Pineapple Rasam

The other day, I was watching a favourite web series that show cases most traditional dishes and it was rasam being done in that episode. I kept up with the flow and mentioned to my husband that there are so many varieties of rasam that one can make it with so many variations.

Rasam is an ancient recipe that dates back to several hundred years. it is a regular dish in all parts of south India.The show host suggested that looking into the history of food across the region, he had come across hundreds of varieties of rasams. Rasam is light and soup like; it is suggested as healing food because it is cooked with many ingredients that have medicinal value.

I counted out those rasams of which I had known or enjoyed. Then it did come to me that, while I like rasam and it is my to go comfort food, I stick to cooking basic and very regular rasam in my day to day cooking. For a change, I decided to make pineapple rasam and when we spotted four kilograms of fruit selling at a hundred rupees, my decision was sealed. Earlier, a few days into the lockdown,one of our neighbours sent across this rasam which had a very soup like texture. We drank it as is and it was delicious. 

My version may sound like the pineapple is just an extension to the normal tomato rasam, because I have used all ingredients that go into my regular fare. You can make it without tomatoes, cut off tamarind and can use simple black pepper and cumin powders instead of the rasam powder.

Pineapple Rasam

Ingredients:

(serves four)

¼ cup cut pineapple pieces

1 cup pineapple juice (extracted from the fruit)

2 tablespoons thur dhal

1 big gooseberry size tamarind (as much as that would fill a tablespoon while rolled)

1 medium tomato chopped

1 green chilli slit along the vertical

2 teaspoons rasam powder

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon coarsely pounded black pepper and cumin seeds

¼ teaspoon asafoetida

2-3 sprigs curry leaves

Salt to taste

For tempering:

2 teaspoons ghee

1 &1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

For garnish:

Coriander leaves chopped

How to make rasam:

Wash and pressure cook the thur dhal with a pinch of turmeric powder until very soft.  Once it has cooled down to room temperature, mash well (silky smooth texture). Add 1 cup of water and keep aside.

Extract the pulp from the tamarind adding ½ to a cup of water. A thin, light extract will do as we do not want the tamarind to overpower the taste.

Place a pan on the stove, add the tamarind extract, salt, turmeric powder, green chilli, tomato, rasam powder and asafoetida. Bring this mixture to a boil and simmer for ten minutes.

Drop the pineapple pieces in this simmering mixture. Also add the pineapple juice. Allow them to cook for a few minutes.

Now add the thin dhal solution to the rasam and bring it to a foaming stage. Add the black pepper and cumin seeds powder. Switch off the heat.

Remove the pan from the heat.

Heat the ghee in a pan and add the mustard seeds. When the seeds crackle switch the stove off and drop the curry leaves into this. Add the tempering to the rasam.

Garnish with coriander leaves and close the rasam with a lid to lock the flavours.

Pineapple rasam is ready.

Serve with hot rice and a dash of ghee.

Tomato and Pumpkin Soup

Do you think that it is easier to cook a meal than it is to plan? I do, especially a light meal for those 'not so hungry, but I need to have something' days (and nights). Not again the regular fare of upma or noodles, shouts an inner voice and then I have to push myself to think something more appetizing. soups are my to go dish to put on the table.
We started this exercise of having soup one night a week for some months now. That is, I made it an exercise to disguise all those 'resistance meeting' vegetables and make them a welcome dish. Pumpkins might be somewhere in the top of I listed those vegetables, while I like them in some good curry, not always. The other day in the market, I saw that my vendor had some nice looking tender and small in size pumpkins. I just picked one ignoring a pair of rolling eyes.
Back from the market, I thought it out a bit hard and came up with this idea of adding tomatoes and nutritional yeast to the pumpkin and serve a soup. Then it struck me that I could make it vegan friendly and make a cream to top the soup. I happened to have in stock cashews and pumpkin nuts too. Little more thinking and a very flavoursome soup was ready.
I had just joined a group of food photography enthusiasts who are doing weekly themed food photography. It was a coincidence that the theme of that week was soup and I was glad that I had a picture to share.

