As the colder months of the year loom in, there's no better way to pamper yourself than with a large bowl of warm, delectable soup. Go beyond the tried and tested recipes and make it interesting with these four vegetarian soups that range from a caramelised carrot to a chilled red pepper, curated by chef Karan Khanna of The Clearing House, Mumbai.
Recipe: Creamy cauliflower soup
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Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets and cleaned
3 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
5 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
5 cups water/vegetable stock
½ cup grated cheddar or processed cheese
2 sprigs fresh thyme; leaves only
Salt
Black pepper, fresh cracked
20 almonds, toasted and thinly sliced
Parsley, finely chopped
Method:
Heat the butter in a heavy bottomed stock pot on medium high heat till it starts browning and develops a nutty aroma. Add the onion and sauté for three to four minutes till soft and translucent, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and sauté for one to two minutes more till fragrant.
Add in the cauliflower florets and sauté till the florets just start getting tender. Add in the thyme leaves and sauté for another minute. Sprinkle a little salt at this point and stir.
Add just enough water to cover the cauliflower and stir gently. Add in the sliced almonds, reserving five for garnishing. Reduce heat to medium low and cover for 20-25 minutes till the cauliflower is tender and falling apart.
Using either an immersion blender, or transferring the soup in batches to a traditional blender (be careful not to fill it to the top when working with hot soups), puree the soup until smooth.
Stir in the cheese and add the stock as required till your preferred consistency is reached. Season to taste and stir in a few pinches of black pepper.
Serve hot, garnished with the sliced almonds and chopped parsley.
Recipe: Caramelised carrot soup
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Ingredients:
500gm carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
4 tbsp butter
2 tsp refined oil
1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
500ml carrot juice
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 tbsp toasted cumin seeds
1 tsp jeera powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking soda
Fine chopped coriander to garnish
Method:
Heat the base of the pressure cooker on medium high heat and add the onions, sautéing till soft and translucent. Add the cumin seeds and sauté till fragrant.
Add the sliced carrots and sauté till they start getting soft. Add just enough water to cover and stir in the baking soda and salt.
Put the lid of the cooker on and cook for 10 minutes on medium high heat, about three whistles.
Take the cooker off the heat and let it cool down or place it in the sink and run cool water over the lid. Take the lid off when it can be released easily. At this point the carrots should be a dark orangish-brown and have a nutty caramelised aroma.
Stir in the jeera powder, ginger and carrot juice and simmer for two minutes.
Blend till smooth using an immersion blender or mixer.
Adjust the seasoning to taste and serve hot garnished with fine chopped coriander. Pro tip: In case you don’t have a juicer, you can just blend sliced carrots with a little water in your blender and strain it.
Recipe: Chilled red pepper soup
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Ingredients:
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
4 large red bell peppers
3 tbsp olive oil
1 pinch chilli flakes
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
15gm basil leaves, finely shredded
Salt to taste
1 tsp caster sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon
50gm sour cream
5gm basil leaves, coarsely chopped
400ml water/vegetable stock
Method:
Place the bell peppers in a bowl and coat evenly with oil. One by one, char the bell peppers over an open flame till they are fully blackened. Place the charred bell peppers back in the bowl and cover tightly while warm.
Meanwhile, heat a heavy bottomed pot on medium and sauté the onion in the olive oil till translucent. Add in the sliced garlic and sauté till fragrant. Add the chilli flakes and cook for 30 seconds. Take off the heat and set aside.
Remove the charred skin from the peppers and lightly rinse under running water to remove and charred bits. Deseed the peppers and roughly chop up the roasted peppers.
Place the pan with the onions back on the heat and add the chopped peppers and add the water/stock to cover. Add a pinch of salt to season. Cover the pan and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
Blend the mixture using an immersion blender till completely smooth while still warm and stir in the basil leaves and lemon zest. Adjust the salt and sugar to taste and take the pan off the heat, keeping it covered for five minutes.
Strain out the soup through a single strainer and let chill.
To serve, pour the soup into bowls and top with chopped basil and a dollop of sour cream.
Recipe: Silky corn soup
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Ingredients:
10 ears of corn, husks, silk and stalks removed
50gm butter
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and halved
25gm cilantro, finely chopped to garnish
Zest and juice of 2 green lemons/limes
2 litres water
Salt and sugar to taste
Method:
Fold a kitchen towel and place it inside a wide metal bowl. Use one hand to place an ear of corn upright atop the towel, and use a sharp knife to slice off two to three rows of corn kernels at a time by sliding the knife down. The closer you can get to the cob while slicing, the better. Repeat with all the corn. Reserve the cobs.
Place the cobs in a large stockpot and cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Then take off the heat and keep covered for 10 minutes. Discard the cobs and reserve the corn stock.
Meanwhile, heat another pot over medium heat and add the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the sliced onions and sauté until completely soft and translucent.
Add the corn and the chilli and turn up the heat, sautéing just until the corn turns a more vivid shade of yellow. Add just enough corn stock to cover the corn, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes with a lid on until the corn is tender. Strain out the chilli at this point if you prefer it less spicy.
Using an immersion blender, carefully blend the soup till it is completely smooth. Strain through a fine strainer.
Adjust the consistency using the remaining corn stock and stir in the lime zest.
Season to taste with the salt and sugar.
To serve, place half a teaspoon of the lime juice in a bowl and ladle the corn soup over.
Garnish with the chopped cilantro and serve hot. Alternatively, this soup can also be served chilled.
Also read:
This hot and tangy Thai tom yum soup recipe is perfect for cold winter nights
10 Vogue visionaries share unexpected secret comfort food recipes
