New Delhi: There’s no doubt that winter is nearly here. And the best way to prepare, besides getting out your winter clothing, is to gather soul-warming soup recipes.
When the weather gets colder and you can feel it in your bones, nothing is better than a hot bowl of soup to warm you up. A bowl of soup that is so hearty and satisfying, it’s a meal in itself. A soup can do what a medicine never can - soothe and relax you in an inexplicable way when you're down with cold, cough and fever. It's by far the most comforting food, not to mention, healthy and delicious too.
Each soup benefits you differently and each one is unique in flavour. Below are Top five best listed Indian soups for you to try out this season:
1. Pepper Rasam
This south Indian staple made with toor dal and pepper is thinner and lighter than sambar, and gets its tangy, piquant taste from tamarind, tomatoes and lemon. There are countless variations of rasam, some highlighting one ingredient, such as ginger, tomato, pepper and drumsticks. Then, there are also several sweet-and-spicy fruity varieties made with watermelon, pomegranate and pineapple etc.
There are also region-specific recipes such as the Mysore rasam with grated coconut and the neem flower or veppam poo rasam, a slightly bitter version prepared during the Tamil New Year.
The spices in Rasam or Pepper Rasam, help in digestion and soothe your senses. Therefore it is a perfect recipe for incessant sneezes and running nose. Pepper also has high levels of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that prevent free radicals and increase immunity.
Method
- Soak the tamarind in a cup of warm water, extract its juice and throw away the pulp. Grind cumin seeds, pepper and garlic for a few seconds in a mixer.
- Take a cup of tamarind extract, add chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, crushed pepper, cumin, garlic, salt and curry leaves. Boil them together.
- Once it starts boiling, keep the flame low and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the raw smell of the tamarind goes off.
- Heat a tsp of ghee and add mustard seeds to it. When it begins to splutter, add the red chilli, curry leaves and pour it over the Rasam.
2. Tomato Saar
This tangy vegetarian soup from Maharashtra is made by boiling and pureeing tomatoes, which are then flavoured with tamarind, cumin, mustard seeds, curry leaves and peppercorns. Some versions also use coconut milk to thicken the soup's watery consistency. Tomato saar can be had by itself or with rice, and is also good for clearing blocked noses and colds.
Tomatoes are a rich source of phyto-nutrients, mineral and vitamins that provide energy to the body. A bowl of hot tomato soup spiced with Indian tadka can awaken your senses and make you step out of your cozy blanket to face the world.
Method
- Mix all the above ingredients together and cook in a pressure cooker on medium low heat. Once full pressure is reached, reduce and cook for a few minutes more.
- Remove and cool. Using a high speed blender, blend into a smooth paste.
- Heat ghee is a pan. Add the tempering and the blended tomato. Bring it to boil and check for seasoning. Add water, if required, to bring to desired consistency. Serve hot.
3. MurghMakkaiShorba
Chicken and corn are both beneficial ingredients. Corn is an excellent source of dietary fibre and potassium and baby corn kernels are an excellent source of folate, combined with the goodness of protein-rich chicken makes for an appetising broth.
When teamed with chicken, MurghMakkaiShorba makes for a soup rich in health as well as taste.
Method
- Heat oil in a pan, add garlic and cumin seeds. Wait till they crackle.
- Add chopped garlic and saute. Add corn paste and cook.
- Add chicken stock and cook, adjust seasoning.
- Serve hot and garnish with chopped coriander, and chicken dices.
4. Carrot and Beetroot Shorba
Carrot and beetroot is a warehouse of health benefits. With multiple vitamins and minerals, the combo of carrot and beetroot does wonders to a runny nose, especially in the winters. While Beetroot is rich in nutrients like calcium, potassium, iron, folic acid, fiber and anti-oxidants, carrots are an excellent source of vitamin A.
Beetroot also has natural properties of cleaning the kidneys and gall bladder. The deeper the orange colour of a carrot, the higher is the beta carotene content. Carrot and Beetroot Shorba is excellent for children as it benefits their vision, skin and immune system.
Method
- Heat oil. Add bay leaf, cumin and ginger to it. Saute for 1 minute.
- Add carrot, beetroot and green chillies. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add water. Once it starts to boil, strain and make a puree of it. Adjust the seasoning.
- Strain the puree and adjust seasoning again. Garnish it with diced beetroot and carrots. Serve hot!
5. Mutton Shorba:
Mutton is a very high energy ingredient that provides warmth to the body and helps regulate the body temperature. A mutton shorba is typically the stock of mutton cooked with some spices like pepper, salt, garam masala, ginger-garlic and a few mutton pieces. This shorba is usually recommended when fever or sour throat strike.
Mutton shorba is a very popular soup in the Middle East and islamic countries.
Typically, Mutton Shorba is served with Lebanese bread called Kaboos. However, here in Hyderabad, people generally have it with Indian bread of roti and they enjoy dunking pieces of bread and eating it. This dish can be found all across Hyderabad in various Irani cafes.
Method
- Boil mutton in 4 glass of water on low flame in a vessel along with ginger garlic paste and a pinch of turmeric.
- When meat on the ribs becomes tender, turn the flame off. By this time the water should become half its original size in the vessel.
- Peel off the meat from the ribs and throw the bones away.
- Heat oil in another pan and add finely onions finely chopped.
- Fry them on medium flame onion till they get caramalized.
- Now add pepper, cumin and red chilli powders along with salt, crushed cloves & cinnamon and chopped mint and coriander leaves.
- Let it simmer for 5 minutes. To this mixture, add the meat and its stock. Let it come to a boil
- Turn off the stove when the theshorba comes to a soup consistency.
- Server hot directly or with Indian bread.
6. Chicken Yakhni Soup
A Kashmiri specialty, chicken yakhni soup is prepared with chicken stalk cooked with cumin, cilantro, garlic and white pepper. With chicken as the main ingredient, this soup is rich in protein and makes for a light but enriching appetiser.
Method
- In a stock pot heat the oil, add all the vegetables together and cook till gently brown.
- Add the dry spices and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Now add the chicken piece and brown them till evenly coloured.
- Now add salt and 6 cups of water.
- Let it boil over high heat. Once it starts boiling lower the heat and let the liquid simmer for 50 mins with the lid on. You should have about 5 cups of Yakhni. Once done, take it off the stove and let it rest for 20 mins. Check for salt, add more if needed.
- Use a strainer to strain the liquid in to a bowl and take out the chicken and shred it in a serving bowl. Set aside.
- Let the broth cool down till a layer of fat appears on the top of the bowl. Take a spoon and slowly skim it off. Once done heat it before serving.
- Add the hot broth to the bowl containing the shredded chicken pieces.
- Serve it with a squeeze of Lemon Juice.
These regional Indian soups from different states of the country are both flavourful and healthy.
Soups make for a hearty meal with multiple health benefits that are particularly needed during this time of the year. Packed with nutrients and minerals, a bowl full of soup also helps maintain the body’s liquid intake during dry winter days. To keep yourself healthy and hydrated, try these 5 most beneficial Indian soups for a delicious and flu-free winter.
References:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
http://www.huffingtonpost.in
https://www.idiva.com
https://datthuzrasoi.blogspot.in
http://www.indiacurry.com