Home made Chicken Soup

I loved this one. It's been adapted from various online sources (too many to list here). I doubted how good it would turn out because the ingredients seemed too simplistic. And that is why I kept looking for the "right" recipe to reaffirm my trust in this recipe. My bad. Little did I know that simplistic recipes too have their charm and can surprise!

Ingredients:
1. chicken cubes ripped apart, 1 can
2. 1 carrot, diced
3. 3-4 stalks of celery, minced
4. Chicken broth
5. Chili garlic sauce, 1/2 tsp
6. Salt to taste
7. 1 Bay leaf
8. 1-2 garlic pods, minced
9. 2 Tsp olive oil
10. 1 onion, chopped

Directions:
1. Heat a wok then throw in bay leaf, onion, garlic and stir fry.
2. After 3-4 mins, throw in carrots and celery and cook.
3. When cooked, add in broth, chicken, salt, and chili sauce.
4. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Serve warm.

Oats and Tomato soup

In allegiance to Oats, this one is fanasty food for health freaks hands down. And good timing on this one as the temperature dips below freezing. A warm serving of home made soup soothes likes none.

Thank you IndusLadies for this recipe.

Ingredients:
1. 1 green chili
2. 4-5 cloves of garlic, peeled.
3. 2 big tomatoes
4. 1 carrot, peeled
5. Salt to taste
6. Pepper to taste
7. Vegetable broth
8. Oats, soaked, 1 cup

Directions:
1. Pressure cooker carrots, garlic, chili, and tomatoes. Add salt.
2. Let it cool.
3. Blend it to a smooth consistency in the food processor.
4. Transfer to a wok and let it come to a boil.
5. Check the flavour and adjust with pepper and salt. Add broth to reach the desired consistency.
6. Add on oats.

Serve warm.

Healthy Homemade Vegetable Soup

A figment of my imgination, this recipe is goodness revealed. No sugar, No diary, No gluten. A wholesome and nutritious one pot bowl of comfort.

Ingredients:
1. Carrot, 1, peeled
2. Cauliflower florets, 1/2 of a cauliflower
3. Brocolli head, 1
4. Green onion, 1 bunch, copped
5. Garlic cloves, 2, minced
6. Zuchini, 1, cut up
7. Salt to taste
8. Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
9. Vegetable broth (optional), to desired consistency.
10. Olive oil
11. Celery Stalk, 1, chopped

Directions:
1. In a hot non stick wok, add olive oil, green onions, and garlic.
2. Saute until brown.
3. In a pressure cooker, boil ingredients 1-6 and celery (green onion and garlic from the steps above).
4. Let it cool.
5. Blend in a food processor.
6. Tansfer back to the wok and and salt, pepper and broth.

Serve warm. Garnish with chopped green pepper.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hearty Home Made Vegetable Soup

Thanks to my gluten-diary-sugar free diet, I am stepping out of my comfort zone and trying new recipes. This recipe is not mine or someone else's but an amalgamation of various recipes suited to my imagination and pantry availability. It is a warm soothing one pot fare that acts as a perfect satisfying meal on a cold lonely winter night.

Ingredients:
1. 1 carrot, diced.
2. green onion, 1 bunch, chopped
3. tomato, 1 chopped
4. Celery stalks, 2, chopped
5. Broccoli heads, 2-3 minced
6. Garlic, 2, minced
7. Dried peas, boiled, a cup
8. Salt to taste
9. Black pepper, freshly ground
10. Oregano
11. Basil
12. Vegetable stalk
13. V8 Vegetable cocktail soup.
14. Water, to the desired consistency
15. Olive oil

Directions:
1. Add oil to a non-stick wok.
2. Saute garlic and let it brown.
3. Add in green onion, carrots, basil, oregano and saute.
4. Add in broccoli, celery and let it soften.
5. Add in tomato, water, vegetable stalk, juice, pepper and salt.
6. Boil. Adjust the seasoning and consistency with water or juice.
7. Throw in the dried peas and mix well.

Serve warm.

