Warm soups for cold days

Roasted Carrot & Beetroot Soup

Ingredients

• 3 tomatoes

• 6 cloves of garlic

• 1 tbsp of ginger juice

• 1 tbsp of lemon juice

• 3 tbsps of Olive oil

• 7 to 8 peppercorns,

grounded

• 1 tbsp thyme (I used dry but if you can get fresh nothing like it)

• 5 to 6 carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise

• 1 medium-size onion

• Half beetroot or one small size, chopped in chunks

• 8 to 9 holy basil leaves

• Handful of coriander leaves

• 10 to 11 mushrooms or chicken cubes

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 star anise

• Salt to taste

• Roughly 4 cups of water

Method

• Preheat the oven at 150 C. Cut tomatoes from top n infuse garlic in it. Make couple of cuts in onion but don't cut all the way. Line baking tray with a foil. Put tomatoes, onion, carrots and beetroot. Drizzle some olive oil and sprinkle some thyme and freshly ground pepper. Let it roast in the oven for 30 mins.

• In the meanwhile, in a non-stick pot, heat a tbsp of olive oil. Add star anise and bay leaf. After about ten seconds, put mushrooms or chicken. Season it with salt, add ginger juice, basil leaves and sauté till it releases all the juices.

• Once the veggies are roasted, purée and sieve it. Add some water to get a smooth purée. Put the purée in the same pot, add water and bring it to boil. Lower the flame to medium and let it cook till it gets thick.

• Taste and adjust the seasoning. Add coriander leaves and bring it to boil. Switch off the flame and add lemon juice. Cover for 5 mins and then serve hot.

Masoor Dhal Soup

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp butter

• 2 onions chopped

• 3 cloves garlic

• 1 cup masoor daal

• 2 tabsp raw rice

• 2 tomatoes, chopped

• 1/2 tsp rasam/curry powder/Madras podi

• Juice of 1/2 Lemon

• Water as needed

• Salt to taste

Method

• Heat butter in a pan, and sauté onion and garlic.

• Add the tomatoes and sauté further for a few minutes.Add Masoor Daal, and Rice. Tip in a vessel, and pressure cook for 2 whistles.

• Cool, and grind in a Mixie and strain.

• Pour Water as needed to make into a soupy consistency.

• Squeeze in the lime juice, add salt, and podi powder.

• Let cook for a few minutes. Tip in serving cup.

• Sprinkle with some podi powder, a sprig of coriander and serve hot

• (This makes aprroximately 2 litres of soup)

Gazpacho

Ingredients

• 6 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped

• 1 sweet red bell pepper (or green) seeded and chopped

• 2 stalks celery, chopped

• 1-2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

• 6 or more drops of Tabasco sauce to taste

• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

• 4 cups tomato juice

Sunory Dutt

Combine all ingredients. Blend slightly, to desired consistency. Place in non-metal, non-reactive storage container, cover tightly and refrigerate overnight, allowing flavours to blend.