Cold Cucumber Soup - Ideal soup on a hot summer day ! Peel & cut cucumber into cubes. Cucumber cubes - 2 cups Chopped coriander leaves - 2 tbsp Finely chopped capsicum pieces - 2-3 tbsp Fresh curds - ½ - 1 cup Salt, pepper Butter - ½ tsp Boil cucumber & coriander with 1 cup of water till soft. Cool & liquidize. Add salt, pepper & churned curds. Adjust to required consistency. Chill & serve topped with capsicum pieces lightly fried in ½ tsp butter.
Re: Ginger-Garlic Rasam - Very jiffy, very tasty & ofcourse very easy ! Dear Chithra enna solradhunne theriyala....ginger garlic rasam taste naakulaye irukku.I have made garlic rasam & ginger rasam but this combination is a killer!!! excellant chithra :bowdown Love
Re: Ginger-Garlic Rasam - Very jiffy, very tasty & ofcourse very easy ! Dear Manju, As you say, ginger & garlic are independantly good on their own; but in combination they just "creae havoc" !! Love, Chithra.
Mint Rasam - Good particularly for better digestion ! Pudina leaves (pinched by hand) - 3-4 tbsp Boiled tur dhal - 2 tbsp (blend with 2 cups of water) Lime juice - 1-2 tsp Tamarind paste - 1 tsp Tomatoes - 1 or 2 small Salt, haldi To fry in 2-3 drops of ghee & powder: Red chillies - 3,4 Pepper - 1 tsp Dhaniya - 2 tsp Urad dhal - 1 tsp Hing - ¼ tsp To temper: Ghee – ½ + ½ tsp Mustard seeds - ½ tsp Jeera - ½ tsp Boil tamarind paste with salt, haldi, chopped tomatoes & 1 cup of water. Liquidise if you prefer so. Now, add the pudina leaves fried in ½ tsp ghee, made powder & dhal water. Put on fire again & remove when it froths. Temper as given. Add lime juice to taste.
Lauki (bottle gourd) Soup - yet another Dieter’s Soup! Select fresh, tender lauki (bottle-gourd), peel & cut into cubes. Insert a scewer through a green capsicum & roast over the flame till skin chars. Do the same with a big onion. Cool the latter two, peel & cut into cubes. Lauki pieces - 3 cups Onion pieces - ½ cup (or a little more) Capsicum pieces - ½ cup (or a little more) Potato, peeled & cubed - ½ cup (optional) Boil all the above with just enough water to immerse completely in a pressure cooker or pan. Simmer after the first whistle & cook for 5 mts. Cool completely & blend. Add salt, pepper & milk to get the required consistency. Serve hot, topped with grated paneer.
Beetroot Soup - Care for a rendez vous with the pink beauties?? Prepare the basic white stock thus: Boi together 2 potatoes, 2 onions, 1 cup copped cabbage & 1 cup chopped bottlegourd or white pumpkin with enough water to immerse them well. Cook till soft, cool & liquidise. This can be used as the basic stock for any soup. Stock - 2 cups Beetroot, finely grated - 1 cup Butter - 2 tsp Salt, pepper To garnish - grated cheese or paneer Heat ghee & sauté beetroot on a low flame for 5 mts. Remove & reserve 2-3 tbsp for topping. Add ½ cup of water & cook the sauted vegetabletill soft. Blend in a liquidiser with the stock. Add milk to get the required consistency. Garnish with reserved beetroot & paneer. Add salt & pepper bfopre serving.
Noodle soup - light & refreshing!! Vegetable stock - 1 cup Chopped palak leaves - 2 tbsp Boiled noodles - 1/2 cup Cornflour - 1 tsp Salt, pepper Saute palak leaves & add stock. When it starts boiling, add cornflour mixed with 1/2 cup of water, stirring to prevent lumps. Add noodles & cook together for 2-3 mtes. Remove, add salt & pepper. Garnish with grated cheese.
Lettuce Soup - it is now my top favourite. Iceberg lettuce is available & I use it for soup. Chopped lettuce - 2-3 cups Chopped onions - 4-5 tbsp Milk, salt, pepper Butter or oil - 1 tsp Heat butter or oil & fry onions lightly. Next add lettuce pieces, fry & add very little water to cook. Cook till soft (one whistle). Open, lightly blend & add milk. Serve adding salt & pepper.
Masoor Dhal Soup - drink it in chilly weather!! Masoor dhal (split) - ¾ cup Onions - 2, chopped Tomatoes - 2 big, chopped Garlic pieces - 3,4 crushed Red chilli powder - 1 tsp Salt Oil - 2 tsp Soak dhal for 2 hrs & drain. In a pressure pan, heat 2 tsp oil. Saute onions till glossy & then add tomatoes. Fry for a few mts & add garlic. After 3-4 mts, add dhal, 3 cups of water, red chilli powder & salt. Close the cooker & keep the weight. When the firsat whistle comes, simmer & cook for 10 mts. Cool & allow the prssure to drop. Open, blend the mixture & serve steaming hot with croutons.
Italian Potato Soup - very delicious, lip-smacking! Medium potatoes - 3, ppeeled & cubed Milk & water - 1 cup, each Small carrot, cubed - ½ cup Celery chopped - 2-3 tbsp Onions chopped - 2-3 tbsp Minced garlic - 1 tsp Butter - 1 tbsp Salt, pepper Croutons & grated cheese - to garnish Boil potato cubes in milk-water mixture till soft. Break roughly with potato-masher. Heat butter In a kadai & sauté onions, garlic,carrot and celery. Add the potato mixture & simmer to blend. Add salt & pepper. Serve topped with croutons & cheese.