Soups

On a cold winter day nothing works better than some hot soup.. Its always been my family tradition to have soup especially on Sundays during winter months. My mom would whip up some really awesome tomato soup that we would slurrrrp down..

I love making different types of soups myself.. and here are some of my very own recipes :)

Tomato Soup

Ingredients :

1 small Red Onion cut (maximum 3 tablespoons) , Beef stake Tomatoes 6-8 approx, Light Cream 1/2 cup, Salt to taste, whole Peppercorn 1-2 tablespoons (crushed with a mortar), Ginger Garlic paste 1/4 tsp, Cumin powder 1/2 tsp , Garam masala 1/4 teaspoon, Butter 1 tablespoon.

Method :

Wash and Boil whole Tomatoes in a big vessel until the skin starts peeling off. Peel the tomato skin and set it aside. In a saute pan heat the butter and add Ginger garlic paste with crushed peppercorns , cumin powder and Garam masala add onions and saute them till they are transparent add the peeled tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from gas and let it cool a bit . Grind it all to paste and transfer back onto soup pan with approx. 5 cups of water (it should be thick tomato juice consistency) Add salt and let it boil. When the quantity starts reducing add the light cream and boil. Serve hot with bread crumbs and ground pepper garnishing.

Mixed Vegetable Soup

Ingredients :

1 medium or large Red Onion cut , 2 medium Tomatoes ,1 big Potato 1 cup mixed Zucchini & Squash,1 big Carrot, few String Beans, Corn kernels, Celery stick , Salt to taste, whole Peppercorn 1-2 tablespoons (crushed with a mortar), Ginger Garlic paste 1/4 tsp, Cumin powder 1/2 tsp , Garam masala 1/4 teaspoon, Butter 1 tablespoon, cooked (2 tablespoon each)Chickpeas, Green lentil, Blackbean and Blackeyed peas, a pinch of Chives, Basil Leaves & Oregano, 1 teaspoon Tamarind paste, Tippali 2-3 (ground into a powder)

Method :

Cut all the vegetables into pea size pieces. In a big saucepan heat the butter and add Ginger garlic paste with crushed peppercorns , cumin powder, Tippali powder and Garam masala add onions and saute them until they are transparent. Add cut celery sticks and saute with onions. Add the tomatoes and saute for a minute. Add the remaining vegetables and saute them while adding 4 cups of water to this vegetable mixture . Add salt and Tamarind paste let it boil. When the vegetables are cooked (check by mushing the potatoes and carrots) add the cooked lentils, Chives, Basil Leaves and Oregano and let it boil until the raw smell goes off. Turn the gas into simmer and drain out a couple of ladles of vegetables and lentil mixture into a blender and pulverize while the rest of it simmers.. Transfer the contents of the blender back into the simmering vegetable mixture, with approx. 1-2 more cups of water and let it boil. When the quantity starts reducing add a teaspoon of butter. Serve hot with bread crumbs.

Creamy Pea Soup

Ingredients : 

Frozen & thawed green peas (2 cups) , Mozzarella cheese, Black Pepper 1 tsp.

Method :

In a saucepan boil green peas in 3-4 cups of water. In a blender add the Mozzarella cheese and top it with the hot boiled peas and Black pepper. Blend until its smooth flowing mixture. Serve Hot.

Asparagus Soup

Ingredients :

1 small Red Onion cut (maximum 3 tablespoons) , 1 celery stick , Asparagus bunch, Light Cream 1 cup, Salt to taste, whole Peppercorn 1-2 tablespoons (crushed with a mortar), Ginger Garlic paste 1/4 tsp, Cumin powder 1/2 tsp , Garam masala 1/4 teaspoon, Butter 1 tablespoon, a handful of cut(the same size as peas) boiled carrot, corn and peas mixture.

Method :

Wash the Asparagus and set aside. In a sauce pan heat the butter and add Ginger garlic paste with crushed peppercorns , cumin powder and Garam masala add onions and celery stick and saute them until they are transparent add the asparagus and saute till its cooked. Remove from gas and let it cool a bit . Grind it all to paste and transfer back onto soup pan with approx. 4 cups of water (it should be thick tomato juice consistency) Add salt and let it boil. When the quantity starts reducing add the boiled carrots corn and peas mixture and simmer for 5 minutes add the light cream and boil. Serve hot with bread crumbs and ground pepper garnishing. Ps: You can also garnish it with a few sautéed Asparagus pieces.