Pumpkin Soup

This tasty soup is not only yummy, but healthy too. My elder daughter, who doesn't like most of the soups, liked this a lot and whenever, I buy yellow/Red pumpkin, she makes sure that I make this soup for her.

A very light and filling soup for all... Try it out and let me know.

Ingredients

2 tbsp. Butter
2 tbsp. Onion (finely chopped)
3 cups Red Pumpkin (skin peeled and thinly sliced)
1 - 2 tbsp. Black pepper powder
Salt to taste
1 tsp Oregano (optional)
3 cups Water or Vegetable stock
Coriander leaves for garnish



Method

• Heat butter in a non stick pan. Add onion and the thinly sliced pumpkin. Roast till it slightly gets burnt or changes its colour.
• Remove from heat and keep aside to cool. Put it in a mixer and grind into a smooth paste by adding little water or vegetable stock.
• Put the ground pumpkin paste into the pan. Add the remaining water or vegetable stock in it. Mix well and let it simmer for 2 - 3 minutes.
• Adjust salt, black pepper powder and oregano. If needed add more water as required.
• Once everything is nicely combined, take off from heat and serve it hot by garnishing with coriander leaves.

Note:

1. If you don't like the burnt taste of the pumpkin, just roast them slightly till they start changing its colour.
2. You can even season this soup with little bit of oregano. That too tastes good...

* I usually take the quantity of the ingredients as per my taste. So you can always adjust the spices as per your taste*


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Palak/Spinach Shorba

Why is this dish called Palak Shorba and not Palak Soup?

Actually, I have no idea. Googled, but couldn't get a correct answer for my question. What i understand with my little knowledge is that Shorba has a thin consistency and soup has a thick consistency. I don't know whether it is correct or not. I also heard somewhere that both shorba and soup are one and the same, its only the two different names for the same dish.

Call it in any name, it just tastes awesome and its healthy too. I remember the famous quote by Shakespeare "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

My family loves this shorba. I usually add a dash of butter while serving and that's it. The pot will be empty within minutes. It is best when served hot. I know there is no need to tell you how healthy spinach is. Just try it out and you will come to know how tasty it is.

Recipe Source: Sanjeevkapoor.com

Ingredients

2 bunch Spinach/Palak
1 Black Cardamom
2 Cloves
1 inch Cinnamon
2 tbsp Maida/All purpose flour
2 tbsp Olive oil
2 inch Ginger (chopped)
3 - 4 Garlic (chopped)
1 Onion (medium, chopped)
4 - 5 Black peppercorns
2 Bay leaves
Salt to taste
1 tsp Cumin powder


Method

• Wash spinach thoroughly, blanch them in boiling water for 2 - 3 minutes, drain and refresh them in cold water. Drain again and make a puree out of it. Keep this aside.
• Heat oil in a non stick pan. Add black cardamom, cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon, ginger, garlic and onion. Saute till onion starts changing its colour.
• Now add black peppercorns and maida/all purpose flour. Saute it for 2 - 3 minutes.
• Add cumin powder and salt. Mix well. 
• Add 5 cups of water. Let it simmer for approximately 10 minutes. Stir in between.
• Take off from heat and strain it.
• Add the pureed spinach into the strained stock and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in between.
• Take off from heat and serve it hot either by adding a bit of butter or by drizzling a bit of cream on top of it.

* I usually take the quantity of the ingredients as per my taste. So you can always adjust it as per your taste*


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Rasam

This is a south indian dish eaten with rice or separately as a soup. In a traditional meal, it is preceded by a sambar - rice course and is followed by curd rice. Rasam has a distinct taste in comparison to the sambar, due to its own seasoning ingredients and is usually fluid in consistency.

Ingredients

1/2 cup Toor dal
2 cups Cooked toor dal water
1 Tomato (chopped)
1 lemon sized Tamrind
Salt to taste
1 tsp Jeera
1 tsp Black pepper
1 Green chilli
1 tsp Coriander seeds
2 Dry chilli
10 Curry leaves
2 tbsp Coriander leaves
2 to 3 cloves Garlic
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Asafoetida
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tbsp Oil


Method

• Cook 1/2 cup toor dal, water, tomato and salt. When it is fully cooked, mash it well. Add more water to it and it should be approximately 2 cups of toor dal water.
• Along with the toor dal water add tamrind pulp. Let it simmer for sometime.
• In the mean time, coarsely grind jeera, black pepper, green chilli, coriander seeds, dry chilli, 5 curry leaves, coriander leaves, garlic, turmeric powder and asafoetida.
• Heat oil in a kadai. Put mustard in it. When it splutters, add dry chilli, curry leaves. Now add the ground mixture into it. Saute till the raw smell goes away from the mixture.
• Now put this into the simmering toor dal water. Let it boil for sometime.
• Add coriander leaves and take it off from heat.
• Serve it hot with steamed rice or serve as a soup.

Rasam

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Tomato Soup

Ingredients

Tomato - 10 to 12 medium
Garlic - 4 cloves
Carrot - 1/2 medium
Onion - 1 medium
Sugar - 1 tsp
Oil - 1/2 tsp
Butter - 1 tbsp
Bay leaf - 1
Peppercorns - 4 to 6
Salt to taste
Pepper crushed - 1/2 tsp

Method

1. Wash and cut tomatoes into 4 pieces each. Cut carrot into roundels. Chop garlic and onion. Keep these aside.
2. Heat oil and butter in a pan. Put bay leaf, peppercorns, onion and saute until translucent.
3. Add the chopped garlic and fry for sometime.
4. Add carrot and tomatoes. Saute for sometime. Now put 3 cups of water and bring it to boil.
5. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes covered. Strain the mixture through a strainer and keep the strained liquid aside.
6. Blend the strained mixture in a mixie to a smooth puree. Pass it through the strainer once again and mix it with the liquid that is kept aside.
7. Adjust the consistency and put it back on heat. Add salt and crushed peppercorns and let it simmer for sometime.
8. You can add little coriander leaves while serving.
9. Add some butter toasted bread pieces in it and serve hot.




Tomato Soup

                                                                                                                                                                                        
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