Cold soups to conquer warm days ahead

Nourishing, filling and easy-to-make, these bowls of sustenance use refreshing ingredients and are perfect for summer afternoons.

Cucumber and cilantro

Cold soups can be equal bits refreshing and nourishing (Surabhi Sehgal)

A refreshing soup to beat the summer heat, it’s an easy prep. Peel and dice two cucumbers and blend with half cup cilantro, 1/4 jalapeño, one tablespoon lemon juice, four garlic cloves, 1/4 tablespoon olive oil and a cup of Greek yoghurt. To this add 1/4 tsp white pepper and sea salt to taste. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and toasted pistachio nuts. Refrigerate until serving. Recipe by chef Reetu Uday Kugaji

Pumpkin coconut chilli lime

Heat a heavy bottom skillet and add 1 tbsp vegetable oil to it. Sauté chopped onions and 4-5 cloves of garlic until translucent. Throw in 1.5 cups of chopped pumpkin and 1/4 tsp grated turmeric. Cover and cook on a low flame until soft. Add vegetable stock and simmer. Remove from stove and let the soup cool. Once cool, blend the soup to a fine consistency. Transfer the soup back to a skillet, add a lightly pounded stalk of lemongrass, small piece of galangal, three kaffir lime leaves, bird’s eye chillies and salt. Cover and simmer the soup until it thickens. Refrigerate for a few hours. Blend before serving along with half a lemon’s juice and two tbsp coconut milk. Recipe by chef Surabhi Sehgal

Melon and mint

A green delight, this one looks as refreshing as it tastes. To prepare, wash and peel a large melon and separate the seeds and pulp. Cut dices and put in a blender. Add mint leaves and blend to a purée. Strain through a coarse strainer, add a tablespoon of lemon juice and adjust the seasoning by adding salt. Refrigerate and serve chilled. Recipe by chef Swapnadeep Mukherjee

Yoghurt and beetroot soup

Wash, clean and pat dry two pieces of beetroot. Coat these in olive oil, wrap in aluminium foil and bake for 40-45 minutes in the oven at 175 degrees. Once cooked through, remove from the foil and let it cool. Remove the skin of the beetroot and cut into big pieces. Add all ingredients except the stock to the blender. Blend to a fine consistency. Add vegetable stock in small quantities until you get the desired consistency. Chill the soup in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Top with whipped yogurt, fresh mint and olive oil. Recipe by chef Surabhi Sehgal

Cranberry and coconut

This flavourful bowl brings the best of both worlds. For the cranberry soup, sauté 250g dried cranberries with 50g garlic and 15g oregano in four tablespoons of coconut oil. Mix in 100g cranberries and cook till they are soft. Cool it down and churn. Add lemon juice and keep it in the fridge. Take a deep pan, add coconut oil (four tablespoons) and heat it up. Sauté one teaspoon curry powder and add 200ml coconut milk. Cook for four minutes on moderate heat and cook it down. Serve both artistically in a deep plate. Recipe by chef Nishant Choubey