1,000 Indian Recipes (123 page)

2.
Add the asafoetida, ginger, curry leaves, mint, and cilantro, and stir 1 minute. Add the coriander, salt, and potatoes, and cook, stirring, until the potatoes are golden, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and simmer until the potatoes start to break, about 5 minutes.

3.
Let cool, then transfer to a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl, mix in the yogurt (or cream and yogurt), adjust the seasoning, and refrigerate at least 2 hours or until ready to serve. Garnish with the black pepper and serve.

Carrot-Ginger Soup

Gajjar-Adrak ka Soop

Makes 4 to 6 servings

The intermingling of the naturally sweet carrots and generous helpings of fresh ginger leaves a lingering play of flavors in the mouth; it's hard to put the spoon down. This is a recipe I often make for formal dinners, and I serve it with wedges of
parantha
(griddle-fried flat breads).
Minced Chicken Chaat Salad with Lentil Paapad Wafers
is another lovely accompaniment.

1 teaspoon dry-roasted and coarsely ground black pepper (
Dry-Roasting Spices
)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 cup finely chopped onion

8 to 10 quarter-size slices peeled fresh ginger

1 pound carrots, unpeeled, coarsely chopped

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

5 to 6 cups water

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 cup light cream or plain yogurt (any kind), whisked until smooth

1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1.
Prepare the black pepper. Then, heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the bay leaves and cumin seeds, stirring frequently; they should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil. Quickly add the onion and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and cook another minute.

2.
Add the carrots and cilantro and cook, stirring, until the carrots are golden, about 7 minutes. Add 5 cups water and the salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and simmer until the carrots are soft, about 10 minutes.

3.
Let cool, remove the bay leaves, then purée the carrots with all the juices in a blender until smooth. Return to the pan and boil until the soup is reduced by about one quarter (For a thinner soup, add the remaining 1 cup water and boil again.) Mix in the cream or yogurt and bring to a quick boil. Transfer to a serving bowl, mix in the lemon juice, garnish with black pepper, and serve.

Variation:
Instead of the carrots, make this soup with orange-flesh yams, white-flesh sweet potatoes, or any of the summer or winter squashes.

Curried Green Pea Soup

Muttar ka Soop

Makes 4 to 6 servings

With no curry powder added but made with traditional curry technique, this soup can also be a curry sauce served with any of the deep-fried vegetable,
paneer
cheese, or meat
kofta
balls, such as
Spinach Balls in Green Curry
. To make it into a sauce, add less water or simply cook longer, uncovered, to reduce the liquid.

2
¹
⁄
₂
cups fresh or thawed frozen green peas

6 to 7 cups water

1 cup plain yogurt, any kind

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 small coarsely chopped onion

1 to 2 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, stemmed

4 quarter-size slices peeled fresh ginger

1 large clove fresh garlic, peeled

1 to 2 tablespoons peanut oil

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1.
Place the peas and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and simmer until the peas are tender, about 20 minutes. Let cool, then transfer along with the water to a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl.

2.
In the same blender, blend together the yogurt, cornstarch and another cup of water. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Then process together the onion, green chile peppers, ginger, and garlic until smooth.

3.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or sauce-pan over medium heat, add the processed onion-garlic mixture and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the coriander and cumin, then add the puréed peas, salt, and the remaining 3 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and simmer about 10 minutes.

4.
Mix in the puréed yogurt, raise the heat to medium-high, and boil until the soup is smooth, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with the black pepper, and serve.

Puréed Pumpkin Soup

Pethae ka Soop

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Flavored with some of the most fragrant Indian seasonings, this pumpkin soup can be served at a Thanksgiving feast or an autumn harvest meal. Most of the ingredients can be found in the supermarket. The flavor burst the spices add makes it worth a quick trip to the Indian market.

¹
⁄
₂
pound pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped, or 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

¹
⁄
₂
pound round white (or any) potatoes, coarsely chopped

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

4 to 6 quarter-size slices peeled fresh ginger

1 large clove fresh garlic, peeled

1 to 3 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, stemmed

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon ground turmeric

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon salt, or to taste

5 to 6 cups water

1 teaspoon fresh lime or lemon juice

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds, coarsely ground

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon fenugreek seeds, coarsely ground

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon kalonji seeds

1.
Place the pumpkin (if using fresh), potatoes, onion, ginger, garlic, green chile peppers, turmeric, salt, and 4 cups water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and simmer, until the vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes. (If using canned pumpkin, mix it into the soup in step 2, after it has been passed through the food mill or processed.)

2.
Let cool, and pass soup through a food mill into a bowl or process in a food processor. Return to the pan and mix in the lime juice. Mix in 1 to 2 cups water and boil over high heat about 2 minutes. Adjust the seasonings.

3.
Heat the oil in a small nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and add all the seeds; they should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil. Quickly mix the spiced oil into the soup and simmer about 5 minutes to blend the flavors. Serve.

Puréed Spinach Soup

Palak ka Soop

Makes 4 to 6 servings

If you or people in your family don't already love spinach, this delicious, simple soup could make you a convert. It may even have people wondering, "Is it really spinach?"

1 small (8- to 10-ounce) bunch fresh spinach, trimmed, washed, and coarsely chopped

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh mint

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

4 quarter-size slices peeled fresh ginger

1 large clove fresh garlic, peeled

4 cups water

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 cup milk (any kind)

1 teaspoon garam masala

¹
⁄
₂
cup plain yogurt (any kind), whisked until smooth

1.
Place the spinach, cilantro, mint, onion, ginger, and garlic in a large saucepan. Add the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and simmer, until the onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Let cool, then purée in a blender or food processor until smooth.

2.
Heat the oil in separate large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat, add the flour and cook, stirring, until golden and very fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the milk in a thin stream, stirring constantly to ensure no lumps form. Slowly, while stirring constantly, add the puréed spinach and the garam masala, and mix well. Transfer soup to a serving bowl, add the yogurt, swirl lightly to mix with parts of it visible as a garnish, and serve.