Bottle Gourd ( Sorakkai, Lauki ) Soup

         
          Today's post is Bottle Gourd/Sorakkai/Lauki Soup, another simple and delicious recipe from my friend. This soup is so easy to make, just needs a couple of ingredients and can be done in under 30 minutes, that includes the time taken to open the pressure pan ( waiting for the pressure to be released completely ). I have used some Italian seasoning and pepper which gives a wonderful flavor to this soup..

Need To Have

• Bottle Gourd - 1 cup, chopped
• Onion - 1 medium, chopped
• Garlic - 3 small cloves, chopped
• Milk - 1/2 cup
• Dried Oregano - 1/4 teaspoon
• Dried Basil - 1/4 teaspoon
• Salt And Pepper to taste

Method

          Pressure cook the bottle gourd pieces, chopped onion and garlic with 1 cup water, after 1 whistle, reduce the heat to the lowest and cook for another 7 minutes and switch off. Once the pressure is completely released, open the pan.

          Cool it a little and blend it into a smooth puree. Put the puree back on the stove, add the milk and about 1/4 cup water and bring it to a slow boil, then add the oregano and basil, mix and remove. Just before serving, add the salt and pepper and serve.

Note
The amount given is enough for 3 servings.
Don't heat the soup after adding the salt and pepper, it'll curdle as we have added milk.
You can make this vegan by replacing the milk with some coconut milk, and garnish with some chopped fresh basil.

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Roasted Pumpkin Soup

          When we were living in the US, during the pumpkin season, you can see so many dishes made from this vegetable, starting from soups, cakes, muffins, pancakes, pies and ice creams. I have always stayed away from these, the only dishes that I made with it were some Indian pachadis and curries. Only once, I was tempted to try a pumpkin flavored ice cream, I saw people around me having 2 or 3 ice creams but I didn't like it at all, so thereafter, no pumpkin flavors in anything. Now, then why am I trying this Roasted Pumpkin Soup, well, for one reason, the roasted part was tempting me and also, I had a whole pumpkin with me, I had made a curry with it, used it in bisi bele bhath, but still had more than half of the pumpkin. But, for whatever reasons I tried it, I am glad that I tried it, the soup came out good, the roasting part gives a nice flavor along with the coconut milk that I have added, and the most important thing, both the husband and daughter liked it very much..

Need To Have

• Pumpkin Pieces with Skin - 1" - 11/2" pieces, 4 cups
• Onion - 1 medium, diced into big pieces
• Garlic - 6 cloves
• Grated Ginger - 1" piece
• Sundried Tomatoes - 2 tablespoon, chopped
• Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Cumin Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Vegetable Broth - 3 cups
• Coconut Milk - 1 cup from 1/2 cup grated coconut
• Salt And Pepper to taste

Method

          Arrange the pumpkin pieces, onion and the garlic ( with skin ) on a baking sheet ( lined with aluminium foil ), bake it for about 45 minutes at 200 C, check the onions and garlic and remove them after 15 or 20 minutes, otherwise they'll get burnt. Once it's cool enough to handle, peel the pumpkin pieces, and remove the garlic from the skin, once baked the pumpkin pieces comes to about 3 cups.

          Heat some olive oil, add the grated ginger and the sundried tomatoes and saute for a minute, then add the pumpkin pieces, coriander and cumin powders and mix for another minute.

          Cool the mixture a little and make a puree with the mixture along with half a cup of water.

         Then take it in a pan, add about 3 cups of the stock, salt and pepper and bring it to a slow boil. Add the coconut milk ( blend 1/2 cup grated coconut with 1 cup lukewarm water, strain and keep the milk ), warm it up and switch off. Strain the soup and serve it warm, drizzle some coconut milk and if needed, add more salt and pepper.

Note
I have used homemade vegetable broth, you can make your own or used the canned ones.
Fresh coconut milk is much lighter than the canned ones.
I have strained the soup since I felt that it would be like a thin paste otherwise, but if you want, you can add more stock and have the soup as such without straining.
The soup will have a slight sweetish taste from the pumpkin, but the roasted garlic and pumpkin gives a nice earthy flavor.

