Sweetcorn Veg Soup

When we talk about Soups in India, Tomato soup and Sweetcorn soup are all time favorites. It was always a luxury affair to visit a restaurant and order these fancy soups. We would be early waiting with mouth wide open to look at these soups and dig into it. 

Now it feels so good to cook such fancy soups at home and enjoy a health meal with the family anytime. There are no limits for the wide range of veggies we can access and the types of soups we can cook at home in no time.

Let me share this simple Sweetcorn Veg soup recipe which is a comfort food anytime. It is a quick and tasty soup loved by all age groups. It's low in calories and loaded with nutritious veggies.

Recipe Courtesy : Online recipe with a zing 

This recipe serves 4 people

Ingredients

1. Sweetcorn cobs: 2 medium sized cobs.
2. Carrots  : 1 cup, finely chopped.
3. Beans : 1 cup, finely chopped.
4. Peas: 1/4 cup frozen peas.
5. Capsicum : 1/2 cup ( optional )
6. Cabbage : 1/2 cup ( optional )
7. Onion  : 1/2 cup, finely chopped.
8. Garlic : 3-4 large pods, finely chopped.
9. Butter : 2 tbsp
10. Corn starch : 2 tbsp, mixed in cold water.
11. Black pepper powder : to taste.
12. Salt : to taste.
13. Sugar : 2 Tbsp.

Procedure 

• Using a knife, scrape all the kernels from the sweet corn cobs. Keep aside a cup of kernels and roughly chop them and set aside.
• Take the rest of kernels in a blender and blend it to a smooth paste using very little water.
• In a sauce pan, add butter and heat it on medium heat, add garlic, onions and sauté it for a minute, add the carrots, beans, peas, corn kernels, other veggies and sauté for couple of minutes.
• Add 3 cups of water to veggies and bring it to boil. Now add the blended corn and let it boil for 5 minutes.
• Mix the cornstarch in cold water and add into soup, add sugar, salt, pepper powder as per taste. Stir the soup and adjust water for required consistency.
• Let the soup boil for 10 mins on medium heat. check if the veggies are cooked but a little crunchy to bite.
• Add more cornstarch if you want to make the soup more creamy.
• Serve it hot and enjoy this mild and creamy soup with your family.

Spicy Peanut Chutney

When i talk about chutney, I must start with my personal favorite and my speciality, Spicy peanut chutney. This chutney is my first choice to cook for Idli, Dosa, Paddu, Akki rotti, Ragi Rotti, Rava Rotti in my kitchen. It goes well with a sandwich as well.

Whenever we wanted to have a quick meal, My mom would make this yummy, lip smacking, spicy chutney in almost 10 mins alongside Ragi muddhe or even hot steaming rice and we would be happy souls digging into it.

This is a basic peanut chutney recipe and we can enhance the flavors by blending various new ingredients into this recipe. Generally peanut chutney stays fresh and tasty for longer time and hence its a good choice for advance cooking and storing.

Recipe Courtesy : Amma

This recipe serves 4 people

Ingredients

1. Peanuts : 2 cups.
2. Green chillies  : 5-6 chillies.
3. Garlic : 6-8 large pods.
4. Coriander leaves: 1 cup, washed and cut into large sized pieces.
5. Tamarind : 1 small lemon sized.
6. Salt : to taste.

For seasoning

1. Oil : 2 tsp.
2. Mustard seeds : 1 tsp.
3. Cumin seeds : 1 tsp.
4. Curry leaves : 10 leaves.
5. Red chillies : 2 dry red chillies.

Procedure 

• Let's start by dry roasting the peanuts on medium flame. Make sure the peanuts are roasted well from within without getting darker from outside quickly. 
• Once the peanuts are roasted well and start to spilt, take them out into a plate to let it cool. In the same hot pan, put in the garlic pods, green chillies and roast them with a drop of oil, once the chillies get slightly roasted, take them out into a plate.
• In a blender, add the peanuts, roasted garlic and chillies,tamarind, salt, coriander leaves and blend them well using water. Since peanuts tend to thicken,  add water according to the required consistency.
• In a small pan, add 2 tsp of oil on a medium flame, when the oil is hot reduce the flame and add mustard, Jeera, curry leaves and red chillies. Let everything splutter slowly. Add this to the peanut chutney and mix well.
• I prefer to make this really spicy like mom would cook. You can adjust the spice level by adding more chillies, tamarind and garlic. 
• I love to add lots of coriander leaves to get fresh zing in heavy and creamy peanut base.

Creamy Broccoli Soup

These days my grocery shopping is mainly influenced by my little two years old daughter Chutki's diet. I try to introduce as many healthy greens in her diet as possible in this early age. This in turn improves family's eating habits as well. One such veggie which is a nutrition package for kids is "Broccoli".

Broccoli is Easy to cook veggie and hence its a star in infant meal. Since it gets soggy soon, it's hard to use it in Indian cooking. It tastes best when grilled crunchy or baked in a cheesy dish.I must admit, Broccoli tastes really yummy in a soup. 

I was a bit concerned when I cooked this creamy broccoli soup at home for the first time and surprisingly I was pleased that my family liked the soup very much and now it's a proud addition to my favorites list. Make this quick and easy soup anytime  and enjoy it with your family.

Recipe Courtesy : Online recipe with a zing 

This recipe serves 4 people

Ingredients

1. Broccoli florets  : 2 cups.
2. Onion  : 1 cup, cut into small pieces.
3. Garlic : 3-4 large pods, cut into small pieces.
4. Butter : 2-3 Tbsp.
5. Milk : 1 cup.
6. Corn starch : 1 Tbsp, mixed in cold water.
7. Black pepper powder : to taste.
8. Salt : to taste.
9. Italian seasoning : to taste.

Procedure 

• In a pan boil 2 cups of water. Add broccoli florets in water and boil it for 4-5 minutes. Drain the water and reserve it for later use. Keep the drained broccoli florets aside.
• Take another pan and heat the butter. Add chopped onions, garlic and sauté for few minutes until translucent. Add the drained broccoli florets to onions and cook till the broccoli is tender. Let it cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, heat the milk and keep it aside. 
• Blend broccoli mixture to a smooth paste using the reserved water and keep it again to simmer on medium flame.
• Add the remaining reserved water, milk, corn starch mixed in cold water, salt, pepper powder, Italian seasoning  and let it simmer for couple of minutes.
• Adjust water and seasoning for required consistency and taste.
• Garnish the soup with broccoli florets and serve it immediately. As we add milk in the soup, It's preferred to serve this soup immediately without reheating. Do not store it for later use.