Beat the chill with tasty hot soups

While the sun mellows down and winter sets in, in full swing, it’s time again to dig out those pots and enjoy the comfort of sipping on warm flavourful soups, even as you snug up inside your quilts. While ready-to-eat sachets are a welcome lifesaver, brewing soup at home is also a great option.

While the sun mellows down and winter sets in, in full swing, it’s time again to dig out those pots and enjoy the comfort of sipping on warm flavourful soups, even as you snug up inside your quilts. While ready-to-eat sachets are a welcome lifesaver, brewing soup at home is also a great option.

HT Image

From beets, chicories, celery, leek to turnips, cabbages, carrots, broccoli and more, this season also brings with it a good harvest of choicest fresh veggies. So go ahead and experiment with these nutrient-rich vegetables, add to it some chicken, mutton or sea-food if you want, and churn up some hot wonders at home. Add a dash of herbs or some crushed spices to make it more exciting. Here are five recipes that you can easily try at home and surprise your family:

Peeli mirch

smoked salmon soup

1 tsp onion chopped

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp celery

1 tbsp leeks chopped

5gm peeli mirch

40gm potato diced

30gm salmon

300ml fish stock

1/5 tsp black pepper

20ml cream

1tsp Dill chopped

15ml white wine

Method

Saute the onion, garlic, leeks and celery in a heavy base pan. Add white wine, peeli mirch, half of the fish stock and diced potato and simmer till potatoes are cooked. Add smoked Salmon and simmer for another 3 minutes. Cool the mixture and make a puree taking some of the potatoes and salmon out for garnish. To finish, in another pan, add puree, the rest of the fish stock, salt, black pepper and fresh cream. Add potato chunks, salmon and Dill. Serve hot with croutons.

By chef Shamsul Wahid, Smoke House Deli

Coconut noodle soup

50g vermicelli rice noodles

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp chopped coriander

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 spring onion, sliced

1 seeded red chilli, sliced

200ml coconut milk

25gm bamboo shoots, finely sliced

20gm green beans, halved and blanched

30gm snow peas, blanched

25gm coriander leaves

Method

Place the noodles in a bowl and cover with boiling water for 6-8 minutes. Drain and set aside. Heat a wok over medium heat, add the oil, coriander, garlic, chilli and green onion, and cook for 1 minute. Add the coconut milk and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and

simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the noodles,

bamboo shoots, beans and snow peas. Ladle into bowls and top with the coriander leaves to serve.

By chef Sahil Arora, Courtyard by Marriott, Gurgaon

PHO

Ingredients

500ml lamb stock

500ml chicken stock

25gm ginger

15gm red chilli

50gm coriander

50gm lamb meat mince

50gm spring onion

30ml dark kikoman

20ml sesame oil

100gm noodle

25gm basil

200gm onion

25gm leek

25gm celery

40gm garlic

20gm star anise

Method

Heat the wok till red hot. Throw in some sesame oil and the sliced onions. When the onions become translucent, add half chicken and half lamb stock. Make chicken meat balls, slice the salted red chillies, wrap the lemon wedges in muslin. Cut the fresh ginger into thin juliennes and spring onions into roundels, and blanch noodles. Flavour the soups with star anise and serve with all the accompaniments.

By chef KP Singh, The Second Sin

Vegetable tortilla soup

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 onion, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

1 can diced fire-roasted tomatoes, or regular diced tomato, with juice

1 tsp ground cumin

1.5 litre vegetable broth

3gm salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 zucchini, cut into matchsticks

1 carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks

4 corn tortillas, stale or dry, thin strips

1 dried pasilla chili

2 tsp fresh lime juice

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 ripe avocado, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes

1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Method

Saute onion. Add garlic, cilantro, tomatoes and cumin, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the broth. Remove from the heat and puree until smooth in the pot using a hand blender. Heat again. Add zucchini and carrot, and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Prepare the toppings. Preheat oven to 400° F. Bake tortilla strips on a baking sheet 7-8 minutes. Toast chili in skillet for 2 minutes. Ladle soup into a bowl add lime juice, garnish with tortilla strips, chili, cilantro, avocado and cheese.

By chef Praveen Tanwar,

Et Al-cafe + bar