Tomato Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients:
Serves 4 hefty servings
For the soup:
6 medium tomatoes (ripe and red)
1 cup of diced pumpkin (skin, inner strands and seeds removed)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon peepramul powder
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Water as required

For the cashew pumpkin cream:
2 tablespoons broken bits of cashew nuts
1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
1/4 teaspoon sugar (optional)
Warm water to soak and grind

Garnish:
Basil leaves

Method:
For the cashew pumpkin cream:
Soak the nuts and seeds in warm water for about 30 minute. Drain and grind to a fine paste adding water as required.
Transfer to a bowl and adjust the water to desired consistency. Add the sugar and refrigerate for use later.

For the soup:

Heat one and half tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and toss the pumpkin in the oil.

Cook the pumpkin just about soft not mushy.
Boil some water in a pan and drop the tomatoes. Boil them just enough to remove the peel.
Keep the water simmering while you clean the tomatoes. Put them back in the water and add the pumpkin to it. Cook further until both the vegetables are done.
Allow to cool and blend in a blender to a smooth puree.
Add some water and put the puree back on fire. Mix the nutritional yeast and the peepramul powder in water and pour into the soup. Add salt and pepper adjusting to taste.
Simmer the soup for another 3 to 5 minutes.
Transfer to a serving bowl. Top it with the rest of the olive oil.
Take the soup in individual serving bowls and add the prepared cream. Garnish with basil leaves.

Serve hot and enjoy a warm bowl for yourself.

Thai Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Soup is my go to dinner option on days I feel lazy to even consider other options. But my husband's choice of vegetables are limited and thus restrictive to try more adventurous versions. Sqaush and melons are not  his favourite choices. On the other hand my daughter and son-in-law are very exploring in terms of other cuisines. They often pick up fresh vegetables whenever they have the farmers market in their town and cook dishes looking up cookbooks or the internet.

Few days ago she had bought these young tender butternut squash from the market and had shared the picture on her instagram account. 

 

 

Later while chatting she mentioned that she had the idea of making a soup with Thai flavours using those. On a follow up she suggested that it was a great tasting soup and asked if I wanted to share the recipe. She sent me the following recipe and the pictures too so I can post it here.
The sweet nutty taste of the squash blended well with the flavours of the Thai ingredients and the lemongrass. Roasting being one of the most common cooking methods to use this vegetable, this soup also calls for roasting the vegetable.
This squash has a good amount of fibre and other nutritional value. So the soup makes for a sumptuous wholesome meal by itself of as a starter course for an elaborate meal.

Thai roasted butternut squash soup 

 

Ingredients:

Serves 2 people 

Recipe as shared by my daughter

Butternut squash - 2 small young ones (or 1 large mature one)

Thai red curry paste - 2 to 3 tbsp. divided (Look out for the ones which are vegetarian friendly)

Onion - 1, chopped finely (optional - I didn't put it in today)

Ginger - to taste, grated

Garlic - 3 cloves, chopped finely

Cumin seeds1 teaspoon

Coriander seeds1 teaspoon

Chili flakes - to taste

Lemongrass - 3 sticks, about 5in long (This one can be decreased to taste)

The juice of 1 small lime (again, to taste - as my lemongrass had good strong flavor, I didn't put this in today)

Coconut milk - to drizzle on top of the soup, in the bowl

Cilantro - a good couple of sprigs, for garnish

Method:

Prep the butternut squash - peel, deseed and slice them into cubes.

In a big mixing bowl, mix the squash with a couple of teaspoons of oil, some salt and a tablespoon of the red curry paste

While this mixture sits, line a baking tray with aluminum foil and preheat the oven to 400F/200C

Tip the squash into the prepared tin, and roast for about 40 minutes, till soft

Once cooled slightly, blend to a puree with a little water in a blender

In a dutch oven or any heavy pan, heat a little oil

Sauté the onion, garlic and ginger with the cumin and coriander seeds, till the onion is translucent

Add a tablespoon of the red curry paste and cook for a minute or two, till everything is coated.

Tip in the pureed squash, and top up with water to thin it. Add enough to bring it to a consistency you like.

Using the back of a knife blade, bash the lemongrass sticks to bring out the aroma. 

Add this to the soup with the chili flakes. 

 

 

Check the seasoning - you may only need the last tablespoon of red curry paste, if the flavour isn't strong enough for your tastes.

