English Winter Soup

It's winter time, well technically in Mumbai too.... It's  pleasant and the best part is that a you don't have to cover yourslef up from top to bottom. December and January are the only two graceful months of pleasant weather in contrast to the humidity.
Winter is also the time for some delicious soups and it is the best way to hydrate yourself too. I found this recipe here and liked it instantly. The soup is a meal by itself and one bowl can really fill you up!

1/2 cup arborio rice
1tbs olive oil
2 medium sized potatoes, sliced
1cup fresh or frozen peas
2tsp crushed garlic
1tsp nutmeg
2tbs finely chopped parsley
4cups water or broth
salt & pepper to taste
2  hard-boiled eggs (optional)


Heat some oil in a skillet, and roast the rice until gloden brown; this will help the rice to cook faster and give it a nice nutty flavour too. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a pot and add crushed gralic, cook for about a minute and let it not turn brown. Add potatoes and allow it cook for a minute. Add parsely and mix well. Now add rice, peas, nutmeg, water or broth and salt and pepper to taste. Bring the soup to a boil and then simmer the stove to medium and cook for 15 minutes. Serve hot with toast or egg or both. Serves 2.

This is my submission to this month's  No Croutons Required - Rice, hosted by Lisa's Kitchen, to Souper Sundays, hosted by Kahakai Kitchen, to Soup Recipes, hosted by My Culinary Creations and to Winter Warmers, hosted by The Veggie Hut.

What do you do with leftover cooked rajma (kidney beans) water?

It's winter and all you want is a  nice hot bowl of soup or rasam.Why not make some hot and spicy rasam with the left over rajma water. It has a nice thick consistency; good enough to use it for soups and rasam.
Why not make some hot rasam for this winter!The Indian spices and the tangy tamarind taste can really help your senses open out....

2cups rajma water
1tbs refined/ground oil
2 nos garlic cloves, crushed
2-3nos curry leaves
2tbs finely chopped onions
2tbs finely chopped tomatoes
1tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1tsp jaggery powder
1tbs tamarind soaked in about 1/4 cup of warm water for 20minutes
salt to taste

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and curry leaves. Once the seeds and the leaves have popped and crackled, add onions and crushed garlic. After the onions have cooked and are soft, add tomatoes and cook until soft. Add rajma water, salt, jaggery,tamarind and let it boil for about 10 minutes. Garnish it with fresh cilantro and serve with rice or just drink it up! Serves 2.

My tastebuds: The rajma water adds a surprisingly different and a distinct flavour.

This is my submission to this month's  MLLA #30, hosted by Mharo Rajasthan and The Well Seasoned Cook, to Complete my thali, hosted by Enveetu Kitchen and Joy of Cooking and to Souper Sundays hosted by Kahakai Kitchen.

Pumpkin & Carrot soup - spiced with cinnamon & wasabi

(Image Source: Anonymous)

Halloween is tomorrow and even I wanted to contribute to the blog stream by dishing up some hot soup.It is also the time to eat and share good food. Halloween can be fun and scary at the same time with costumes, hand-crafted pumpkins and trick-or-treating (it is a customary celebration for children on Halloween. Children go in costume from house to house, asking for treats such as candy). It is also the time to get to know your neighbours. So dress up in your scariest mood and offer your basket of candies.
Happy Halloween!!!

1/4 kg pumpkin,diced
2 carrots, diced
1 cup onion finely chopped
1ltr vegetable stock or water
1 inch piece ginger, finely chopped
1tsp cinnamon powder
1tbs oilve oil
1tsp wasabi paste
salt to taste
cinnamon powder for garnish

Steam pumpkin and carrots in a steamer or microwave with ginger and a little stock or water until tender. Purée in a blender and set aside.
Heat oil in a pot and add chopped onions. Stir-fry until the onions are translucent. Add the purée, cinnamon and salt. Add remaining stock and bring back to boil, stirring well.
Combine olive oil with wasabi. Transfer the soup to serving bowls and dot with a drops of wasabi oil. Garnish with some cinnamon and serve hot.Serves 4.


This is my submission to this month's Food Palette Series - Orange, hosted by Torview and to this week's Souper Sundays, hosted by Kahakai Kitchen.