Apple Carrot Basil Soup

Winters are knocking on the door and we have already experienced our first snowfall. Temperatures are dropping down real quick and we crave for warm comfort foods (and drinks) in this weather.. This is the perfect time for warm soups. I had received a soup maker last winter as a gift and there is no better time to put it to good use now. This soup recipe is made in a soup maker but can also be simmered on a stove top. The ingredient which makes this soup special is the soup spice mix (soup masala) which I add to all my soups.

This is a warm and comforting soup and the mix of apples and carrots elevated the taste to another level. I have gotten the idea of mixing apple and carrots from this recipe: http://www.carveyourcraving.com/apple-carrot-soup-feel-better-soup/

Ingredients:

Apple (chopped): 1
Carrots (chopped): 3
Garlic: 3 cloves
Basil leaves: a handful
Yellow onion (chopped): 1
Lemon juice: 1 tsp.
Salt to taste
Soup Spice Mix (Soup masala)
Black pepper (optional)
Cream for garnish (optional)

1. Wash and chop the apples, carrots, onion and garlic and add to the soup maker. 
2. Add the washed basil leaves, lemon juice, salt and soup spice mix. 
3. Add the required amount of water and turn on the soup maker. My soup maker prepares the soup in just 6 minutes! 
4. If preparing on stove top, add the chopped apples, carrots, onion, garlic and basil leaves to a mixer. Add water and grind to a smooth paste. 
5. Add this whole mix to a large pot and add water depending upon the required consistency of the soup. 
6. Add the salt, lemon juice and soup spice mix. Mix well and bring to a boil. 
7. Reduce the heat and simmer on medium flame for 10-15 minutes or until it reaches the desired consistency. 
8. Turn off the flame and pour directly into a soup bowl. No need to sieve it. 
9. Sprinkle black pepper and garnish with cream if desired. Serve hot! 

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Beetroot Soup

Fall has officially begun and the days have started to get cold. As we feel the little chill in the air, we do crave something warm, soothing and yummy which is filling as well. So this is the first soup I prepared to welcome the season of fall. I made this soup in my soup maker, wherein I just dump everything and get yummy, creamy soup in just 20 minutes. But this can also be prepared traditionally on a stove top.

Ingredients:

Beetroot: 2
Tomatoes: 4
Carrots: 2
Parsley leaves: a bunch or according to taste
Ginger: 1 inch
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Soup Spice Mix (Soup masala) : to taste

1. Wash and chop the beetroot, tomatoes, carrots, ginger and parsley nicely. Save some of the parsley for garnish. 
2. Add little water and grind all the vegetables to a coarse paste. 
3. Transfer this paste to a big boiling pot and add 4 cups of water. Add the salt and the soup spice mix and mix everything well. 
4. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until the soup reaches the desired consistency. 
5. Add to the serving bowl, garnish with fresh parsley, sprinkle black pepper and serve hot! Enjoy. 

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Clear beetroot soup

Ingredients:

Beetroots (chopped): 2
Spring onions (chopped): 2
Tomato (chopped): 1
Ginger (chopped): 1 inch
Garlic (chopped): 2 cloves
Cinnamon stick: 1 inch
Cloves: 2
Salt to taste
Fenugreek seeds: 1/4 tsp.
Black pepper (optional): to sprinkle on top
Coriander leaves for garnish (optional)

1. Throw in all the ingredients except black pepper and coriander in a heavy bottomed pot and add 3 cups of water.
2. Put this container on high flame and bring the contents to a rolling boil and reduce the heat to medium. 
3. Let boil for 10-15 minutes. Turn off the flame and sieve the soup in a soup bowl. Garnish with coriander leaves and sprinkle some black pepper (optional) and enjoy your hot bowl of clear beetroot soup !!
4. Don't throw away the leftover vegetables. I let it all cool, mashed everything with some boiled potatoes and made tikkis out of it which turned out wonderful. I served it with green chutney. Remove the cinnamon and cloves before mashing.

Lehsun- Adrak Ka Kaadha

Yes. Another cold-post (the cough and cold curing post I mean) after the Chai Masala recipe by my Nani-Ji. When I was growing up, I remember this kaadha being made every alternate day at home during winters and mom and dad sitting in rajaai and sipping this slowly while me and my brother used to make faces at them, watching TV. They used to tell me this keeps cough and cold at bay and is wonder drink for the stuffed nasal passage and cough, and I used to say I would rather die of cough and cold than drinking this awful looking drink (yes I thought it was awful because it sure never looked pretty to me).

But well, time changes. And when you live alone away from home everything changes so drastically. And the day me and hubby were both experiencing symptoms of cold and craving something hot, I went back on thinking of this "Kaadha" and there was a flashback of past memories :) I, who detested this all my life, made this AND drank it. And not to mention, it made me feel instantly better. Now I understand why my parents always wanted me to drink this. It does not look pretty and tastes a little bitter but well, it will make anyone feel a lot better.

Over to the recipe:

Ingredients:

Onion (chopped): 1 small
Ginger (chopped): 3 inches piece
Garlic (chopped): 7-8 cloves
Cooking oil: 1 tsp.
Black peppercorns: 6-7
Cloves: 2
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp.

1. Add the ginger, garlic and onion to a blender, add little water and blend it to a smooth paste without any lumps. Take out in a bowl and keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a non-stick pan and splutter the peppercorns and cloves. Add the ginger-garlic-onion paste to the pan. 
   
3. On medium flame, begin to stir this mixture. Stir for a bit and let cook then stir again. Do not leave unstirred for long time as it needs to be cooked evenly. 
   
4. Keep stirring and after a while the masala will leave the oil on the sides. But we need to cook it more because we consume this as it is and there should not be the bitter taste of raw masalas. 
   
   
   
   
5. After the masala has browned and gathered in the centre of pan and left all the oil on the sides, add the salt and turmeric and mix well. Add 3 cups of water and cover on medium flame. Let cook for 10 minutes until the flavours are blended together and the water is mixed with the masala, making it a thin soup consistency. 
    
   
6. Turn off the flame, pour in a bowl and drink hot !!

Disclaimer: This is an original recipe of the author. The recipe and the pictures may not be copied in any form without the author's permission.