Heat the soup through

To serve, top the soup with some chopped cilantro, a squeeze of lime, and a drizzle of coconut milk

It seems like a lengthy procedure, but it was a simple enough soup to make, and was really worth it! 

 

Beetroot and Roasted Tomato Soup

I had signed up for the 30 Days to Better Photos course conducted by Learn Food Photography Blog. For the duration of the course, we were given assignments on various aspects of food photography. It was required that we pay attention to the food we were to photograph, think about showcasing it as we visualise the food and so on. I had wanted to make a soup and photograph for one such exercise.
Earlier I had seen a few images of  beetroot soup on pinterest and wanted to have a go at the soup for it looked so colourful with nicely set up backgrounds in all of those photographs. I had also read somewhere that to give a good deep colour to your tomato soup all you need to do is add a little beetroot to the tomatoes. Now, if such a colour was possible, I wanted a more pink looking soup; thus I decided to make beetroot soup and add tomatoes to it for an extra tang. Now, if only I can roast those tomatoes with some herbs, would it not be a better idea, I thought and executed the same.
The result was a nice pink soup where the sweet of beets were balanced with the slightly sour tasting tomatoes and a hint of herbs in it.
In one of those many recipes I looked up, there was one which had some cheese added to the soup. While I do not relish cheese so much, I still wanted to give it a try. I only had some paneer/cottage cheese cubes on hand and thus used them. It was a good addition as it gave an added ingredinet soft to bite and chew as you sipped the soup.
Where I live the only seasons that change are summer, hotter summer and downpours that can open the skies up. So I have to make soup whenever I feel like as the weather is not going to change and throw some chillness to enjoy a warm soup.

Beetroot and Roasted Tomato Soup

Ingredients:
Serves two
3 medium large beetroots/ about 400 grams
5 large and plump tomatoes
1/2 of a whole garlic (about 5 cloves)
1/2 teaspoon mixed herbs of choice
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 medium onion
2 tablespoons cooking oil
2 teaspoons olive oil for rubbing over tomatoes
350 - 400 millilitres of water or stock if you can make
Salt to taste
6-8 cubes of paneer/ cottage cheese


Method:
Peel the beetroot and cut  them in small cubes.
Crush the garlic.
Halve the tomatoes and fill the crushed garlic and the herbs in these.
Rub the 2 teaspoons olive oil around the tomatoes, place them in a baking tray. Oven roast them in a pre heated 200 degrees C oven for half an hour.

Slice the onion thinly.

Place a pan on the stove, add the oil and toss the sliced onion until they are slightly transparent.
Add the beetroot and the water or stock. Cover and cook until the beetroots are tender.
Once the tomatoes are roasted, cool them and remove the skin.
Add the tomatoes to the cooking vegetables and cook for a further five minutes.adjust salt and the black pepper to taste.
Switch the heat off. Allow to cool and puree in a blender until smooth.
Adjust the level of liquid by adding some more water if necessary and pour it back into the pan. return the pan to the heat and cook until the desired consistency of soup is obtained.

Drop the cottage cheese cubes while the soup is thickening so they absorb the flavours and become tender.
Serve warm.

Western African Vegetarian Peanut Soup

Sometime last year, my daughter told me that she and her husband were trying to have a strict food and exercise regime. They would eat light and right including vegetables and fruits more. Thus, they went on a salad, soup and lighter meals weekly schedule. She kept looking for different and interesting recipes so the interest does not wear itself off. She had shared a few of the recipes, with her take on them, with me. Some of those were very doable at home; there were a few that required ingredients that I might not find locally, thus I ticked those off my to-do list.
When we visited her, she made for us, those dishes that might interest me and a few she thought were really a must try. One such dish was the Western African Peanut soup.
Peanuts grow aplenty in some regions of Western Africa and they are always a find in the markets locally. People here use peanut butter to thicken their sauces and soups. It is common to find a fish or chicken soup with a creamy thick peanut base. There are vegetarian versions and vegan friendly ones too. In Ghana, the soup is more likely to be served with rice balls, thus making it a complete meal.
Here, in Togo, one is more likely to be able to pick roasted and salted peanuts packed and sold. I have not come across raw peanuts here other than what my Indian grocer imports from elsewhere.
During the last harvest in India, my parents' driver brought them a bag of freshly harvested groundnuts and so did another lady working in my aunt's house. My mother peeled and sun dried them for days. We pressure cooked some of them fresh too. The rest dried quickly given the hot temperatures. I packed some and brought them here. I would roast them in the microwave or in a skillet, remove the skin and use as required.

