Creamy Tomato Soup

We are going home today and I have started the cleaning, packing and of course, worrying. I won’t have any peace of mind until we reach my place. Once I am there, I will start worrying about our home in Chennai. Did I lock the door, did I close the bathroom tap, did I take the garbage out…there are endless things I worry about!

I wasn’t always this bad. I used to love the train journey to Trivandrum (my native place). The 15 hour journey used to be an exciting thing in itself. The people, the travel and of course the food, adds color to it.

The non-stop chanting of the vendors carrying food itself is a treat to watch. Shouts of ‘Chaii Chaii’, ‘Kappi Kappi Kappi’, ‘Vadae Vada Vadae Vada’ and ‘Samosa Samosa’ fill the compartments and for the past some years, you get to hear ‘Soooup Sooooup Tomato Sooooup’ also. My son’s love affair with the ‘red color soup’ started there.

Here is my take on the rich, creamy tomato soup.

Ingredients:

• Tomato                                  :   4 big, chopped
• Onion                                     :   1, chopped
• Garlic                                     :   1 clove, minced
• Flour                                      :   1 tbsp
• Veg Stock                             :   1 cup
• Milk                                        :    1 cup
• Oil/Butter                            :    1-2 tsp
• Salt and Pepper

Method:

1. Heat oil or butter in a pan, add the chopped onion and garlic. Cook till the onion turns brown.
2. Add the tomatoes, cook for 3-4 minutes and add the vegetable stock (I used stock cubes and water).
3. Combine the milk and the flour in a separate pan. Make sure there aren’t any dry lumps.
4. Add the milk-flour mix and salt to the soup and cook for another 5 minutes, till the soup thickens.
5. Take off the heat and let it cool. Blend once cold and pass through a sieve. Throw out the seeds and skin.
6. Heat the soup and bring back to a boil. Serve with a piece of toasted bread.

Linked to:

• Blogging Marathon (under Soups and Salads theme)
• Soups and Salads Mela

Mixed Vegetable Soup

I am almost always ready and prepared! Train at 5′O clock? I will be ready by 2.30 itself. Guests coming tomorrow? I will be in the kitchen tonight itself!

So its a worry factor for me that I am posting the Blogging Marathon posts just 15 minutes before the day is getting over. But as always, I have someone else to blame. My son and my husband, of course!

My son had four days of unexpected holidays from last Friday to Monday. Four days of leave together and hey, who wouldn’t like to go on a vacation!

Mother’s place or Brother’s place? Brother’s place or Mother’s place? Before my head exploded with possibilities, the Indian Railways helped me reach a conclusion fast. No tickets – to anywhere. So back to square one, four whole days at home - with the kid to entertain! I was cringing at the very thought.

Friday morning came and my husband had a brain storm. Lets go by bus, to my brother’s place. Yes, good idea. Booked the tickets fast, packed with in half an hour and out of the house in 45 minutes! But on the way, my husband had a splitting headache (Brain storms are so so stressful!) and we had to cancel our trip.

We went to our in laws place, which was near the bus stand. So two days of unplanned stay there, and I couldn’t update my drafts and here I am now, posting these 10 minutes before the day gets over!

Anyway, back to the recipe. I have adopted this from Radhika’s blog. Head out there for a beautiful picture of the soup and the original recipe.

Ingredients:

• Onion                                 :        1, chopped fine
• Carrot                                :        1, chopped fine
• Beans                                 :        4-5, chopped fine
• Cabbage                            :        a handful, chopped fine
• Corn Flour/ APF           :       1 – 2 tsp
• Milk                                    :       1 cup
• Water                                 :       2-3 cups
• Oil/Butter                        :       1-2 tsp
• Salt & Pepper

Method:  

1. Heat oil in a pan and saute the onions till it changes color. Add the carrots, cabbage and beans and saute for a couple of minutes. Add water and cook till the vegetables are cooked.  
2. In a separate pan, combine the corn flour (or all purpose flour) with the milk. Make sure there aren’t any lumps. 
3. Add the flour and milk mix to the soup and let it cook for a further 5-10 minutes. Season according to your taste.
4. Serve hot with grated cheese, if preferred. Serves 3.

Linked to:

• Blogging Marathon (under Soups and Salads theme)
• Soups and Salads Mela
• Hearth and Soul Hop

Spinach Chickpea Soup

It was raining outside and very nice and cool inside the house. The sweet smell of rain,  a mood to cook something different, to see my loved ones enjoying their food, the satisfaction coming from that… all that inspired me to cook this wonderful soup.

Or you can say that a bunch of spinach leaves about to wilt, chickpeas frozen to death, potatoes dying for attention and immense laziness to cook up a whole dinner led me to whip this up.

Whatever be the reason to cook, this garlic flavored soup tasted wonderful. With potatoes and chickpeas in it, you can have them as the main meal itself (there by saving yourself the trouble of cooking anything more).

Warm toasted bread, a bowl of hot soup, great company, candle light dinner and rain outside. Cannot ask for more in life! (hmmm…may be for the power to come back soon!)

Ingredients:

• Onion                              :   1, chopped
• Garlic                              :   4 cloves, chopped
• Spinach                          :   1 bunch, cleaned and chopped
• Chana/Chick pea        :   400 gms, cooked
• Potatoes                         :   3 big, cooked and chopped
• Fennel Powder             :   1 tsp
• Coriander Powder      :   1 tsp
• Milk                                  :    2/3 cup (or Cream)
• Corn Flour                     :   1 tbsp
• Stock                                :   4 cups
• Tahini paste                  :   1 tbsp
• Olive oil                          :   1 tbsp
• Salt and Pepper

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan, add the onions and garlic. When the onion turns brown, add the cumin or fennel powder and coriander powder. Cook for 2 minutes and add the spinach.
2. When the spinach is slightly done, add 3 cups of water or vegetable stock. I used Maggi stock cubes for this.
3. Add the cooked potatoes and chickpea now. Let everything come to a boil.
4. In a separate bowl, add the cornflour, tahini paste(if using), milk, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly so that there aren’t any dry lumps of corn flour.
5. Add this to the soup and let it all come to a boil. Cook for another 5 minutes, check and adjust seasonings according to your taste. Take off the heat and serve hot.

Note:

I have adapted this from Linda Fraser’s book : The Vegetarian Kitchen.

Linked to:

• Hearth and Soul Hop
• Dish It Out, for this month’s theme of Potatoes and Leafy Greens
• My Legume Love Affair, started by Susan
• Herbs and Flowers, for this month’s theme : Garlic