Tomato Carrot Soup

Tomato Carrot Soup in Marathi

Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
8 Large tomatoes, big chunks
2 large carrots, cut into cubes
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1.5 tsp olive oil
1/4 to 1/2 cup basil leaves, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp sugar (optional)
1/2 cup orange juice (unsweetened)
1/4 cup coconut milk or heavy cream
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp black pepper.

Method:
1) Heat olive oil into a deep pan. Add bay leaves, and garlic. Saute for few seconds. Add onion and saute until onion becomes slightly translucent.
2) Add carrots, cover the pan and cook until carrots become soft. Add tomato chunks and cover again. When tomatoes becomes mushy, add basil leaves. Cook uncovered for 2-3 minutes. Remove the pan from heat. Let it cool down for 5-7 minutes.
3) Remove the bay leaves. Put the cooked tomatoes-carrots mixture into a blender. Grind it and make a fine puree. Strain this puree. Add little water while straining to extract as much as you can. Also water will help you to adjust the consistency.
4) Transfer strained soup back to the pan. Add orange juice, salt, red chili powder and sugar to taste. Boil for few minutes. Add cream/ coconut milk and simmer for couple of minutes.
Serve in soup bowls. Drizzle a spoonful of cream and some freshly crushed black pepper.

Baked Croutons

Croutons in Marathi

Makes: 4 to 5 servings
Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
4 bread slices
2 tbsp Olive Oil
2-3 pinches of salt
1/2 tsp of Garlic powder (Optional)
1/2 tsp Italian Herbs blend (Dried)

Method:
1) Brush little olive oil on each bread slice. Cut each bread slice into 12 small pieces. If you want little bigger sized croutons, then make 9 equal pieces.
2) Preheat oven at 300 F (150 C) for 7 minutes.
3) Spread bread pieces on a baking sheet. Make a single layer, sprinkle Italian Herbs, little salt and garlic powder. Pop in the oven for 15 minutes (until they become light brown and crispy). If croutons are not browning evenly on all sides, turn over after 10 minutes. Cool them on baking sheet.
Croutons can be added in Salads to give little crisp. They are great accompaniment to the soup.

Tips:
1) Croutons can be prepared in the pan. Follow the first step from the above method. Sprinkle spices and salt. Then heat a wide skillet over low heat. Saute bread pieces until crispy and golden brown. Turn them over occasionally.
2) Butter can be used instead of olive oil. (If using salted butter, limit the amount of salt)
3) If you don't have garlic powder and Italian herbs like oregano, rosemary, etc that's okay. Plain croutons taste good too.
4) You can sprinkle some red chili flakes alongwith other spices.

Tomato Rasam

Tomato Rasam in Marathi



Time: 40 to 50 minutes

Serves: 3 to 4 persons



Ingredients

3 medium tomatoes, finely chopped

1/4 cup toor dal

3 cups plain water

For tempering:- 1 tbsp oil, 2-3 pinches mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp hing, 1/8 tsp turmeric powder, 2 dried red chilies (broken), 1/2 tsp urad dal, 15 to 20 methi seeds, 2 cloves of garlic (crushed), 1 spring of curry leaves.

10 to 12 black pepper, crushed

1 green chilies, chopped

1.5 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp cumin powder

2 tsp tamarind

Salt to taste



Method:

1) Pressure cook toor dal by adding 2 cups water. Once toor dal is cooked, drain and save the water. Squeeze out water from dal too.

2) Add 1/2 cup hot water in tamarind. Let the tamarind soak in for 10 minutes. Then squeeze the tamarind and get the juice.

3) Mix 2 cups plain water and 2 cups dal water into a saucepan. Bring it to a boil. Add chopped tomatoes, green chili and half of tamarind juice. Simmer for atleast 20 minutes or until tomatoes soften and mashed up.

4) Heat oil in a tadka pan. add urad dal, methi seeds. Wait till color turns to light brown. Add garlic, and red chilies. Add mustard seeds, hing, turmeric and curry leaves. Pour this tadka over rasam.

5) Add salt, crushed pepper, coriander powder and cumin powder. Boil for atleast 10 to 15 minutes.

Check the taste and adjust the spices. Add some tamarind juice if sourness is required.



Serve hot with rice or have it as a soup.



Tips:

1) Use nicely ripe red tomatoes.

2) If you don't like chunky rasam, puree 2 tomatoes instead of chopping.

3) Rasam should be spicy. However, to make it subtle, reduce the amount of black pepper.

4) Flavors intensify (in good way), if you serve rasam after couple of hours.