I had a lot sitting in my pantry and decided to use it up in the soup my daughter had shared. The recipe link gave many short cut ideas like using peanut butter and tomato paste. I decided to go the full length. I made the peanut butter at home and used a thick tomato puree too. Some fresh coriander leaves thrown in with boiled spinach made an wholesome soup. you may choose to leave out the spinach. I soaked and made a paste of red chillis. However, one may use store available chilli sauce also.



Western African Vegetarian Peanut Soup
Serves 2

Ingredients:
For Home made Peanut Butter:
1 and 1/2 cups peanuts

For the soup:
1/3 cups peanut butter
5 medium large tomatoes
3 red chillis
1 fistful spinach leaves boiled
2 tablespoons coriander leaves
Salt to taste
Black pepper crushed to tatse

Method:
For the Peanut Butter:
Roast the peanuts either in the microwave or in a skillet. I spread them on a microwave safe plate and microwave on high for 2&1/2 minutes. Give them a stire and again microwave on high for 30 seconds.
Cool them and remove skin.
Take the peanuts in the jar of a blender and pulse it, the peanuts will crush initially, then powder and on further pulsing it will become a sticky butter. You may need to scrape the ingredients down once in a while. The butter will be smooth and creamy.

For the soup:
Boil some water in saucepan. Drop the tomatoes and leave them in until you will be able to peel the skin off.
Drain the water into a bowl as it can be used later. Allow the tomatoes to cool.
Meanwhile, boil the spinach in the drained liquid until the leaves are tender.
Soak the red chillis in some water until required.
Once the tomatoes have cooled, take them in a blender, add to them the boiled spinach and soaked chilli. Add the chopped fresh coriander also. Blend in a smooth puree. Transfer the puree to the sauce pan.

Wash the blender and reserve the water with the adhering tomato puree.
Adjust the water in the puree and allow it to boil; let the raw taste of the ingredients subside.
Mix the peanut butter to the water that you reserved along with the adhering puree. Mix well so that no lumps are found.
Allow the tomato puree to simmer further, add salt and then add the blended peanut base.
Stir constantly and simmer the soup until desired thickness is achieved.

It makes a deliciously creamy soup. Adjust the salt and spice levels according to individual taste.
Enjoy a rich and warm soup as part of meal. If you decide to make the rice balls and serve alongside the soup, enjoy it as a full yet light meal.
No Croutons Required Event jointly hosted by Lisa and Jacquline. This July is being hosted by Lisa in her Lisa's Kitchen blog. My above soup is an entry to the same event. 

Almond Carrot Soup

Sometimes you are intrigued by the description of a dish in the menu and go for it, like it so much that you want to try making the same. This soup is one such dish that has been keeping me thinking. Once, we were at a restaurant, my nephew and I seemed to fancy the almond soup. It had so much flavour to it from all the garlic and caramelised onions to the otherwise bland soup. We liked it so much that we discussed the soup through the meal.
Few weeks ago, my daughter told me that she was making soup every night to warm herself up as the weather was chill. Everyday she would tell me what soup was their dinner and some of them were quite interesting that it prompted me to try a few. She had made this almond soup with a head of cauliflower. She told me that she used a fistful of almonds and that the soup turned out creamy by itself without any milk.
I had a huge quantity of almonds in the pantry; my husband has this selective dislike for cauliflower, his theory ,manchurian and deep fried golden cauliflower is good while in any other it tastes weird. So putting cauliflower, broccoli and such had to be erased from the soup. Initially I wanted plain almond soup with robust flavours, then wanted to have a vegetable and decided on the carrot. The almonds and the vegetable gave the soup a richness by themselves that the vegan option was a good choice. We did not miss the extra creaminess from addition of milk. I had earlier made the Pane Siciliano for the We Knead to Bake - Bread Baking Group, which paired very well with the soup. It was all we had for our dinner.