Palak ki Dahl (Spinach Lentil Soup)

This recipe is yet another comforting, healthy dish. It is relished in most Indian homes as a stew or soup over a bed of white basmati rice. This recipe is inspired from my mother's recipe. I like this one due to its high nutritious value.

Ingredients:
1. 1/2 cup of frozen spinach, cut
2. 5-7 fists of toor dal
3. Salt
4. Turmeric powder
5. Lemon juice
6. Garam masala
7. Oil for tempering
8. Mustard seeds
9. Green chili slit/chopped and red chili powder (optional)
10. Curry leaves (optional)

Instructions:
1. Wash toor dal and soak it in water.
2. Place the washed dal in a pressure cooker along with some water.
3. Throw in the spinach, salt, and turmeric powder.
4. Boil the dahl in a closed pressure cooker and allow 5-6 whistles to blow.
5. When the lid of the pressure cooker opens on its own, add garam masala, lemon juice and red chili powder.
6. Mix.
7. Temper:
7a. Heat oil in a pan, then add mustard seeds.
7b.  When the mustard seeds begin to cracke, add curry leaves and green chili.
8. Immerse this into the Dahl soup.

Serve warm.

Yam Soup

What's better on a cold winter evening after work then a bowl of home-made warm soup? I love soup as it is healthy and comforting yet tasty. The other day I had some coworkers talk about Yam soup. So far, my grocery has never included Yam. But the conversation intrigued me to try out this vegetable.

Ingredients:
1. 2 Yams, roasted and peeled
2. Onion, 1 large, slices
3. Garlic pods, 4, cut
4. Nutmeg, a pinch
5. Salt
6. Olive oil
7. Pepper

Instructions:
1. Heat a skillet and then ad olive oil.
2. Throw in the onions and sprinkle salt over it.
3. Stir fry for a few minutes then add garlic.
4. Caramelize the onions and lower the heat.
5. Add chopped roasted yam and mash with the back of a ladle.
6. Add 2 cups water and bring to a boil.
7. Simmer on low heat for another 10 mins.
8. Let it cool.
9. Blend the liquid to a nice consistency.
10. Transfer it back to the skillet.
11. Add pepper and nutmeg and warm it up.

Serve warm.

Dal Fry (Lentil Soup)

Basic yet comforting. perfect for a cold rainy day or when you are down with the flu. Stay healthy, my friends! Don't let that virus get to you!

Ingredients:
1. Garlic, minced
2. Ginger, minced
3. Onion chopped
4. Green chili, minced
5. Tomato, chopped
6. Toor dal, 1 cup
7. Cumin seeds
8. Mustard seeds
9. Methi (fenugreek) seeds
10. Heeng,
11. Salt
12. Turmeric powder
13. Oil.


Instructions:
1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker.
2. Add methi and mustard seeds and let it crackle.
3. The add cumin seeds and heeng and let it sizzle.
4. Add onion, garlic, ginger, chili and fry.
5. Add turmeric powder and washed toor dal.
6. Stir then add water, tomato, and salt.
7. Close the cover of the pressure cooker and let 5-6 whistles to blow.

Serve warm.

Chana Dahl (Split Yellow Gram Stew)

1. Split Yellow Gram or chana dahl, 5-8 fists
2. Fennel, 1 tsp (optional)
3. cumin seeds, 1 tsp
4. ghee, 1 -2 tsp
5. Red chili powder, to taste
6. salt, to taste
7. cinnamon sticks, 2-3
8. Lemon juice
10. Tomato paste, 1 tsp (optional)
11. Garlic, 2 pods minced
12. turmeric powder, 1 tsp

Instructions:
1. Heat a pressure cooker.
2. Melt ghee.
3. Add cumin, cinnamon and fennel seeds
4. When they start to sizzle, add garlic.
5. When the garlic turns golden brown, add turmeric powder and mix.
6. Add washed chana dahl and saute.
7. Add tomato paste, lemon juice, and salt and mix.
8. Add water.
9. Boil covered for 4-5 whistles in the pressure cooker.

