Cabbage Cucumber soup

As i have mentioned before, cooking is an art learnt through observation, sharing and practicing. Once you learn the basics, the sky is the limit. There are times when a dish goes wrong - it turns out too salty, or too sweet or little too hard or little too bland. But there are always some additions or subtractions that can be done to make it right! Or altogether make it into a new dish :) But that's how one learns, isn't it?

Writing this blog is not only giving me immense happiness but has changed my eating habits too. The desire to make something new, or to keep on upgrading my cooking skills (Majorly to get that smile of a full satisfied tummy on hubby's face) has resulted in me starting to eat ingredients that i was not much fond of, a few years back! I don't know whether i have developed that taste, or my palate has changed, or its excitement of trying something different... but it surely is all happening for good and i am thoroughly enjoying this journey.

Just as i was not much fond of soups except the regular Tomato soup or Sweet corn soup, these days i enjoy gulping down a bowl of different varieties of them. And more so, to make and try them at home! I tried the spring onion soup recently, of which i haven't taken a pic, so i will make it again and post the recipe. This cabbage cucumber soup is one rich, creamy thick soup and has mild flavours. It is filling and goes absolutely great with a salad, noodles or a sandwich.

Ingredients:

Cabbage - 1 n half cups chopped

Cucumber - 1 medium chopped

Salt- to taste

Garlic - 6-7 chopped

Onion - 1 small chopped (optional)

Pepper - to taste

Cream - on top to garnish (I used homemade cream - just whisked it smooth)

Butter - 2 tbsp

Corriander powder - 1 tsp

Bay leaf - 1

Cumin powder - to garnish

Water - about 2-3 cups (Add more if required)

Recipe:

Wash and chop the vegetables well.

In a pan/pot, add butter. Now add the bay leaf. 

Add the garlic and saute till they turn brown. Add in the onions (if adding) and saute till they are translucent.

Add cabbage and mix it all well. Cabbage will start leaving water slowly and cook it its own steam. Keep stirring, so it doesn't stick to the bottom and burn. If you find it happening so, add in a little water or vegetable stock. Let it cook for about 3-4 minutes.

Add the chopped cucumber, salt, corriander powder and pepper. Mix it all well. Cover the pan with lid and cook for about 2 minutes.

Now add the vegetable stock or water and let it come to boil.

Cover and cook till the vegetables turn soft.

Let it cool. Remove the bay leaf.

Make a smooth paste of the cooked vegetables in a mixer-grinder or with a hand blender.

Put this creamy rich soup back in the pan and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add more water if the soup is too thick. Check for seasoning.

Garnish with cumin powder and cream.

Happy Cooking :)

Winter special : Tomato soup

Before i start writing about today's recipe, i wanted to share a very funny photograph that i clicked recently at one of the wholesale markets selling masalas and spices. People do make spelling errors always, and some of them are so funny that they are worth capturing :) Here is one example:

Meet the "Meet" Masala :)

Well coming back to the post, Soups are easy to make, soups are healthy, soups are appetizing! Well...errr...No...At least that doesn't hold true with me and hubby. Infact, we feel soup almost fills you up and since we both like to eat something "solid" always, most of the time we skip having soup when we go out. Even at home, i would make a soup very rarely. But since winters are here, feels nice to dig into that warm bowl and hence i made a simple tomato soup along with Matar Bhaat (i will post that recipe next). Tomato soup, Matar rice and papad is how my hubby has been eating it all these years. I don't really know if it's a Vidarban way of eating, but it surely tastes awesome.

Everyone knows the recipe of a tomato soup. Yes, it's the most easy and most common soup. But i wanted to post the recipe, just because it came out very well and this time, i had cream at hand. So, the soup tasted even better :) Tomato soups taste different at different places. Sweet, sour, tangy, creamy, the variations are immense. You can make it thick or make it to a thinner consistency. The taste also varies according to how the tomato is - Red, ripe, soft, raw, fresh, yellowish etc. 

Recipe adapted from : Dassana 

Ingredients:

Tomatoes - (Preferably red and ripe) 4

Butter - 1 tbsp

Onion - 1 small (chopped)

Garlic - 3 (crush to a paste in mortar and pestle)

Cream - to garnish

Salt- to taste

Pepper - to taste

Maida - 1 tbsp (optional)

Water - 1 1/4 cup or as required according to choice to maintain consistency

Recipe:

Boil enough water in a pan, that the tomatoes get completely immersed in water. Once the water comes to boil, add tomatoes, let it boil for another 2 minutes and then put lid. Close off the gas and let it stand for 15-20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, you will see the skin of the tomatoes peeling off naturally. Take out the skin.

Now make a puree of the tomatoes. Heat butter in a pan, add garlic. Once they turn brown, add onions. Fry them well.
Now add the tomato puree. Let it come to a boil and then add the maida. It will become a thick puree. Now add water as the consistency required and let it simmer for a while.

Mix in salt and pepper according to taste. Garnish with cream or butter as per liking.

Note: You can also add a bay leaf to the butter (just to enhance the taste)

If you have bread croutons or soup sticks, nothing like it. 

Enjoy this warm easy soup anytime in winters :)

Happy Cooking! :)