Rich, steaming soups

Food fix

When the cold weather takes over, there is joy in tucking in a bowl of delicious, steaming soup. Whip up an appetising broth of vegetables and spices to start your meal with. Here is an array of recipes you can try.

Peas & spinach soup

Ingredients: 2 cups of chopped spinach; 1 cup of cooked peas; salt to taste; ¼ tsp each of toasted jeera and pepper powders; 2 pinches of turmeric powder; 4 tbsp of milk; 2 tsp of butter; ¼ tsp of curry leaf powder; 2 tsp of ghee (optional); 4 tsp of lemon juice

Method: Heat butter and sauté spinach for a few minutes; add half a cup of water and cook till soft. Keep aside 2 tbsp of peas and grind the rest with spinach for a minute into a smooth paste. Add water to the mixture to make four cups. Add salt, jeera and pepper powder and bring to boil. Simmer for two to three minutes until it is well-blended; stir in milk and then add lime juice. Serve hot, topped with the rest of the cooked peas.

Optional: Fresh cream may be added. The same method can be followed to make cabbage soup.

Tomato & onion soup

Ingredients: 3½ cups of tomato puree; ½ cup of chopped onion; salt, pepper powder and jaggery to taste; 2 tsp of lemon juice (optional); a few chopped coriander leaves; a few croutons and toasted bread crumbs (to garnish); 2 tsp of oil; 2 tsp of ghee

Method: Heat oil; sauté onions till they turn pale pink; add the rest of the ingredients and bring to boil slowly. Simmer for two to three minutes; add coriander leaves and serve hot, with a dash of ghee and croutons.

Carrot & cashew soup

Ingredients: 1½ cups of grated carrots; 2 tbsp of cashew paste; salt, chilli powder and lemon juice to taste; a few chopped coriander leaves; 4 tbsp of crushed potato chips
Method: Pressure cook carrot gratings; add cashew paste and blend in a mixer till smooth. Add two cups of water to adjust the consistency to four cups. Add the rest of the ingredients; bring to boil; simmer for two to three minutes. Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves, a dash of ghee and crushed potato chips. (Almond paste can be substituted for cashew nuts)

Sweet pumpkin soup

Ingredients: 3 cups of chopped sweet pumpkin; 4 tsp of coconut gratings (ground to paste); 1 green chilli; 5-6 curry leaves; a few chopped coriander leaves; a pinch each of asafoetida and turmeric powder; 2 tsp of oil; ½ tsp of jeera; a few coriander leaves; 4 tsp of sev or boondi

Method: Cook the pumpkin cubes till tender and mash well. Add the ground coconut paste, salt and two cups of water. Bring to boil; simmer for two to three minutes. Stir in lemon juice; season with the oil and jeera. Pour over the soup, add coriander leaves and serve at once, garnished with sev or boondies.