Bowled over

“The noodle is handcrafted, the chashu slices braised in-house, but it’s the broth where the real culinary artistry lies. Either you love it or you don’t,” declared Chef Rajdeep Rana, Director of Culinary at The Westin Pune, as he placed a beautifully fragrant bowl of Japanese ramen before me. True to his words, the broth was a harmonious rollercoaster of flavours, subtle yet complex, expertly seasoned, and rich in umami, drawn from a slow-cooked trotter broth and his years of experience in Japan, as well as his deep respect for the traditional art of soup-making.

Rediscovering soup’s charm

Chef Rana is not alone in this pursuit of rediscovering one of the oldest culinary classics. Olive Qutub’s Executive Chef Dhruv Oberoi is equally captivated by the world of soups. His latest experiment began with an unusual idea: transforming a creamy, comforting French bisque into a light, refreshing summer dish — a gazpacho. “Delhi has a longstanding love for soups, whether they’re classic or reimagined,” Chef Oberoi shares. “But the challenge came in adapting a warm, hearty soup into something that could work in the summer heat. The real lesson came when I realised that cold soups don’t just need a twist in seasoning — they require coaxing to bring out the flavours.”

After much trial and error, the bisque evolved into something extraordinary — tangy, light, and packed with flavour. “It was all about tweaking the seasoning and balancing the freshness with a bouquet of herbs. The cold soup version had to have a luxurious mouthfeel to it, which worked better than the original,” he recalls. It quickly became one of the restaurant’s best-sellers.

Bold, rustic, and inventive

Chef Oberoi’s love for experimenting with traditional soups doesn’t stop there. He has also reimagined rustic ingredients like Jerusalem artichokes (also known as sunchokes) into soups with earthy, nutty flavours that appeal to modern palates. “Soup is simple, nourishing, and endlessly versatile,” he muses. “Once you master the base, you can take it in any direction you desire.” This versatility allows chefs like him to merge regional traditions with innovative techniques, creating truly unique dining experiences.

A perfect example of this is the Nalli Nihari Ramen served at The Brasserie at Hilton Mumbai, created by Executive Chef Altamsh Patel. “It’s not a fusion but a symphony of two distinct flavours merging seamlessly in a bowl,” explains Chef Patel. His exploration of shorbas and yakhnis — rich, flavourful broths — has become a key element in his culinary repertoire. “These broths are not just about taste, they are a story,” he adds. “From pouring a shorba over a carefully plated stack of meat and vegetables, you can transform a dish into something more than just food. It becomes a narrative.”

For Chef Patel, it’s about honouring tradition while creating something fresh and exciting for today’s diners. He uses these broths not just to enhance flavour, but also to reintroduce forgotten dishes to contemporary audiences. 

Wellness in a bowl

The healing powers of soup are undeniable, and Chef Sumanta Chakrabarti believes this is one of its greatest qualities. “Soups are not just nourishing — they are functional,” he says. “In the Indian culinary tradition, soup is often the first prescription for wellness.” One of the best examples of this is the Gota Sedho, a Bengali (and Odia) dish made during Laxmi Puja. A medley of seasonal vegetables stewed in water and served with a mild tempering, this soup not only provides comfort but also helps realign the body’s rhythms with the changing seasons.

In a similar vein, traditional Indian soups such as Ulava Charu and Rasam have long been valued for their health benefits. These tangy, spice-laden broths are believed to aid digestion and boost immunity. Chef Chakrabarti points out that soups like these are not just meals — they are medicine, both for the body and the soul.

Rediscovering forgotten flavours

Indian cuisine, with its rich and diverse history, offers an abundance of unique soup recipes that have been forgotten or overshadowed by their more popular counterparts. Chef Vikash Singh of The Bier Library is bringing one such dish back into the limelight: the Elephant Apple and Fish Head Broth. This tangy, sour, and umami-rich soup hails from the northeast and eastern parts of India, where it was traditionally used to restore strength to women after childbirth.

“Not many people know this, but fish head broths were once an essential part of the regional diet,” Chef Singh explains. “This soup is a perfect example of how a simple dish can be packed with layers of flavour.” Paired with rice, fried fritters, or leafy greens, this soup can either serve as a full meal or be elevated with noodles or vegetables to create a hearty, satisfying dish.

More than a broth

Agrees Chef Gaurav Raghuvanshi of Central District Bar, who finds soups a fantastic base to reimagine dishes. It is shorba that has helped him redesign butter chicken as a fondue, where the creamy gravy is “retweaked with a tomato yakhni. This not only lightens the soup but also gives it that (coating) glaze quality, and right amount of sweet and sourness for that perfect, elevated (taste) flavour,” says Chef Gaurav, who finds shorbas a very natural, healthy way of adding taste to a dish.

Just like Chef Vikas Seth’s Bun Cha. A typical Vietnamese DIY dish, this features grilled pork, vermicelli noodles, and a side of fresh herbs, accompanied by dipping sauce. Served at Sriracha, the beauty of this dish, says Chef Seth, “is the dipping sauce or a warm, fragrant dipping broth. Made by incorporating fish sauce, rice vinegar, palm sugar, garlic and fresh lime, seasoned with fresh chilli slices, it is the umami-rich flavour of the broth that brings in the real flavours and addictiveness of the dish. Remove it and the dish may not make such a lasting impression.”

Soup’s act two

With such varieties, is it safe to assume that soups, a rather quiet placeholder in the menu till date, are seeing a resurgence of the European renaissance that made it mandatory in menus? The answer, continues Chef Seth, “is a mixed bag. While soups have a greater audience in clubs and hotels, in restaurants, the success is subjective, and is often diner and season driven, and in that very order. Of course, while classic has plateaued, what works is taking the traditional bowl and adding your creativity to the bowl to make it sound exciting. The one-pot meal is perhaps the finest example of the rebirth.”

The one thing the chefs agree wholeheartedly though, is the wide canvas soups open up, the commercial success of course depends on how well it is elevated, and that, says Chef Raghuvanshi, “is one of the reasons that we are looking back at heirloom dishes like chukandar aur masoor ka shorba muse to create dishes that go beyond the bowl.”

(The author is a seasoned food columnist and curator of experiential dining experiences, pop-ups and retreats for chefs.)