You can mix some chopped fresh cilantro and serve warm with steamed rice, as a soup, or as a side with Indian flat-bread and some vegetables.

Beet soup

Isn't it easy to get bored in the mundane routine of life and also tired of the usual home cooked stuff? How often can you go out to try a new cuisine or do you ever have enough dishes on your cooking list to keep a variety indefinitely going?

I am constantly running out of ideas. Stretching out and experimenting with new things keeps me involved. Cooking something I have never before is fun and exciting. It keeps the kitchen as well as the appetite alive.

Last year, I discovered tarot root. This year, I found beet. Beet is one of those vegetables that has never been a part of our groceries. With it's deep blood red color, this vegetable intrigued me. I've been looking around for how I could play with this vegetable. I have found answers through people/blogs - juice, salad, and soup. Beets are loaded with vitamins A, B1, B2, B6 and C. The greens have a higher content of iron compared to spinach. They are also an excellent source of calcium, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, sodium, and iron.

Having had no past experience with beet, I decided to play it safe. I was warned of the hard texture of this veggie and wasn't so sure how it would taste so I decided to boil the beets and puree them into a soup. I am a soup lover.

Adapted from here.

Ingredients:
1. Chicken or Vegetable broth
2. 1 onion, chopped
3. 3 spoons olive oil
4. Salt
5. Pepper
6. Rice vinegar (substitute with rice wine)
7. 1 mashed potato to counter the bitterness of beet.
8. 2 beets, boiled and chopped
9. Few cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
10. 1 spoon brown sugar (I used jaggery)
11. Green onion for garnishing
12. Sour cream for garnishing
13. Freshly ground black pepper
14. 2 tablespoons tomato paste. This is not necessary but I threw it in just because I love tomatoes!

Instructions:
1. Heat olive oil in a skillet.
2. Saute the onion and garlic in the oil until golden
3. Add the mashed potato, tomato paste, and beet.
4. Cook until tender.
5. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Keep stirring occasionally.
6. Add vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar.
7. Cover and cook on low heat for about 25 minutes. Allow the vegetables to soften.
8. Cool and set aside.
9. In a food processor, blend to a liquid.
10. Heat again
11. Garnish with sour cream and green onion.


Serve hot with garlic bread.

Verdict: Healthy, looks great, but we discovered that beet is not our favorite!

Dahl Serendipity

I had been craving protein rich food for the past little while. The best way I could do this seemed to be through Dahl or lentil soup. The other day when I looked in the fridge, there were not many vegetables but a ton of shredded carrot. Adventure today it will be, I said to my self! And off I went to make use of whatever I had and experiment or invent a new recipe.

What came out was Dahl serendipity. Mr. Husband and I both were happy with the results. Boring dahl was spiced up with minced green chili and sambhar masala (powdered spices). Fenugreek seeds added warmth to the flavor of the soup, while the pungency of mustard seeds gave the soup just the right kick. While the smoothness of lentils were crunched up with caramelized onion, the sweetness of the onion was countered with a dazzle of tangy lemon juice and tomato paste. The unmistakable aroma of fresh curry leaves unveiled its magic making its way up the senses; the goodness of turmeric powder, garlic, and fresh vegetable defined the comfort and satisfaction of devouring a wholesome, healthy meal.


Serves 4. No preparation required.

Ingredients:
1. Toor (Arhar) Dahl, washed and soaked in water for 5 mins.
2. Curry leaves, fresh and green
3. Salt to taste
4. Musard seeds
5. Fenugreek seeds
6. Green chilli, shopped
7. Sliced onion
8. Tomato paste
9. Garlic, chopped
10. Oil, 2-3 tablespoons
11. Sambhar masala
12. Lemon juice.
13. Water.
14. Shredded carrot
15. Turmeric powder

Instructions:
1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker.
2. Add mustard and fenugreek seeds and allow it to splutter.
3. Add garlic, green chili, curry leaves, onion, and saute until golden brown.
4. Add turmeric powder and mix.
5. Add tomato paste and cook for another few minutes.
6. Add sambhar masala, salt, toor dahl, carrot, and water.
7. Cook and cover the lid of the pressure cooker. Let 5 whistles blow.
8. Remove from heat and allow the lid to open by itself.

