Pumpkin Soup

 Ingredients: 

Pumpkin - 2 cups
Onion - 1 medium
Carrot - 1 cup 
Oil - 1 tsp
Black pepper powder  - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Water - 4 cups
Cilantro - to garnish 
Dill seeds - 1 tsp(optional)

Method: 

1. Clean, peel and roughly chop the pumpkin and carrots
2. Slice the onions
3. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pot, and sauté the dill seeds for 30 sec
4. Add the onions and sauté until cooked.
5. Next add the pumpkin, carrots, and water and cook until the vegetables soften
6. Switch off the flame and allow to cool. Once the mixture cools down, blend until smooth
7. Heat the blended mixture in the same pot, and adjust consistency
8. Add the pepper powder, and salt. 
9. Garnish with cilantro and serve warm. 

Veggie Rice Noodles

Ingredients: 

Finely Chopped Veggies - 2/3 cups 
(Red/Yellow/Green Bell Peppers, Zucchini, Green Peas, Beans, Carrot)
Rice Noodles - 1 cup
Spring Onion - 2 tbsp, finely chopped 
Olive Oil - 1tsp
Garlic - 1 tbsp, chopped
Green chili paste - 1 tsp
Ginger, Garlic paster - 1 tsp
Chili flakes - 1/2 tsp
Black pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Water - 4/5 cups

Method: 

1. Saute the chopped garlic in olive oil, then add the ginger-garlic paste, and choice of vegetables. Cook until the vegetables are 75% cooked
2. Add 4/5 cups of water to the cooker vegetables, and bring water to boil
3. Add the rice noodles, green chili paste, chili flakes, black pepper powder, and salt. Cook pn low flame until the noodles are cooked
4. Garnish with spring onions and serve hot. 

Triple Dal Soup

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients: 

Masoor Dal - 3 tbsp
Moong Dal - 3 tbsp
Toor Dal - 2 tbsp
Ginger 1 inch, grated
Garlic - 2 cloves, grated
Tomato - 1, cubed
Carrot - 1, cubed
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Cilantro - 2 tbsp, finely chopped
Water - 2 cups

Method: 

1. Wash all the dals and soak it for 30 min 
2. Cook the dal mixture with the ginger, garlic, tomato, carrot, turmeric, and pepper powder until well done
3. Let it cool completely and then blend the mixture to a smooth consistency either using a mixer or immersion blender 
4. Transfer back to pan, add water to adjust consistency
5. Garnish with cilantro and serve with steamed vegetables.

Sweet Corn Vegetable Soup

Serves: 4

Sweet corn, cream style - 2/3 cup
Sweet corn kernels - 1/2 cup
Vegetable Stock - 4-5 cups
Cabbage, finely chopped - 1/2 cup
Carrot, finely chopped - 1/4 cup
Cornflour/corn starch - 3 tbsp
Sugar - 1/2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
White pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Spring onion greens, chopped  - for garnishing

1. Heat a wok, add cream style sweetcorn, vegetable stock and stir.
2. Add cabbage, carrot, boiled corn and stir to mix well. Cook for two to three minutes.
3. Blend cornflour in a little vegetable stock or water and set aside.
4. Add sugar and salt to the soup and continue to cook. Add white pepper powder and mix.
5. Add the blended cornflour and cook till the soup thickens.

Garnish with spring onion greens and serve piping hot !!

Wild Mushroom Soup

Wild mushrooms are expensive, but when reconstituted, the dried porcini have an intense flavour, so only a small quantity is needed.

Serves: 4

Dried porcini mushrooms - 1 ounce

Olive oil - 2 tbsp

Butter - 1 tbsp

Leeks - 2, thinly sliced
Shallots - 2, roughly chopped
Garlic clove - 1, roughly chopped
Fresh wild mushrooms - 8 ounces

Vegetable stock - 5 cups

Dried thyme - 1/2 tsp
Heavy cream - 2/3 cream
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Sprigs of fresh thyme to garnish

1. Put the dried porcini in a bowl, add 1 cup of warm water and let soak for 20-30 minutes. Lift the mushrooms out of the liquid and squeeze over the bowl to remove as much of the soaking liquid as possible. Strain all the liquid and reserve for use later. Finely chop the porcini.
2. Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan until foaming. Add the sliced leeks, chopped shallots, and garlic and cook gently for about 5 minutes. stirring frequently until softened but not coloured.
3. Chop or slice the fresh mushrooms and add to the pan. Stir over medium heat for a few minutes, until they begin to soften. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Add the porcini, soaking liquid, dried thyme, and salt and pepper. Lower the heat, half cover the pan and simmer gently for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Pour about three quarters of the soup into a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Return the processed soup to the soup remaining in the pan. Stir in the cream and heat through. Check the consistency and add more stock if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot, garnished with thyme sprigs.

Tomato and Fresh Basil Soup

Serves: 4

Olive oil - 1 tbsp

Butter - 2 tbsp

Onion - 1 medium, finely chopped

Plum tomatoes - 2 lbs, roughly chopped

Garlic clove - 1, roughly chopped

Vegetable stock - about 3 cups

Sun-dried tomato paste - 2 tbsp

Fresh basil - 2 tbsp, shredded
Heavy cream - 2/3 cup
Salt - to taste
Pepper - to taste
Whole basil leaves - to garnish

1. Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan until foaming. Add the onion and cook gently for about 5 min, stirring, until the onion is softened but not brown.
2. Stir in the garlic and tomatoes, then add the stock, sun-dried tomato paste, salt and pepper to taste. Bring it to boil, then lower the heat, half-cover the pan, and simmer gently for 20 min, stirring occasionally to keep the tomatoes sticking to the bottom of the pan.
3. Process the soup with the shredded basil in a blender or food processor, then press through a sifter into a clean pan.
4. Add the cream and heat through, stirring. Do not allow the soup to approach boiling point.
5. Check the consistency and add more stock if necessary., then season with salt and pepper.

Pour into heated bowls and garnish with basil. Serve at once.

Mushroom Soup - M-i-l style ;-)

Serves: 4

Mushroom - 2 cups, sliced
Mint leaves - 4-5 strands
Onion - 1 small, finely chopped
Cornflour - 1 tbsp
Milk - 1/4 cup
Cloves - 2
Sugar - 1 tbsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Pepper powder 1/2 tsp
Water - 3 cups
Butter - 1 tsp

1. Cook the mushrooms with the water until they become soft and give out a nice aroma. Then drain the mushrooms and set aside. Save the drained water for later.
2. Now heat one teaspoon butter in a medium saucepan and fry the onions and mint leaves. To this add the water saved earlier and stir.
3. Then add the cumin powder, pepper powder, cloves, sugar and salt.
4. In the meanwhile, first mix the cornflour in the milk(make sure the milk is at room temperature) and add this mixture to the saucepan and stir the contents well.
5. Wait until the mixture comes to a boil, simmer for a min and then add the drained mushrooms and heat on medium flame for another 2 min. Serve hot or warm.