Soup of the day...

Cream of Mushroom soup Ingredients Butter 50 gms. Onion, chopped 50 gms. Chicken stock or water 600 ml. Button mushrooms, sliced 225 gms. Cloves 2 nos. Cinnamon stick 1 inch. Bay leaf 2 nos. Cornflour 25 gms. Milk 300 ml. Peppercorn 8 nos. Salt To taste. For Garnish Fresh cream and sliced, boiled mushrooms 50 ml Method 1. Put butter and onions in a vessel and saute. 2.When the onion turns light brown, add sliced mushrooms. 3.Tie spices in a bag and put it in the vessel. 4.Put the stock or water, cover and cook for 20 minutes. 5.Remove the bag of spices and liquidise the soup in a blender. Then keep the soup on low heat to simmer. 6.Blend the cornflour in 2 tbsp. of milk, then stir in the remaining milk and put this mixture into the mushroom soup. 7.Bring the soup to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. 8.Garnish with cream and sliced mushrooms.

Spinach Soup


Ingredients
Butter 2 tbsp.
Spinach,chopped 2 cups.
Onion,chopped 1 no.
Milk 2 cups
Maida 1 1/2 tbsp.
Oil 1 tbsp.
Salt & pepper To taste.

Method
1. Blanch spinach in hot water. Remove and refresh in cold water.

2. Heat oil in a kadhai, add chopped onions and saute. Add crushed garlic, salt and pepper.

3. Puree together with boiled spinach.

4. Make a thin white sauce by melting butter in a kadhai. Then add maida and cook for 5-7 mins. Slowly add the milk so that no lumps are formed.

5.A dd the spinach puree to this and bring it to a boil. A dd a little water if required.

6.Correct seasonings and serve hot.

Tomato Soup


Ingredients:

1/2 kg ripe red tomatoes
1 green chili, slit into half
1.5'' ginger, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
Butter as required
Salt to taste
1 tsp. corn flour, dissolved in water
Bread croutons

Method:

1. Slit each tomato into 4 parts. Pressure cook [3 whistles] tomatoes, chili & ginger without adding any water. Remove & cool.
2. Blend it in a mixer & strain the puree. Keep the puree on medium gas mark.
3. Add pinch of salt, sugar & a tsp of butter. Let it boil for 5 min.
4. Then add corn flour & stir till it boils & thickens. Serve hot with a blob of butter & bread croutons.

Vegetable Soup


Ingredients:

Chopped & boiled vegetables (small piece of cabbage, 1 potato, 3-4 tomatoes, few beans, few cauliflower flowerets)
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp pepper powder
Salt to taste
3-4 tbsp butter
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
4-5 sprigs mint leaves
Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:

1. Heat little butter in a pan and fry the flour until a nice smell appears. Keep aside.
2. Boil the vegetables in little water and cool. Remove the vegetables from water and keep the water aside for further use. Blend the vegetables until smooth
3. Heat the remaining butter in the same pan and fry the mint leaves. To this, add the ground vegetable mixture and fry for few more minutes until the raw smell of the vegetables disappears.
4. Add the fried flour, pepper powder and salt to the water, which is used to boil the vegetables. Make sure there are no lumps in the mixture.
5. Add this water to the above vegetable mixture and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice and coriander leaves.
7. Optional: To serve, fry a bread slice well in the butter, place on the top and garnish with grated cheese.

Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:

200 gms button mushrooms
3-4 tbsp maida (all-purpose flour)
2-3 tbsp ghee or butter
300 ml milk
2 onions, chopped
1/4 tsp black pepper powder
4 tsp cream
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Mix chopped onions, mushrooms and water in a bowl and bring to a boil. Drain water, cool and blend to a fine puree.
2. Heat ghee in a pan and fry the maida until light brown. Add milk, stir and boil until the mixture thickens to form white sauce.
3. Add mushroom puree to the white sauce and boil again for a few minutes.
4. Add salt, pepper powder and stir well. Remove from heat and serve hot.
5. Before serving, add cream on the top and serve.