Serve hot over a bed of white rice or as soup.

Sambhar (Spicy south Indian lentil stew)

Sambhar is a popular South Indian and Sri Lankan dish liked by North Indians the same. Sambhar is a vegetable stew or chowder based on a broth made with tamarind and toovar dahl.
South Indian food, people, and culture are inexorably linked to a ubiquitous dish as in idli (rice cakes) and sambhar, sambhar and rice and so on. Each state in the South prepares it with a typical variation, adapted to its taste and environment.
Sambhar is my all time favorite. A lot of things changed but my liking for sambhar never did. Sambhar was the first few things I learned to cook.

No preparation required. Serves 4-6. But I can finish this all by my self :P

Ingredients:

1. 7 fists arhar/toor dahl
2. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
3. 2 teaspoons salt.
4. 1 tablespoon minced garlic
5. 1/2 tablespoon minced ginger
6. 1 small onion, chopped
7. 1 small tomato, chopped
8. 1/2 zucchini or bottle gourd cut in inced sized squares. You can also add okra, eggplant, drum sticks if you want.
9. 3 teaspoon sambhar masala. I used MDH.
10. 2 tablespoons olive oil
11. 1 heaping teaspoon mustard seeds. I like to add fenugreek seeds and asafoetida as well but my mom butted in and didn't let me this time. ;-)
12. 4-5 fresh curry leaves
13. 1 dried red chili
14. Tamarind pulp (imli ka saar)
15. 1 green pepper, chopped into inched sized squares.

Instructions:

For the dahl
1. Soak arhar dahl in water for about 15 mins. Wash and then put it in a pressure cooker.
2. Add turmeric powder and salt.
3. Add water water to this - about a finger's depth of water from the dahl to the surface.
4. Cover the lid of the pressure cooker and let 2 whistles to blow.

For the masala
1. Heat olive oil in a pan and when hot, add mustard seeds.
2. When the seeds splutter, add curry leaves and red chili.
3. Add onions and fry until they turn golden brown.
4. Add ginger and garlic and fry for a few minutes. Then add tomato.
5. When the tomato is al dente, add green pepper, zucchini, and sambhar powder.
6. Add tamarind pulp.
7. Cover and cook until all vegetables are al dente.

When the pressure cooker's lid opens, add the masala and boil with an open lid for about 5-10 minutes.

Server hot with steamed white rice and roasted potatoes for lunch. Alternatively, you can have this with idli (rice cakes) or dosa (Indian crepe) which I will show you how to make in another post.

Dal makhani modified (Lentil butter)

Dal Makhani is a must have entrée at any North Indian restaurant. It is considered a part of a sumptuous meal and a special dish for many Indians. You will often find this delicacy at parties and at feasts. The traditional way to cook Dal Makhani was to do so slowly and for hours on charcoal heat. This would give it a creamy texture. In this Any-time-on-demand world, the recipe has changed. The modern recipe involves cooking the lentils quickly and adding cream for the desired texture.

To each one, her own. And rightly, this recipe is modified by me. It was a long day, the fridge was empty, and my body was tired but does my palate listen? No. I was still craving Dal Makhani and had been for a long time. I had soaked kidney beans which was a motivator. So, I decided to cook it quickly, my way - the convenient way.

