Tag Archives: Vegetables

Recipes: Indian Style Vegetable Soup

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Back in the days when I was a teen and in my early twenties, I used to diet and soups was a huge part of that diet, especially for dinner. And the soup I am sharing today is inspired by those soups that my mother used to make for me. It is quite easy to make and is pretty much a one pot meal which is cooked in the pressure cooker.

The colour of the soup will be dependent on the vegetables used and mine turned a bit greenish because of the green vegetables I used.

Indian Style Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups chopped vegetables (you can use any combination you like, this time I used potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli and frozen green peas)
  • 2 medium sized onions, roughly chopped
  • 1 bulb of garlic, peeled
  • 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled
  • 1 small bunch of coriander leaves, roughly chopped
  • 2-3 dried red chillies
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 4-5 cloves
  • 4-5 cardamom pods
  • 1 inch piece of cinnamon
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • Pepper powder to taste
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tsp oil

Method:

  • Chop the vegetables and keep aside
  • Roughly chop the onions and the garlic and ginger and keep aside
  • Heat oil in the pressure cooker and when the oil warms up, add the cumin seeds first and when the seeds start spluttering, add the fennel seeds and then the cloves, cardamom and cinnamon and give it a good stir.
  • Next add the garlic and ginger and stir it for a while till the garlic starts to brown.
  • Then add the turmeric powder, stir a bit and then add the vegetables and the coriander leaves. Stir a bit, add the bay leaf and add just enough water that the vegetables don’t stick to the bottom of the pressure cooker.
  • Let the pressure build up and cook for about 4-5 whistles. Switch off the flame, let the pressure ease and the vegetables cool.
  • If you are cooking on the stovetop, then cover and cook until the vegetables are completely cooked and starting to fall apart. Switch off the gas and let it cool.
  • When the vegetables are cooled enough, transfer to a blender and in batches blend it as fine or as chunky as you like.
  • When it’s blended to your liking, transfer it back to the pan, add enough water to bring it to the consistency you want and let it come to a nice rolling boil. Season with salt and pepper.
  • When it has been boiling for about 10 minutes in a low medium flame, switch off the flame and have hot with some croutons.

Notes:

  • The coriander leaves add a green colour to the soup and can be omitted if this is a vegetable you don’t like.
  • Tomatoes are also a wonderful addition to the soup. If adding tomatoes, make an x cross at the stem of the tomatoes and put it whole on top of the vegetables while cooking. Once the vegetables are cooked, remove the tomato with a slotted spoon and it can be easily peeled. Then blend it along with the other vegetables.

Recipe: Avial

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One of the eponymous dishes which are common across South India, Avial is one of my favourite dishes. I remember when my mum used to make this dish, I would eat it the whole day, so much that what was supposed to be enough for both meals, would finish by the time we had lunch!

Both GG & BB love it as much as I do, S is quite indifferent to it. When S started working with us, she also started to love it and if we go a couple of months without making it, she will remind me to make it soon.

This dish is quite ancient and is said to be invented by Bhima, the second Pandava brother during their year in exile. Most vegetables used to make Avial are what we call local (Indian) vegetables. Some ‘English’ vegetables like potato, carrots, beans and peas are also used. Other vegetables like Yellow/Orange pumpkin, white pumpkin, drumstick, snake gourd, yam, raw banana are also used. You can use all of these or some, depending on what you have at home. The dish can also be made thick or thin – thick if you are not planning to eat it mixed with rice (like a gravy) or thin if this will be mixed with rice. In my home, if we make Avial, we don’t usually make anything else since it has all vegetables in it, we eat it with rice and some crisps.

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Avial

Ingredients:

  • 2 carrots, chopped lengthwise in 2 inch sticks
  • 2 potatoes, chopped lengthwise in 2 inch sticks
  • 2 raw bananas, chopped lengthwise in 2 inch sticks
  • 1/4 piece of yellow pumpkin, chopped lengthwise in 2 inch sticks
  • 7-8 beans, chopped 2 inch
  • 2 drumsticks, chopped in 2 inch sticks
  • 1 snake gourd, chopped lengthwise in 2 inch sticks
  • 1 cup yoghurt, beaten
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • salt to taste
  • 3-4 curry leaves (optional)
  • 1 tsp coconut oil (optional)

To be ground into a paste

  • 2 tsps cumin seeds
  • 6-8 green chillies
  • 1 cup grated coconut
  • 1/2 cup yoghurt

Method:

  • In a deep bottomed pan, add all the chopped vegetables and cook them with very little water and the turmeric powder and 1 tsp salt. Cook till the vegetables are al-dente, they should be still firm to touch.
  • While the vegetables are cooking, grind the coconut, chillies and cumin seeds, using the yoghurt as moisture. Grind the coconut till it is very fine.
  • Once the vegetables are cooked, add the coconut mixture to the vegetables. Stir well and add salt to taste.
  • From the remaining yoghurt, add as much yoghurt as you need to make it as thick as you need. If you need to make the avial thick, add very little yoghurt and more if you want to make the gravy watery.
  • When the avial comes to a nice rolling boil, add the coconut oil and curry leaves (if using) and switch off the gas. Cover the dish with a plate or cover to keep the fragrance of the curry leaves and oil.
  • Serve hot with rice and some crisps or papad.

Enjoy…..

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