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Homemade Vegetable Broth ( Stock )

          Couple of days back, I had made some soup, and I had to use vegetable broth/stock in it. Initially, I was thinking of buying the canned one, but as we know, in India, not all shops carry canned stock/broth, so then I decided to make my own. I had all the veggies in hand, making broth is actually very easy, it takes some time though, like about an hour or so, at the end of which you'll have this clear and healthy vegetable broth..

Need To Have

• Onion - 1 medium
• Carrots - 1/2 cup, chopped
• Green Beans - 1/2 cup, chopped
• Broccoli stems - 1/2 cup
• Mushroom Stems - 1/2 cup
• Tomato - 1 medium
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

           Heat some oil, add the onion pieces and saute till it turns pink, then add the all the vegetables and mix.

          Add about 6 cups water, bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour. Switch off and strain, as shown, extract as much as possible from the vegetables.
The broth is ready, if you want to have it as such, add some salt and pepper and serve.

Note
Can use spring onions and cabbage pieces also.
Broth is not only used in soups, it can be used for cooking couscous, quinoa and even rice too.
I got about 5 cups of broth.

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Cream Of Broccoli Soup

          Cream Of Broccoli Soup, this has been on my do-list for a long time, now with the chilly weather outside, perfect one for a warm bowl of soup, I tried it out, some time last week. Though the name is Cream Of  Broccoli Soup, I have not used any cream in the soup, just some milk. The soup needs just a few commonly available ingredients and doesn't take much time to prepare too. It came out very well, creamy and delicious, just serve it with some bread and salad for a complete meal..

Need To Have

• Broccoli Florets - 2 cups
• Onion - 1 small
• Garlic - 3 small cloves
• Whole Wheat Flour - 1 tablespoon
• Warm Milk - 1 cup
• Nutmeg - a small pinch
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste

Method

          Blanch the broccoli, drain and chop into small florets ( about 2 cups ). Heat a little oil, saute a handful of broccoli, remove and keep for garnish.

          Heat some olive oil, add the chopped onion and garlic and saute till you get a nice aroma and the garlic pieces turn golden. Add the broccoli florets and mix for another minute. Now add the whole wheat flour (atta), mix everything together for another 3 to 5 minutes.

          Add about 1 cup water. cover and cook till the broccoli is cooked and soft. Cool the broccoli, blend it into a smooth mixture ( it's okay to have a few pieces ), adding about 1/2 cup of water.

          Take the blended broccoli in a pan, add the milk and heat the mixture. Just before serving, add the nutmeg powder, salt and pepper and serve it garnished with the sauteed broccoli pieces and some grated parmesan cheese.

Note
Add the salt and pepper just before serving, otherwise the milk might curdle while heating.
Garnishing with cheese is purely optional.
Don't overdo the nutmeg or if you don't want, you can leave it entirely, I just added very little, along with the salt and pepper to individual bowls of soup, instead of adding to the entire quantity.
You can use butter instead of oil for sauteing.
To blanch the broccoli means, add the florets to boiling water, switch off and leave them in the hot water for 2 to 3 minutes, then remove it. If you're using it for a salad, immediately put them in cold water to retain the bright green color, but for the soup, since we are going to cook it again, you can skip that step.

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Mampazha Rasam, Mango Rasam ( Soup )

          It's more than two weeks now, that I have cooked anything, hopefully, my kitchen will be ready by this weekend, till then I am posting dishes that I had made some time back. Today's post is going to be Mampazha Rasam/Mango Rasam, I had made this in the summer when mangoes were in season. After the Mango Moru Kuzhambu, I wanted to try something else with ripe mangoes, something that can be had with rice and then I decided to make a rasam with it. We make rasam with pineapples, so I thought that something like that with mangoes should also taste good. Just like I thought, the rasam turned out really good and went very well with rice, try this rasam if you like Pineapple Rasam, because both of them taste a little sweet because of the fruits..