Almond Carrot Soup with Garlic and Caramelised Onions

Ingredients:
Serves two people
12 to 15 whole almonds blanched
1 medium carrot cubed
3 teaspoons vegetable oil (any cooking oil would work well)
5 pods of garlic

1 medium red onion sliced finely
Small piece of  ginger (adjusted according to taste)
Salt to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
2 cups of vegetable stock or water

Method:
Soak almonds in hot water, remove the peel. I had blanched almonds readily available and used them.
Soak again in water for about 15 minutes.
Grind the almonds adding sufficient water at intervals to a very smooth paste. Add more water to make a milk like liquid.
Cook the carrot until soft.
Heat 1 teaspoon oil and sauté the garlic pods until they are browned.
Run the garlic, ginger and cooked carrot in a blender and puree them.
Place a pan on the stove, pour the vegetable stock or water in it.
Put in the carrot puree and cook for a few minutes until the raw taste subsides.
Pour in the almond milk and cook on medium heat stirring every now and then to avoid any lumps.
Add the salt and ground black pepper, adjusting according to taste.
Simmer the soup until thickened.

Serve warm with any soup bread.
I am sending this soup to the No Croutons Required Event jointly administered by Lisa and Jacqueline with Lisa hosting the March 2015 edition.

Rich Tomato Soup

I have lived in this country for the past nineteen months but I am yet to figure out the weather. It has been unpredictable and while the sun shines bright all day one day, we have overcast skies the next. It rained so heavily the other day that the weather was crisp. On such days one might just want to get cozy with a hot cup of tea and  a book. Cooking even the regular four or five dishes meal seems elaborate. I would love to settle for a hot soup and something very light to keep me filled.
After feasting on the neivedhyams - specially prepared and offered dishes through navarathri, we were taking it easy with lighter meals. Then Deepavali followed soon and it was again time for some rich sweets and savoury dishes.The crisp weather only called for a soup warm and nice, making up a light meal.
On my visit to the market one particular weekend, I found some fresh looking tomatoes, some ripe and some very green. I could not resist purchasing those. Thus, with a basket load of tomatoes, that was in excess of our regular consumption, I had to use them up, before they loose that freshness.
I have not added any butter or cream to call it rich, but it is rich in flavours and is Omega 3 rich. So I decided to add the adjective to the soup.

Rich Tomato Soup
Serves 2 fairly big servings

Ingredients:
5-6 Fresh, ripe, medium sized tomatoes
3 shallots
1/2 of a carrot
1 tablespoon cubes of beetroot
1 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sunflower seeds
1 teaspoon flax seeds
2 walnuts
1/2" piece cinnamom
1/2 teaspoon shredded ginger
1 clove
1/2 a bay leaf
1 cardamom slightly crushed
Salt as required

Method:
Wash the tomatoes and place them in a large bowl with water to cover the tomatoes. Boil them for about 4 to 6 minutes.
Remove from the heat, drain the excess water and allow to cool. When they are cool enough to handle, remove the peel and coarsely chop them.
Toss the shallots in some oil on heat for a few minutes until they are softened and acquire a shine.
Steam the carrot and beetroot and when they are soft, add to the tomatoes. Blend them to a puree along with the shallots and strain the puree.
Dry roast the flax seeds and sunflower seeds lightly and crush coarsely along with the walnuts.
Place the ginger,clove. bay leaf, cinnamon, and cardamom in a muslin cloth and tie it up securely.
In a pan place the olive oil and add the powdered seeds mix. Toss them around for half of a minute, drop the muslin with the condiments inside. Pour the vegetable broth and add the salt.  Allow this to simmer for 7 to 10 minutes and remove the muslin out.
Add the blended tomato puree in. Adjust the liquid level by adding more broth or water, if required.
Let the soup simmer until desired consistency is reached.

Remove from heat and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
Serve hot.
No Croutons Required Event, co-hosted by Lisa and Jacqueline is now happening - October 2014 edition, at Tinned Tomatoes. This soup is to be packed for the same.

