Soups

Roasted Garlic and Lemon Soup


Delicious tangy soup, if you have roasted garlic handy the soup would be real easy, otherwise would take a bit longer to roast the garlic.  Check my tips for roasting garlic! Excellent for garlic lovers, great panacea for flu and colds due to the healing properties of onion and the large amount of garlic used.  The garlic flavor however does not overpower the dish.

Ingredients

  • 2 large heads garlic (one roasted)
  • 4 medium Onions
  • 3 stock cubes, any flavor
  • 1 bunch cilantro (or parsley)
  • 1 tsp. thyme (fresh if available)
  • ½ cup milk (substitute with Soy or almond milk)
  • 2 tbsp. lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • ½ tsp. black pepper powder
  • ½ tsp. salt or to taste
  • ½ tsp. lemon zest

Prepare stock.  Add the stock cubes to 1 litre (4 cups) hot water, stir to dissolve. Peel onions and chop roughly, peel one fresh garlic head and chop, peel the roasted garlic and discard the skins.  Heat the olive oil and add the fresh and roasted garlic and the onion and saute 2 mns.  Add the chopped parsley or cilantro (reserve some for garnish) and thyme, cook 2 minutes till onion is soft and translucent.  Add the stock and stir well.  Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 30 minutes stirring in between.  Take off heat and strain the soup.  Transfer the onion garlic mixture to a blender.  Add some stock to move the contents in the blender and blend to a smooth puree.  Transfer the puree to the strained soup and put it back on heat, add salt and pepper powder, stir and simmer further 5 minutes.  Add the milk and heat through, do not boil. Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon zest.  Serve hot with bruschetta.

To Roast garlic:  Cut off 1/4 “ of the tail of the garlic head, dip in olive oil and smear oil all over.  Wrap tightly in aluminium foil and bake in an oven for one hour.

TIP: On roasting garlic –

  1. Roast several heads of garlic and store leftovers in the refrigerator for couple of weeks and use as and when required
  2. Roast the garlic when cooking other food i.e. whenever you use the oven for roasting or baking food. 
  3. For quick roasting – Peel one head of garlic and roast on a frying pan with a little oil till lightly brown and fragrant.

Amla (Indian Goosberry) Saar Rasam


The taste of Indian Amla is sour, bitter and astringent, and it is quite fibrous.  According to Ayurveda, amla fruit is sour (amla) and astringent (kashaya) in taste (rasa), with sweet (madhura), bitter (tikta) and pungent (katu) secondary tastes (anurasas). Its qualities (gunas) are light (laghu) and dry (ruksha), the postdigestive effect (vipaka) is sweet (madhura) and its energy (virya) is cooling (shita). Source Wikipedia

These fruits are reputed to contain high amounts of ascorbic acid (vitamin C). 

Ingredients

  • 6 Gooseberries
  • 1 Tomato
  • 2 tsp. Peppercorns
  • 1 tsp. Cumin seeds
  • 1 pc. Ginger
  • 4 to 5 flakes garlic (optional)
  • 1 green chilli (optional)
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • 2 red chillies
  • ½ tsp. mustard seeds
  • 2 tbsp. coconut oil
  • ¼ tsp. turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp. salt or to taste
  • 2 tbsp. coriander leaves

Wash and deseed the amlas.  Wash the tomato, chop and keep aside. Grind the peppercorns and cumin to a powder. Remove and set aside.  To the same jar add the amlas, garlic, ginger, green chilli and grind to a paste adding some water.

Take oil in a vessel and add the ustard seeds, when they splutter add the curry leaves and red chilies, saute for a few seconds, then add the pepper and cumin powder and the chopped tomatoes and add ¼ cup water to cook the tomatoes and to avoid spice powders from burning.  When the tomatoes are soft add the amla paste, sufficient water 1 to 2 cups as per desired consistency, salt, turmeric powder and bring to a boil.  Reduce flame and cook 10 minutes.  Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.  Serve hot as soup or with plain steamed rice.  An excellent winter preparation due to its high vitamin C content.

Sweet Corn and Chicken Soup


Sweet Corn Chicken Soup

This soup (and the hot and sour soup) is the favorite of everyone in our family. So making a small quanity does not serve the purpose at all. It must be made in a huge pot so we can have sufficient seconds!

This recipe has chicken soup cubes for the stock, to keep it simple and quick. If you wish you may make the stock from scratch with chicken.

Sweet Corn and Chicken Soup

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

Ingredients

  • 1 Large Boneless Chicken Breast (two cups shredded chicken)
  • 2 cans Corn Cream Style (approx. 400gms each)
  • 4 to 8 Chicken soup cubes for the stock
  • ½ tsp. pepper powder
  • ½ tsp ginger garlic paste
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 tbsp. Corn flour
  • 8 to 10 cups water

Method

  1. Take a pot for the soup, add 8 cups water and place on heat. 
  2. Add the soup cubes, I have added 8 cubes one for each cup of water. 
  3. Stir to dissolve and bring to a boil. 
  4. Add the ginger garlic paste and pepper powder.  
  5. Cook till the cubes are fully dissolved.  
  6. Salt is not required.  If you are using less cubes then add salt as required. 
  7. Taste for salt.  I added another two cups of water as it seemed salty. 
  8. Meanwhile, shred the chicken breast into small pieces or strips.
  9. Add to the stock and bring to a boil. 
  10. Reduce heat and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. 
  11. When cooked, add the corn cream style and simmer for 5 minutes.  
  12. Beat the eggs in a bowl
  13. Make a slurry with the corn flour and some water. 
  14. Add the corn flour slurry to the chicken corn mixture. 
  15. Stir and cook till the broth thickens. 
  16. Check seasoning. 
  17. Stir the soup and while stirring add the beaten eggs in a steady stream and stir vigorously to break up the eggs so they form strands. 
  18. Let cook 2 to 3 minutes and remove from heat. 
  19. Serve hot with soya sauce, chilli sauce and if you like it spicy add some sriracha or hot sauce for garnish.

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