomatoes, quartered - 6 medium
Split green gram skinless (dhuli moong dal) , soaked - 1/2 cup
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Onion , sliced - 1 small
Ginger, sliced - 1 inch piece
Garlic, sliced - 2 cloves
Salt - to taste
White pepper powder - to taste
Brown bread - 4 slices
Fresh coriander leaves - 4 sprigs

Method

• Heat oil in a deep pan. Add cumin seeds, onion, ginger and garlic and saute till lightly browned.
• Add moong dal and saute for a minute. Add three cups of water and bring the mixture to a boil. Add salt and pepper powder and stir. Add tomatoes and mix.
• Cover and cook till the dal is completely cooked.
• Cut the brown bread slices into heart shaped pieces with a cookie cutter.
• Heat a pan and toast the bread hearts till golden and crisp.
• Strain the dal mixture and blend the solids into a smooth puree.
• Pass the puree through a sieve into a deep pan.
• Add the strained stock and mix. Bring the mixture to a boil.
• Adjust seasoning.
• Pour the soup into individual soup bowls, garnish with the toasted bread hearts and coriander sprigs and serve hot.

Dahi Shorba

Ingredients

Yogurt - 1 cup
Gram flour (besan) - 2 teaspoons
Green chillies, chopped - 1-2
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Sugar - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Pure ghee - 2 teaspoons
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Carrot, chopped - 1 medium
French beans, chopped - 4-6
Green capsicum, chopped - 1 medium
Cauliflower, chopped - 5-6 florets
Green peas, shelled - 2 tablespoons

Method

• Grind green chillies and ginger to a fine paste.
• Whisk yogurt with three cups water.
• Add besan, green chilli-ginger paste, sugar and salt and blend well.
• Heat desi ghee in a thick-bottomed vessel, add cumin seeds and stir-fry until it changes colour. Add chopped carrot, French beans, capsicum, cauliflower and green peas.
• Stir well and saute vegetables for two to three minutes. Stir in the yogurt mixture, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for eight to ten minutes or until it thickens to a soup consistency.
• Adjust seasoning and serve hot.

Carrot And Coconut Shorba

Ingredients

Carrots, chopped - 3-4 large
Coconut milk - 2 cups
Coconut milk - 4 teaspoons
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Cumin seeds - 3/4 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Onion , sliced - 1 medium
Curry leaves - a few sprigs
Green chillies, chopped - 2
Black peppercorns - 5-6
Salt - to taste
Fresh coriander leaves, chopped - 2 teaspoons
Lemon juice - 3/4 teaspoon
Fresh coriander leaves - 4 sprigs

Method

• Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds and mustard seeds. When they splutter add onion, curry leaves, green chillies, black peppercorns, carrots and salt and stir. Cover and cook for two minutes.
• Add two cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook for two more minutes.
• Add chopped coriander leaves and continue to cook till the carrots are done.
• Strain and reserve the liquid. Cool and grind the carrots with a little water to a fine puree. Heat the strained liquid in a deep pan, add the puree and stir.
• Bring the mixture to a boil. Add coconut milk and lemon juice and let it come a boil.
• Pour into four individual soup bowls, garnish each bowl with a swirl of one teaspoon of coconut milk and a sprig of coriander leaves and serve piping hot.

Apple & Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

Golden apples, cubed - 2
Red pumpkin, cubed - 250 grams
Orange juice - 1 cup
Salt - to taste
Bay leaf - 1
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Black peppercorns, crushed - 1/2 teaspoon
Cream - 1/2 cup
Fresh coriander leaves - a few sprigs

Method

• Take cubed pumpkin and apples in a pan. Add orange juice, salt, bay leaf and cook on high heat. Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer till completely cooked and mashed.
• Let the mixture cool. Remove the bay leaf and then blend to make a puree. Strain the puree and transfer into a pan. Add two cups of water and turmeric powder, mix well and bring to a boil.
• Adjust salt and add freshly crushed peppercorns and mix well.
• Reduce heat and add fresh cream.
• Serving piping hot garnished with coriander leaves.