Cream of Mushroom Soup

It's slowly becoming cold during night time and a better way to enjoy cold weather is by making a warm, richer, creamier soup that will be liked by all in your family. This mushroom soup was rich without being heavy and delightfully earthy. I suggest pairing this with warm oven toasted bread. That's how I like to slurp my soup.

To make this delicious soup , I used 3 portobella mushrooms, they give nice flavor and the lovely color to the soup. This is a chunky soup, if you want your soup to be more pureed, just use the immersion blender and blend well. As the mushrooms are roasted along with garlic, it gives an amazing flavor to the soup.

I make this soup once in two weeks as my family loves it a lot. My daughter is a big fan of this soup and likes a warm soup after coming back from school. She is like me, I like mushrooms a lot. As a kid, I remember, my dad used to bring lots of tiny mushrooms on the way back home after a morning walk. He plucked fresh mushrooms from the woods that used to pop up after a rainy day. My mom makes amazing dishes out of them. Feeling very nostalgic. In my native, we see these mushrooms in our backyard. They grow after a stromy night. They are edible and are so tiny. They used to grow in a large groups.
Ingredients:

1. Mushrooms (chopped)- 2 Cups
2. Onions(chopped)- 1 no
3. Garlic (crushed)- 2 nos
4. Flour- 2 tbsp
5. Salt- as required
6. Pepper Powder- 1 tbsp
7. Dried Herbs-1 tbsp
8. Water/ Broth- 3 Cups
9. Cream- 1/2 Cup
10. Butter- 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Heat butter in a pan, add the crushed garlic, stir for a min on a high flame.
2. Lower the flame and add the chopped onions along with chopped mushrooms. Stir well and let this cook till all the water gets evaporated. Mix in between.
3. When the mushroom becomes soft, add the dried herbs, in another bowl mix the flour, salt, pepper powder and water. 
4. Add this flour mixture into the cooked mushroom, mix well till everything gets well blended. Bring to a boil, stir and cook until thickened.
5. Stir in the cream, simmer until the flavors are blended, approximately 15 minutes. Switch off the flame and enjoy with oven toasted bread.

Pasta Soup

Pasta soup is a quick twist on a classic chicken noodle soup which is fully loaded with veggies and chicken. Recently when my friend made this delicious, healthy and nutritious noodle soup, I remembered the delicious soup which I had in Banglore.

Julinned Veggies

I ended up making this dish with pasta instead of noodles. A perfect dish to be enjoyed on a cold winter day. This soup is filled with tons of veggies which are cooked along with required amount of water, spices, sauce of your choice in which the boiled pasta is added and when done, enjoyed warm.
The soup can be made in advance and frozen. When needed thaw the soup and add the cooked pasta and serve. We can add any choice of veggies. This will be liked by kids as well as adults. A perfect party hit. Try this out and let me know...

Ingredients:

1. Pasta- 2 Cups
2. Carrots- 2 nos
3. Beans- a handful
4. Cabbage- 1 Cup
5. Ginger- 2 tbsp
6. Garlic- 2 tbsp
7. Onions- 1no
8. Chili Flakes- 1/2 tbsp
9. Garlic Powder- 1 Tsp
10. Basil- 1 tbsp
11. Oregano- 1 tbsp
12. Paprika Powder- 1 Tsp
13. Turmeric Powder- 1 Tsp
14. Garam Masala Powder- 1 Tsp
15. Red Chili Sauce- 1 tbsp
16. Soy Sauce- 1 tbsp
17. Salt- as required
18. Baked Chicken- 1 Cup (See the notes) ( OPTIONAL)
19. Spring Onions- for garnish

Method:

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil on high heat and salt it generously. Cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and keep this aside.
2. Julienne the vegetables along with ginger and garlic.
3. Heat oil in a pan, add the garlic, ginger. Saute for a minute. Add the sliced onion, saute for a minute and add all the veggies. Give them a nice stir on a medium heat.
4. Add the all the spices, chili flakes, garlic powder, Basil, oregano, paprika powder, turmeric powder, garam masala. Mix well.
5. Add around 4 cups of water and let it simmer for 10 minutes on a low flame. Add the red chili sauce, soy sauce along with cooked pasta. Give it a nice stir and switch off the flame.
6. Ladle the pasta into bowls. On top add the baked chicken and chopped spring onions. Enjoy a nice, hot soup on a winter day.