Broccoli Soup

Broccoli Soup in Marathi

Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 2 to 3 persons

Ingredients:
1 tbsp butter, room temperature
300 gram fresh broccoli florets (1 and 1/2 cup small florets)
1 medium onion, chopped (3/4 cup)
1 medium carrot, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups Water (tip 1)
1/4 cup cream (I used half and half)
Croutons (optional)

Method:
1) Heat 1 tbsp butter into a deep saucepan. Add broccoli, onion and carrot. Also add salt and pepper. Saute over medium heat until onion is translucent. About 5 to 6 minutes.
2) Add all purpose flour and keep stirring for couple of minutes. Add water and bring to boil. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
3) Pour in the cream. and give a good stir. Blend it well and make fine puree. Adjust salt and pepper. and boil for couple of minutes
Serve hot with homemade croutons.

Tip:
1) Vegetable stock or chicken stock may be used instead of water.

Noodles Thin Soup

Noodles Thin Soup in Marathi

Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 3 to 4

Ingredients:
2 to 3 Mushrooms
3 Tbsp Carrot, Julienne
3 tbsp Capsicum, Julienne
2 tbsp cabbage, finely chopped
2 to 3 baby corn, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 green chili, finely chopped
1.5 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp oil
4 cups vegetable stock
30 grams Noodles
1/4 tsp white pepper powder
1 tsp vinegar
1 stalk spring onion, Keep white and green part separate, chop finely
Salt to taste

Method:
1) Boil sufficient water to cook noodles. Add 1 tsp salt to the water. Add noodles in boiling water. Cook the noodles and add to cold water after cooked completely.
2) Heat oil in a wok. Add green chili and garlic paste. Saute carrot, capsicum, cabbage, baby corn, white part of spring onion and mushrooms for couple of minutes. Add vegetable stock and let it boil.
3) Once stock starts boiling, add vinegar, and salt to taste. Boil for couple of minutes. Add noodles and cook for a minute. Sprinkle white pepper powder.
serve into the soup bowl. Garnish with spring onion. Serve hot.

Tips:
1) If vegetable stock is not available, use water. OR you may use any other type of stock like chicken stock.

Manchow Soup

Manchow Soup in Marathi

Time: 25 to 30 minutes
Servings: 3

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp oil
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 inch ginger piece, finely chopped
1 to 2 green chilies, finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped vegetables:- green bell pepper, carrot, mushrooms, white part of spring oion
3 cups vegetable stock - Click here for the recipe
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp vinegar
1/2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1/2 tbsp maggi chili masala sauce
1 tbsp corn starch or corn flour
2 pinches white pepper powder
salt to taste
For garnishing - green part of spring onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup Noodles (optional)

Method:
Noodles: Boil the noodles in salt water and cook until 80 to 90 % done. Deep fry half of the noodles until crispy. Keep the remaining noodles to add in the soup.

1) Heat a tbsp of oil in a wok. Add finely chopped ginger and garlic to it. Saute for 4 to 5 seconds. Add green chili and chopped vegetables. Cook the vegetables until half done. Add salt.
2) Add 3 cups vegetable stock. Once it starts boiling add 1 tbsp soy sauce (Light soy sauce), tomato ketchup and Maggi chili sauce. Let it boil for a minute. Taste the soup and adjust salt. Also sprinkle white pepper powder.
3) In a small bowl, mix corn starch and 1/4 cup water. Blend well and add to soup. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Add vinegar. If you are going to add noodles, add cooked noodles.
Serve into a soup bowl. Garnish with finely chopped green part of green onion and fried noodles.

Tips:
1) If the vegetable stock is not available,use plain water.

Kairiche Saar (Raw Mango Soup)

Green Mango Soup in Marathi

Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4 Persons

Ingredients:
1 medium Green Mango
Jaggery
1 tsp Desi ghee
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
2 pinches Hing
3 to 4 curry leaves
2 Green chilies, (paste)
1/4 cup chopped Cilantro
Salt to taste

Method:
1) Pressure cook Green mango upto 2 whistle. Peel the mango while it is still warm. After peeling grate the pulpy part if it is little hard. If it is fully cooked, then separate it from the pit and put in the blender.
2) Take equal portion of jaggery. Mix in the pulp. Blend this mixture and make a puree. If the mango pulp is little stringy then strain through a fine mesh.
3) Heat a pan. Add ghee and let it become hot. Add cumin seeds, hing, curry leaves and green chili paste. Then add green mango puree and required amount of water. Add salt let it simmer for few minutes.
Garnish with Cilantro and serve hot with white rice. It also taste good on its own.