By Dt. Manoli Mehta
Winters are just about here and we can’t help but think about all things warm and comforting. And when it’s about comfort during the winters, there’s absolutely nothing like having a bowl of soup curled up in a quilt on a nippy night. Soups don’t just soothe your soul but also are extremely healthy for the body. What’s more? They are super easy to prepare!
So, whether you are warding off the winter chill or looking for a light and easy comfort meal, a bowl of soup can always come handy.
5 Healthy Soups
Carrot Ginger Soup
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 carrots, rinse, peel and chop
- 1 tablespoon chopped ginger
- ⅓ cup chopped onions
- 2 cups water or add as required
- salt as required
- 0.25 teaspoon black pepper powder or add as required
- 1 tablespoon olive oil – you can also use butter
- some fresh herb like parsley, coriander, mint, dill leaves or thyme for garnish
METHOD:
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan or sauce pan. Add the chopped onions.
- Stir and saute till the onions soften and turn translucent.
- Add the chopped ginger and saute till the raw aroma of ginger goes away.
- Then add the chopped carrots. Season with salt as per taste.
- Mix very well and saute the carrots for a minute. Add 1 cup water. Mix very well.
- Cover the pan with its lid and simmer on a low to medium-low flame till the carrots are tender and softened. In between do check when the carrots are cooking.
- Switch off the flame when the carrots are cooked. Keep the pan aside and let the heat reduce or let the mixture become warm.
- Then add everything in a grinder or blender jar. Add ½ cup water and grind or blend to a smooth puree.
- Take all pureed carrot mixture in the same pan.
- Add ½ cup more water and mix very well. Keep the pan on stovetop again and heat on a low flame. For a slightly thin consistency, you can add some more water.
- When the soup becomes warm or hot, then add some ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder. mix very well.
- Pour in soup bowls. Garnish carrot ginger soup with any fresh herb like parsley, coriander, mint, dill leaves or thyme. Leftovers can be refrigerated and then warmed up before serving.
Lemon Coriander Soup
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil or any neutral flavoured oil
- 1-inch ginger finely chopped
- 3 to 4 medium garlic cloves chopped
- ¼ cup chopped spring onion whites or ¼ cup finely chopped onions
- 1 small to medium finely chopped carrot
- 1 to 1.25 cups chopped mushrooms or 4 to 5 white button mushrooms
- 1 green chilli – chopped
- 1 lemongrass stalk – optional
- crushed black pepper or black pepper powder as required
- salt as required
- 4 cups water or sodium free vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice or add as per taste
- ⅓ cup chopped coriander leaves
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped spring onion greens (scallions) or chives – optional
METHOD:
- Heat 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil or any neutral flavored oil in a pan or pot.
- Keep flame to a low or medium-low. When the oil becomes hot, add 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger, 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic and chopped green chilli.
- Sauté ginger, garlic, green chilli for a few seconds on medium-low flame till the raw aroma of ginger and garlic goes away. Do not brown them.
- Next add chopped spring onion whites.
- Stir and sauté spring onions for a minute on a medium-low flame to medium flame.
- Add the chopped vegetables – finely chopped carrots and cups chopped button mushrooms. You can add 1 cup of chopped mix vegetables like cabbage, corn, baby corn, broccoli, carrots, green peas, cauliflower. Mix very well.
- Stir fry on a medium-low to medium flame for about 3 minutes. If not using mushrooms then stir fry for less time. Mushrooms leave water and hence the vegetable mixture does not stick to the pan while stir frying.
- Add 4 cups water. You can even use homemade vegetable stock or a sodium free vegetable stalk instead of water.
- Add 1 lemongrass stalk (chopped). You can even use a lightly crushed and chopped lemon grass bulb.
- Add freshly crushed black pepper as per taste and salt as per taste. Serve hot!