Avocado and Cilantro chilled soup

One fruit I got introduced to quite late, (only a few years ago) is avocado. I had been ignorant of its many benefits and even if it had been placed on the stands of the supermarkets, I may have walked past not knowing how to use it. Then with gained knowledge from many food blogs, and since we had a fruit yielding tree in the garden, I had wanted to use it. I could not however, get my husband to get used to the pretty bland tasting fruit. I made avocado chappathis from Pavithra's blog once and tried the gaucamole once; and that was it until recently. My friend told me that she pays heavily for the fruit in her country and she just scoops it up and eats as is. That would have been a bit tough for me to eat it raw. So the fruit had to be kept waiting until I find a way to cook it.
In the past few months, my daughter shares her everyday news and there is always food that we cooked being discussed. The other day she told us that she had just put in the fridge a cold soup with avocado and cilantro made with yoghurt. That got me and I tried the same for our lunch. I must say that they are a wonderful combination. Given that we are awaiting monsoons and the weather has been this way one day and that way another, this soup was a welcome chilled dish to have on a particularly hot afternoon.
I have copied my daughter's e mail with the recipe and her pictures. I have added my trial at the end. As you will see, I had to opt to garnish with tomatoes cucumber and coriander as I did not get fesh mint here. I made do with 1/2 of one large fruit a generous fist of coriander, a cup of yoghurt - that served  two of us along with steamed vegetables, paneer and kebabs in rice paper wraps.

Niki's recipe follows:
Serves sumptuously three portions.

 " here's the approximate recipe.. I looked at a bunch of blogs, all of which have multiple versions of this, and have added or omitted an ingredient or two - so this is my version.
2 medium sized ripe avocados - diced
1 cup cilantro
1 cup yogurt (this is a little here and there in terms of measurement - I went straight out of the yogurt box with my big spoon about 6 times.. but most people say equal amounts of yogurt and cilantro)

1 tsp lemon juice (I didn't add this but I think it would really taste great)

Water - to be added a little bit at a time to the blender, till you are comfortable with the consistency

mint and cucumber - to garnish.

salt and pepper - to taste

Put the avocado, cilantro, lemon juice and yogurt into the blender.

Add some water and run the blender till you make a smooth paste.

Add salt and pepper.

Keep adding water and blending till you achieve the consistency of thick soup.

Chill the soup for a few hours.

Garnish with mint and chopped cucumber to serve.

This isn't very set in stone, in terms of measurements and things, but close enough, I think :) if you manage to get an avocado, try it. Its really nice. The quantity that came out of this was quite enough for three portions."

The above picture is my trial at home. I made it medium thick, more soupy, not as thick as Niki had.
I squeezed a wedge of lime extra and my husband did with some more black pepper.
I might now try more combinations with avocado and yoghurt. Meanwhile make this and enjoy.

Tomato, quinoa and stirfry vegetables soup

Soups are always a welcome change to my usual dinner options. I make soup quite often and especially when we have been experiencing dull weather, all I could think of was a nicely colourful and hearty soup that would lift our mood. This one offers a power pack nutrition from the ingredients that have been added into it.

Not long ago I found few packets of quinoa in the aisle of a store here and as mentioned earlier i picked some extra lest the store does not restock the same. I have been cooking this wonder grain very often now since both of us at home like it very much., so much so that I powdered it and along with almond milk  made kheer  for the neivedhyam on Janmaashtami festival.
I had baked some pav bread and had some extra after we used a few for dinner. So I thought of making a hearty soup and consume the bread with that. going through the vegetable tray in my refrigerator I was glad to find a variety of vegetables that will be good and two big round tomatoes.
All of that was enough for me to set out making this soup for our dinner that night.
This is a very simple soup to combine but very filling if you have a bowl full with the bread.

Ingredients:
2 ripe and fairly large tomatoes
1/4 cup quinoa
1/4 cup vegetables cut in fine long strips
2 stalks spring onions
2 pods garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon carom seeds (optional)
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
Salt to taste

Method:
Wash and cut the tomatoes in halves.
Crush the garlic and the carom seeds coarsely and mix with a few drops of olive oil.
Rub the above coarse paste on the tomatoes. Place them in a foil and in a baking tray. Oven roast them for 20 minutes at 200 degrees centigrade.
Remove from the oven, remove the peel off the tomatoes and blend them to a fine puree.
Meanwhile, roast very slightly the quinoa with 1teaspoon oil and add sufficient water and some salt to cook the quinoa.
Similarly stir fry the vegetables until crisp using the rest of the oil along with the chopped spring onions.