Baked Chicken:

1. Boneless Chicken- 2 Cups
2. Red Chili Powder- 1tbsp
3. Pepper Powder- 1 tbsp
4. Salt- as required
5. Turmeric Powder- 1tsp
6. Oil- 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and rub this ingredient onto the chicken.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the marinated chicken on a greased baking tray and bake for about 5- 20 minutes or till cooked.

Spicy Chicken Soup

A warm, spicy, cozy soup on a cold, wintery evening is what most of us would dream of. My father- in- law likes different varieties of soups. In this cold weather, I made one of his favorite spicy chicken soup and here it is now on my blog.

This chicken soup is a hearty, comforting soup that's so easy and simple to make which only take few minutes. In this, I have added roasted corn which is optional. You can add boiled corn and any of your favorite veggies. When all the spices are added together, the flavors are very well blended with each other which gives a distinctive taste and enhances your taste buds. The spiciness can be adjusted to suit your taste. I have made different varieties of soups before, but this one is more Indian with the addition of spices. Hope you all might like this. Try this out and let me know.

Ingredients:

1. Boneless Chicken pieces- 1 Cup
2. Roasted Corn- 1/2 Cup
3. Water- 3 Cups
4. Pepper powder- 1 tbsp
5. Salt- as required
6. Cumin Powder- 1 Tsp
7. Grated Ginger- 1 tbsp
8. Grated Garlic- 1 tbsp
9. Coriander Powder- 1 Tsp
10. Freshly Chopped Cilantro- 2 tbsp

Method:

1. In a large pot, add all the ingredients except chopped cilantro, stir and boil on a medium flame.
2. After about 4- 5 minutes of rolling boil, simmer the flame and let this cook for another 5 minutes till all the ingredients get well blended with each other.. Switch off the flame.
3. Add the chopped cilantro leaves and soy sauce. Adjust the salt and pepper powder according to your taste levels. Enjoy a warm, spicy soup on a cold evening.

Healthy Homemade Tomato soup

The weather is getting colder and colder and so a warm, filling and flavor full soups are the perfect antidote to chilly winter weathers.This healthy soup can be prepared within 15- 20 minutes and everybody will enjoy this delicious soup.

This is an ultimate comfort soup, which is very filling than regular food. You just need some tomatoes, onions and garlic for an incredible bowl of soup. Here the tomatoes are blanched, chopped, cooked, blended and served. Garnish with some crunchy, delicious croutons and enjoy a hot steaming bowl of soup.

The steps for preparing this soup looks tedious, but once you gather all the ingredients, this can be prepared in no time.

There is anything more comforting  than being in the kitchen experiencing the simmer smells of this simple homemade tomato soup. Just try this out and let me know….

Ingredients:

1. Tomatoes- 4 nos
2. Onions- 2 nos
3. Garlic Chopped- 2 tbsp
4. Bay leaf- 1
5. Olive oil- 1 tbsp
6. Water- 1 Cup
7. Salt- as required
8. Pepper powder- 1 tsp
9. Sugar- 1 tbsp
10. Bread Slices- 3
11. Corn Flour- 1 tsp
12. Water- 3 tbsp

Method:

1. Cut the edges of the bread slices and toast them on a hot tawa till it turns brown and crisp or preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and toast the bread to nice crisp and brown. Cut into square pieces and keep this aside.
2. Boil enough water to immerse the tomatoes. When the water gets the rolling boil, switch off the flame and immerse the tomatoes completely in the water and close with a lid.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan, add the bay leaf. Saute the chopped onions and chopped garlic with required amount of salt.
4. In a small bowl mix cornflour and water into a semi-paste and keep this aside.
5. Drain the water in which the tomatoes are immersed. Peel the skin of the tomatoes and slice them into cubes.
6. Add these tomato cubes to the onion mixture, mix well. Pour 1 cup of water, add salt and pepper.
7. Stir on a medium flame. Add sugar, stir well and switch off the flame. When it gets cooled, pour the contents into a high-speed blender and process till desired consistency.
8. Transfer the contents in the blender to the pan on a medium heat, let it simmer. When the soup comes to a gentle boil, pour the cornflour paste, stir till the soup thickens slightly.
9. Remove from heat. Serve these in soup bowls along with the prepared bread croutons and parsley and enjoy steaming hot soup.

Egg Drop Soup

On a frigid day, who doesn’t like to have a warm and a comforting soup made with a perfect combination of mushrooms, eggs, ginger and most importantly a little bit of love…:)

This is my version of the soup. A simple, delicious and a very nutritious soup, which will be loved by all. In this soup I have used egg whites instead of whole eggs. The beaten eggs when dropped in the soup, just looks like  silky threads...

Ingredients:

1. Egg whites- 3 nos
2. Ginger(crushed)- 1tbsp
3. Mushrooms- ½ cup
4. Chicken Stock- 2 cups
5. Soy sauce- 2tbsp
6. Salt and Pepper- as required
7. Celery/ Basil- for garnish

Method:

1. Heat chicken stock in a bowl until simmering. Add mushrooms at this stage and let it cook for 4- 5 minutes.
2. Now when the mushroom becomes soft add the crushed ginger, salt, pepper and soy sauce. Mix well.
3. Keep the flame in lowest maximum and slowly pour the egg whites while stirring the chicken stock in one direction. The eggs will get cooked immediately forming lovely strands. Switch off the flame and garnish with celery and serve.

Garlic Noodle Soup

Who doesn’t like a hot steaming cup of soup on a cold evening. After coming to this new place, our hunger pangs have increased and so we are munching on something or the other all the time. Junk, unhealthy, healthy,... anything goes :-)

So to reduce the junk intake, I thought of preparing some delicious healthy dishes and one among them is this amazingly lovely smooth silky soup made out of garlic.

We all know that garlic has so many medicinal benefits and is a very good immune booster.I thought this would be a perfect soup for my husband who is a big garlic fan and so I googled many recipes and got this method, which is very simple and which requires noodles, that is a perfect for my daughter who is crazy about noodles in any form. Just try this out and I bet nothing feels as warm and comforting like a hot bowl of garlic soup.

Adapted From fxcuisine.com

Ingredients:

1. Garlic Cloves- 20-25 nos ( Chopped)
2. Olive Oil- 3 tbsp
3. All Purpose Flour / Maida- ¼ Cup
4. Water- 2- 3 Cups
5. Dried Herbs- 2 tbsps
6. Hakka Noodles- a handful
7. Salt- as required
8. Pepper- a pinch
9. Fresh Basil- for garnish

Method:

1. Chop the garlic to very fine. Heat oil in a kadai, add the chopped garlic on low heat and stir well till they become soft and little brown in colour.
2. Add the all purpose flour in the above garlic and mix well till the raw smell disappears and the flour gets mixed with the garlic infused oil and turns slightly brown in colour.
3. In the above mixture add  water and stir well without forming any lumps or else you will end up with lumpy flour soup. Here I used egg beater for a smooth texture.
4. Add any dried herbs and simmer for about 15- 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile crush the noodles lightly and add to the above soup. Mix till the noodles turn soft and cooked well.
6. Switch of the flame add the required salt and pepper and garnish with fresh basil. Enjoy this amazing soup on a cold evening.