Needs preparation. Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:
1. 3 fists Kidney beans, soaked for 8 hours
2. 6 fists black lentils, washed and soaked for 10-15mins.
3. 3/4 teaspoons garam masala
4. 1 small onion, finely chopped
5. 1/2 tablespoon grated ginger
6. 1/4 tablespoon grated or crushed garlic
7. 1 heaping tablespoon full of ghee or clarified butter
8. 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
9. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
10. 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
11. 1 Cinnamon stick
12. 1 bay leaf for aroma
13. 1 dried red chili
14. 2 teaspoons full of coriander powder
15. 1 teaspoon cumin powder
16. 1.5 teaspoon salt
17. 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
18. 1.5 tablespoon sour cream
19. 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
20. 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
21. 3 glasses of water


Instructions:
1. Heat ghee in a pressure cooker.
2. Add bay leaf, red dried chili, cinnamon stick, and mustard seeds and allow to crackle.
3. Add cumin seeds, fenugreek and wait until the popping sound fastens.
4. Add ginger, garlic, onion and fry until the onion turns golden brown.
5. Add cumin powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala, red chili powder, asafoetida.
6. Cook for a few minutes until the fat starts to leave the masala. You will see the yellow color of the ghee seperate from the onion.
7. Add soaked kidney beans and lentils and water.
8. Add salt and close the lid of the pressure cooker. Allow at least 8 whistles to blow.
9. Turn off the heat. Allow the lid to open by itself. Then add cream and cook with a covered lid for another 5 minutes.
10. Serve hot and garnish as desired.

This can be eaten as a hearty soup, as curry with Roti or with parantha. It tastes even better the next day because the lentils absorb the spices with time.

Things I could have gone without: bay leaf, cinnamon stick, coriander powder.
Things I could have done: Add tomato, fennel seed powder, use a slow cooker instead of a pressure cooker, use whole black gram lentil instead of black lentil, cook lentils and kidney beans separately and mash the lentils for a smoother texture.

Kitchen flavours and Trupti told me about Lentil Mela and suggested I participate. So here I go!

Gujarati Dahl

Dahl/Dal/Dhal when translated in English is nothing but yellow lentil soup/ stew. Dahl is a staple food of India. It is known to be high in protein and help in digestion. It is both nutritious and flavorful. Dahl comes in a variety and has different names in different parts of India.
Gujarat is a western state in India, and Gujarati food is typically sweet and spicy. So, this recipe prepares Dahl with both sugar and salt.



Ingredients:
1. 2 cups toor dahl (also known as arhar dal)
2. 2-3 sprigs of fresh curry leaves.
3. 1 large tomato, chopped.
4. 1-2 Green onions, chopped (optional)
5. 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder
6. 1/2 teaspoon paprika
7. 1.5 teaspoon salt
8. 2 teaspoon sugar (use grated jagerry if you have it)
9. 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
10. 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
11. 1/2 teaspoon methi (fenugreek seeds)
12. A pinch of Hing (Asafoetida)
12. 5-10 drops of lime juice.
13. 3 cup water
14. 1 tbspn ghee (pasteurized butter)
15. 2-3 dry red chili, broken into pieces

Directions:
1. Heat Ghee in a pressure cooker
2. When the ghee is hot, add mustard seeds and bring it to splutter
3. Add cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds until the seeds turn brown and the popping sound fastens
4. Add onion, turmeric powder, chili powder, curry leaves, Hing, paprika, and cook until the onion softens
5. Add tomato, lime juice and cook for another 5 minutes.
6. Wash toor dahl and soak in water while the tomato cooks
7. Add dahl and water to the pressure cooker.
9. Add sugar and salt and close lid to allow the Dahl to boil. Let 4-5 whistles blow.
10. Allow the steam to come out of the pressure cooker. When the lid of pressure cooker opens, garnish as desired.

Dahl is ready to be served hot as a soup or over a bed of white Basmati rice for an evening dish. Enjoy!

Tomato soup

No preparation required.

Fresh homemade tomato soup, nothing like it. Ideal when tomatoes are in season and plentiful. It can also be prepared with vegetable stock.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1. 1 tablespoon olive oil
2. 1 cup chopped onion
3. 2 cloves garlic, minced
4. 1 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
5. 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
6. 1 tablespoon vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
7. 1 teaspoon salt
8. 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
9. 4 drops hot pepper sauce

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a pan on medium-high heat.
2. Saute onion and garlic until onion is tender.
3. Stir in tomatoes, broth, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 20 minutes, stirring frequently.