Need To Have

• Peeled And Chopped Mangoes - 1 cup
• Tomatoes - 2, chopped
• Grated Ginger - 1/2 teaspoon
• Chopped Coriander - 1 tablespoon
• Curry Leaves - 7 to 10
• Turmeric Powder - 1/8 teaspoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Salt to taste

To Powder

• Dried Red Chilly - 1
• Coriander Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Black Peppercorns - 1/2 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon

Method

          Powder together all the ingredients given under ' to powder '.

          Cook the mangoes and tomatoes with a little water, till they turn a little mushy. Then add the ginger, ground powder, turmeric powder and salt.

          Add about 2 cups of water and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the curry leaves and chopped coriander and switch off. Heat some oil, add the mustard and cumin seeds, when it stops spluttering, add it to the mango rasam and serve it hot with some white rice.

Note
The rasam should have a slight sweet taste from the mangoes, the mangoes that I used that day were not very sweet, so I added a teaspoon of sugar at the end.
You can make the rasam more thinner and serve it as a soup, top it up with some fresh mangoes along with a dash of pepper.

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Thakkali Paruppu Rasam, Tomatoes And Lentil Rasam/ Soup

         When I cook lunch, the South Indian way with rice, sambar and curry, rasam is a must, at least for my husband. He, being a big fan of tomatoes, this rasam which is loaded with tomatoes is one of his favorites. I don't use the regular rasam powder for this, instead I use freshly ground pepper and cumin and also some chopped ginger which gives a wonderful flavor to it. It's very easy to make, tastes great with rice and can be had as a soup too..

Need To Have

• Ripe Tomatoes - 3 large chopped
• Cooked Tuvar Dal/ Pigeon Peas - 3 tablespoons
• Dried Red Chilly - 1 broken into two
• Green Chilly - 1 slit
• Chopped Ginger - 1 tablespoon
• Black Pepper Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Cumin/ Jeera Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Chopped Coriander Leaves - 1 tablespoon
• Curry Leaves - 6

Method

          Heat some oil, add the mustard and cumin seeds, when it starts spluttering, first add the dried red chilly and asafoetida. Then add the green chilly, ginger, pepper and cumin powders and curry leaves and saute for half a minute.

          Now add the chopped tomatoes and saute for another minute, then add about 1/2 cup of water, turmeric powder and salt, cover and cook till the tomatoes are cooked.

         Once the tomatoes are done, add the cooked dal/ lentils and another cup of water and let boil once. Finally add the chopped coriander and remove. Serve it warm with rice or have it as a soup.

Note
Use ripe tomatoes, if at the end you need a little more sourness, add some lemon juice.
Since this rasam gets its flavor from the pepper and cumin, use freshly ground powders to get nice flavor.
Also, you can use a little ghee along with the oil for more flavor.

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Pineapple Rasam/ Clear Soup

          Rasam is a must in the lunch menu when my husband is around. Most of the times, I use the ready made rasam powder and it'll usually be a tomato, lemon or garlic rasam. I had this small tin of pineapples, when thinking about how to finish it, this Pineapple Rasam popped up. Though I've had it many times and made it at home a couple of times, I was not really satisfied with the taste. This time, I used freshly ground powder and I don't know what, everything fell into place and the rasam was very flavorful and tasted awesome, this one's a keeper..

Need To Have

• Pineapple - 2 rings - tinned
• Tomatoes - 2
• Cooked Tuvar Dal - 2 tablespoons
• Mustard Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Dried Red Chilly - 1
• Curry Leaves - 5
• Coriander Leaves - 1 tablespoon chopped

To Powder

• Dried Red Chilly - 1
• Coriander Seeds - 2 teaspoons
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Black Peppercorns - 1/2 teaspoon

Method

          Grind together all the ingredients given under 'to powder'. Chop the tomatoes and the pineapple slices.

          Heat some oil, add the tomatoes and pineapple pieces, saute till the tomatoes start turning mushy, add the ground powder, cooked tuvar dal, 2 cups water and salt. Cook for about 5 minutes.

