Nutritionist Luke Coutinho comes up with cold soup recipes to beat the summer heat

Luke Coutinho, has come up with healthy cold soup recipes that provide antioxidants and help digestion.

It’s summer time in India. And, as the mercury keeps rising, the first thing that comes to your mind is a something like a cold aerated drink, may be an ice cream or something that keeps you cold. A soup will surely be your last option. Luke Coutinho , who is a holistic nutritionist , exercise physiologist and MD Alternative Medicine, has come up with -- healthy cold soup recipes. Coutinho, who practises in the field of integrative and lifestyle medicine across India, Europe and the US, has used old recipes for the soups. But, the only difference being they are healthy and served cold.

He says, “I have used old recipes, but they are prepared differently and they are healthy. The original recipes of soups use a lot of cream and butter for cooking as well as garnishing. These things make the soup a little hard to digest. So, I’ve have tweaked the recipes and added few healthy ingredients such as veggies, avocado, Indian spices, etc. to make them easy on digestion at the same time yummy for your palate.”

The health benefits of Coutinho’s soups are enormous. He says, “Cold soups are great deal when it comes to health benefits in summers because hot foods are the last thing you want to have when you come home after a tiring day. Cold soups are loaded with veggies that’ll provide antioxidants to reduce the tiredness. They will also make your body alkaline; making your digestion smooth. They are also filled with goodness of vitamins, electrolytes and minerals what we lose in the day due to sweat.” The soups are thirst quenchers as well. Coutinho adds, “I’ve kept the sodium or salt to an optimum level in the soups. It’s always the sodium in your drink that makes you feel that your thirst is not quenched.”

Spiced carrot soupIngredients: 1 tbsp coconut oil 2 cloves1 tsp chopped ginger1 whole chopped green onion1 tsp red chilli flakes250 gms peeled and chopped carrots 1 inch turmeric root2 cups of water 1 tsp rock salt 1/2 tsp pepper1 tbsp fresh coconut milk1 sprig of mintMethod Heat the coconut oil in a saucepan. Add garlic, ginger and onion, chilli flakes and sauté for two minutes. Add carrots to it, along with the turmeric root. Cook for three minutes, add water to the pan and simmer it for 15 minutess until the carrots are soft. Switch off the gas and top it with the salt and pepper. Let it cool. Blend the mixture until it’s smooth. Let it cool down for three hours. Serve in a bowl and top it up with the coconut milk and the mint.- Luke Coutinho

Beetroot and orange cold soupIngredients: 1 tbsp olive oil2 celery sticks, roughly chopped300gm cooked beetroot, peeled and sliced2 oranges, grated zest and juice250ml vegetable stock2 tablespoon honey Salt and freshly black pepper

MethodIn a blender, puree the beetroot with orange juice and olive oil. Add celery, honey and stock. Season with salt and pepper. Puree until smooth and serve cold.Sudhir Pai, executive chef, Holiday Inn, Andheri (E)

Kiwi GazpachoIngredients: 100gm kiwi50gm green cucumber25gm large tomatoes10gm celery20gm large red onion5gm sliced jalapeno15ml sherry vinegar30ml extra virgin olive oil5gm Iodised salt5gm pepper

MethodBlend all the ingredients together and serve cold.Prakash Lopes, executive sous chef, Sofitel, Bandra (E)