Mix the cooked quinoa and the tomato puree, white pepper and simmer the soup to desired thickness.
Top with the stir fry vegetables and serve hot with dinner rolls.
This soup uses practically no added fat other than the olive oil.
I have used cabbage, colour peppers, carrot and beans with some green peas. the combination of vegetables can be according to your taste and availability.

The soup was perfect for the gray and cloudy days that we were experiencing. Hope you shall be making this too.

Roasted tomato and bell peppers soup

Once in a while, when I find that my mind is blank on dinner ideas and am exhausted dishing out some upma or another, I decide to make soup and have. Between me and my husband, I can live on soups and salads while he isn't a fan of either. Yet he has a few exceptions, though he may not admit that he quite likes them.
Few days ago, I craved for the comfort of a warm bowl of soup. I had earlier baked the potato bread and so I paired it with this soup, which I hoped was detox after all the deepavali bakshanam consumed.
The recipe was printed and handed to me by the chefs in The Gateway Hotel, sometime in July earlier this year. I had perfect large and firm yet ripe tomatoes and red bell peppers which are main ingredients in this recipe. However, as I proceeded with the soup, I strayed far beyond the printed leaflet on hand.
Recipe for russian potato bread is an earlier post in this site. Spread some garlic butter to the bread and enjoyed with the soup.



Ingredients:
1 large red bell peppers
1 large tomato
1/2 of one small size red onion chopped fine
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 small sprig thyme (or use dry thyme about 1/2 teaspoon)
1 tablespoon butter
Water as required
Fresh cream just to finish

Method:
Wash the pepper and tomato. Pat them dry.
Carefully, roast the pepper on medium flame directly, turning on all sides until they are charred at the surface. Immediately, wrap this in a cling film. Allow to cool.
Similarly, using a mesh over the stove, place the tomato and roast the same lightly, just until warm. Or for better roasting, grill the same in an oven until short of getting charred. Just as with the pepper, cover the tomato also and leave it to cool.
Once both have cooled to room temperature, rub the cling film so that the charred outer skin of the vegetables fall off. Chop them both coarsely. Keep aside.
Melt butter in a heavy pan. Add the chopped onions and roast them well. Add the garlic and the thyme. Saute' and then add the chopped tomato and peppers.
Add enough water and bring to a boil. Reduce the flame and simmer for about five minutes.
Allow to cool and then puree in a blender.
Pass this though a sieve. Top this with cream to finish.
Serve hot with a basket of warm bread.

Capsicum macaroni soup

I baked some spiced buns and while chatting with my sister mentioned that it would be perfect if I made some spicy soup to go with them for dinner. Her son was home for holidays and she was making him different soups each day. She said that I can have noodles and scallions with bell peppers in a wholesome soup.The inspiration to the recipe was from Mallika Badrinath's 100 soups and soft drinks book. I said , "fine I'm on" and tried this soup. I had scallions and green bell peppers. I wanted to use up the macaroni in my pantry. The soup went well with the buns. We simply wiped the bowl clean with the last bit of bread crumb.

Following is the recipe for two servings.

1 large bell pepper

2 spring onions with the bulbs

1/4 cup of shell macaroni cooked and drained

1 table spoon butter

2 teaspoons masoor dhal soaked for 1/2 an hour

2 teaspoons cooking oil

Few basil leaves

1 red onion sliced

Salt to taste

Chop the bell pepper and the bulbs of the spring onions. Toss them along with the sliced onion in 2 teaspoons oil. Allow to cool and grind them to a paste with the basil leaves and the masoor dhal.

Melt the butter in a pan and toss the green of the sping onions. Add the ground paste and saute for a few minutes. Add the cooked macaroni and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for few minutes.

Serve hot with desired dinner rolls. I served them with my oats buns.

This soup is being sent to Meeta's Monthly Mingle currently hosted by Sunshinemom inviting heart warming soups.