          Add the chopped curry leaves and coriander and switch off. Heat a teaspoon of oil, add the mustard and cumin seeds, when it starts spluttering add the dried red chilly and asafoetida and switch off. Add this to the rasam and serve hot with rice.

Note
If using fresh pineapple and if it's not really sweet, add a teaspoon of jaggery, mine was sweet since it's preserved in sugar syrup.
Before switching off, if you feel the rasam is too thick, then add a little water.
The tuvar dal is cooked with a pinch of turmeric powder.
The quantity is enough for 3 to 4 servings.         

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Moong Dal Soup/Split Green Gram Soup

          The weather here has become a little colder or should I say, a lot pleasanter, it's this time of the year when you feel like having hot appetizers or soups. I prefer clear soups to creamy ones and I also like these filling soups made with some dal or beans. They are rich in protein and when had with a slice of bread make a complete meal. Today's moong dal (split green gram) soup is a very simple and refreshing one, flavored with some ginger, lemon and lots of coriander, perfect for those lazy days when you don't feel like cooking much..

Need to Have

• Moong Dal - 1 cup 
• Tomato - 1 medium
• Chopped Ginger - 1 tablespoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Black Pepper Corns - 1 tablespoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Chopped Coriander - 1/4 cup
• Lemon Juice - from 1/2 a lemon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Salt - to taste

Method
          Pressure cook the moong dal with the turmeric powder and the whole tomato for about 7 to 8 minutes. Coarsely pound the cumin seeds and pepper corns along with the ginger.

          Once you take the dal out of the pressure cooker, remove the split skin from the tomato and mash the dal and the tomato. Heat some oil, add the mustard seeds, once it starts spluttering, add the crushed cumin-pepper-ginger mixture and saute for a minute or two.

          Then add the mashed dal, salt and water (1 to 2 cups, depending on how thick you want the soup), bring it to a boil. Simmer for about 2 minutes and add the lemon juice, mix and garnish with the chopped coriander. Serve it warm with some salt, pepper and lemon wedges on the side.

Note
 Can cook the moong dal in a regular pot instead of the pressure cooker, it takes a little more time, to make it faster, soak the moong dal for 1/2 an hour before cooking.

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Mixed Bean Soup

          

          When it comes to soup, I prefer the lighter versions than the creamier ones, even while ordering in restaurants, I go for the light soups, and of course I save up the calories for the dessert. Well, today's soup is a very filling one with lots of protein, if you add some pasta to it, it makes a complete meal, otherwise just have it with some nice bread and a salad. It calls for very few ingredients, gets all the flavor from the Italian seasoning and the chopped fresh basil..

Need To Have

• Mixed Beans - 1 cup
• Tomato Puree - 3/4 cup
• Onion - 1 big chopped
• Chilli Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Italian Seasoning - 1 teaspoon
• Chopped Basil - 1 tablespoon
• Salt & Pepper To Taste

Method

          Soak the mixed beans (you get the mixed beans packet or you can mix your own choice of beans like red kidney beans, split peas, whole moong beans and others) overnight and pressure cook them. Heat oil, add the chopped onions, saute till they turn transparent, add the chilli powder and the tomato puree, saute for like about 5 mins, add the cooked beans, water, salt and seasoning, cook for another 5mins, finally add 1/4 teaspoon or more of pepper and serve it hot.

Sending this to Spicy Treats for the Show Me The Hits - Fiber Rich Foods event,
                   to Vegetarian Food And Me for I'm The Star event,
                   to Shama's Easy2cook Recipes for Sara's Cooking With Love - Granddad Series event,
                   to Srav's Cooking Concepts for Vegan Diets - Only Plant Based event,
                   to Food Corner for the Midweek Fiesta event,
                   to Zesty Palette for Vidhya's Love Lock Series - Legumes event,
                   to Sara's Corner for the Women's Day Celebration event and to
                   to Zesty South Indian Kitchen for the Hearth And Soul Blog Hop event.

Note

If you have a crockpot or slow cooker, you can add the cooked beans and the other ingredients and slow cook it, the soup will be even more flavorful. 

You can also add vegetables to the soup and if you don't have basil, use chopped coriander leaves.

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