Beet Root Soup

Ingredients:

1 lb beetroot
1 onion
1 potato
3 tbsps vegetable oil
1/2 tsp lemon (rind)
1 tsp lemon (juice)
2 tsps mint (chopped leaves)
1/2 cup raw cream
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste


Method:

1. Peel the skin of beet root, potato and cut into small pieces.
2. Chop finely lemon rind. Heat oil in a pan and fry diced onions for 2 minutes. Add to this chopped beet root, potato and lemon rind.
3. Add water and bring to boil for 15 minutes. When the vegetables have been boiled, grind them in a mixer.
4. Add considerable amount of salt and pepper powder. Add lemon juice and bring to boil for 10 minutes.
5. Garnish with mint leaves and fresh cream. Serve it hot.

Spicy Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken with bones, cleaned & rinsed in water
1 cup diced onions or pearl onions (which we use in sambar)
2 green chilies, splitted
1 tomato, diced
3 garlic cloves
2 tsps cumin powder
1 tbsp. oil (sesame oil will give more flavor)
10 curry leaves
2 pinches black pepper powder
A pinch saunf powder (optional)
A pinch of turmeric powder
Salt to taste
For seasoning (optional):
2 tsps sesame oil
1/4 tsp. cumin seeds
1 red chili
2-3 tbsps finely chopped onion
1 tbsp. finely chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)


Method:

1. Heat the oil in a pressure pan or 5qt. sauce pan. Add the onions, splitted chilies, garlic and curry leaves.
Fry until golden brown, add the tomato dices.
2. When it becomes smooth add all the powders, fry it for a second and add the chicken pieces.
3. Mix it well and cover it for a minute. You can see some water come out from the chicken. Add 4 to 5 cups of water and little salt. Cook until you get 1 or 2 whistle from the pressure cooker. If you are cooking in a sauce pan, cook until it becomes soft, in medium high covering the pan.
4. After the chicken has cooked well, bring it to get little thicker by cooking on low heat without the cover. When it becomes to 3 cups, remove it from the heat.
5. When you serve, take out the bones and garnish with the leaves. If you want to season it, do it before garnishing.
6. Note: When you make it for kids, make the soup without chilies. Black pepper is better than chilies. A pinch of pepper is enough. If you want to make for both, after cooking the chicken take out some soup for your kids, then season it for your taste with chillies.

Tukpa: Tibetan noodle soup
A traditional Tibetan dish, often served as the evening meal.

Ingredients


* 1/4 C. butter
* 1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh ginger root, minced
* 1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh garlic, minced
* 1 c. red onion, diced
* 1 tsp. turmeric
* 1 tsp. curry powder
* 1 tsp. chili powder
* 1 tsp. Kopan masala
* 1 c. potato, parboiled and cubed
* 1 c. fresh tomatoes, chopped
* 4-5 c. water
* 1/4 lb. fresh flat noodles (I use 1 9-oz. plastic pkg. linguine)
* 1/2 c. fresh spinach, chopped
* 1-2 Tbsp. soy sauce
* 1 tsp. salt
* 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Cooking Method

* Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
* Add ginger, garlic, and red onion. Stir-fry over medium to medium-high heat for l minute.
* Add turmeric, curry powder, chili powder, and masala. Mix well and stir fry for 1/2 a minute.
* Add potatoes and tomatoes. Stir-fry 1 more minute.
* Add water and bring to a boil.
* Add noodles and boil for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
* Add spinach and boil for another 1-2 minutes. If soup is too thick, add more water.
* Season with soy sauce. Salt and pepper to taste.
* Remove from heat and serve hot.

Kopan Masala

A sweet aromatic mixture of dried spices used in many dishes at Kopan Monastery.
A commercial masala called "Garam Masala" is available in some stores.

Ingredients

* 1/3 c. coriander seeds
* 1/4 c. cumin seeds
* 10 black cardamom pods, peeled
* 15 pale green cardamom pods, peeled
* 25 cloves
* 2 cinnamon sticks, broken up
* 1 tsp. black peppercorns
* 1/4 tsp. fresh nutmeg, ground

Cooking Method

* Mix together and grind finely, but not to powder, with a coffee grinder, spice grinder, mortar and pestle, rolling pin, or food processor.
* Stir in an air-tight jar.

Just try it tastes great!!!