How to make Easy Carrot Saaru, Easy Carrot Soup

All through the fall, I stocked pumpkins at home in sheer keenness to make a good pumpkin soup that I could share with you all. I was amused, delighted beyond words to watch pumpkins everywhere, on market stands and home fronts, in malls and on window sills, on blog feeds and in ad mailers. Our favorite grocery stores smelled warm from pumpkin spices and its produce. Our office had spice infused fresheners in the lobby to welcome guests. The coffee was not spared either, flavored with pumpkin spice in it too! Tell me, who wouldn't be lured? So each time we stepped out grocery shopping, along came a pumpkin or its sibling in form a squash, that made its way into our shopping cart, judiciously sized to suit two meals for us as a family.

On a seasonal high note, I did make soups and stews, and plenty at that, laboriously skinning the peels, slicing and dicing them, and boiling them to pulp over pot of stock. I choose not to bake, rather simmer over a pot on stove, as that's a task I like to leave for days far less busier than weekdays, when I don't have the time to worry about our over-sensitive fire alarm screeching off at the slightest variation of warm air emanating from the oven. That's another story to say. The soups though did turn out creamy, and deliciously vegan, not necessarily warranting any fat or cream in regard to heighten the flavors or their sumptuousness. But they got gulped down faster than I expected, hot and steaming, ladles after ladles, cold fingers wrapped around the warm bowl for comfort, either dunked by toasted garlic bread or tossed along with piping hot rice, savored snugly in our warm dining area while the leaves were busy shedding under the seasonal transition.

It happened so, that each time I planned a soup, I was swooned by the dire beauty of the squash and pumpkins, that I shot several preps of them much ahead of sunset in the noon. By the time the squash was sliced and diced, cooked, pureed and boiled to perfection, finally seasoned to be served, it was time sun called his day and the darkness overcast the late noons in its thick black bile. I finally gave up on presenting my super-creamy-vegan-butternut-squash-soup here, instead, the year end holiday baking mania took over the house bringing more cheer to otherwise gloomy noons.

We've step foot into the new year, and I've welcomed it with my arms wide open. I have no resolutions that pound my mind hard, so there's none really to make. But I realize this blog is devoid of soups and I want to fill that space. I need to make a beginning, and here's one that fills the bill so well. Apt in time, a recipe for a good Indian soup in the beginning of a new year. It can't get better than this.

I pray this year croons high hopes, brings truck loads of good luck, fab health and immense happiness, and heaps of enthusiasm to live the year ahead positively. I should have been rolling in trays of sweets or brought a dessert along here, commemorating the new year and reminiscing 'oh whatta year 2016 was for me!', because it was gratifying in good sense, and worthily etched into our memory with a fair balance of highs and lows, but instead, I have come along with bowls of warm and comforting homemade carrot soup that clamors itself so South Indian. This is what makes me the happiest - simplicity in a bowl. It defines what I would love my year to look like - simple, clean, uncluttered and subtle in my living and approach.

Carrot Saaru | Carrot Rasam | Indian Carrot Soup

Prep Time: 15 mins | Cooking Time: 15 mins | Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

2 carrots, chopped
2 cups water
1 tbsp. tamarind paste
1 tsp. sambhar powder
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
Salt to taste

For Tempering:

2 tsp. oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. asafoetida powder
1 sprig of curry leaf
1-2 whole red chillies torn

DIRECTIONS

Boil the chopped carrots along with 2 cups of water and turmeric powder until they are fork tender. I pressure cook them on 2 whistles as its quicker to do so. You can pan boil it if you do not have a pressure cooker. Once done, allow it to cool and blend it to a puree in a mixer.

Transfer the carrot puree into a thick bottom pan. Stir in the tamarind paste, salt and sambhar powder. Add additional water to adjust the consistency of the saaru / soup. I like to have this saaru slightly thicker than our traditional rasams as it brings out the texture and flavor of carrots well. Bring the saaru to a rolling boil and then simmer for about 2-3 minutes. Turn off the flame and set aside to temper.

To temper, heat oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter. Add the asafoetida powder, torn red chillies and curry leaves and fry briefly for few seconds. Turn off the flame and add this to the prepared saaru. Serve hot with steamed rice or drink them steaming hot right out of soup bowls.

If you thought why there were no updates here or if I went missing, let me tell you I was in my hometown recently. A nice long weekend spilling over Monday ensured another trip down to Mangalore. Long weekend spent in Mangalore during the Independence day followed by Eid gave us a well deserved break and good respite from daily chores of work and home. Adding to it, the fantastic coastal weather in Monsoons added a feather in the cap. If you've been down South visiting the coastal parts of Kerala and Karnataka during the monsoon you'll be smitten by the beauty of nature and vast greenery the rains bring in.

While in Mangalore, we often binge on dishes made with coconuts. Coconuts form an integral part of coastal cuisine since they grow in plenty in this region. With no doubts you can be assured that the juiciest and sweetest coconuts can be fetched from these coastal regions of our country. I have often shared my love and immense fondness for Tamblis in the past on my blog. I don't think I need to even stress saying that this particular soup / Tambli does list as one of my favorites. Pair it with a generous helping of rice, a papad or pickle to go with and you have the most humble meal for a warm afternoon.

Tambli: Fire Roasted Tomato and Fenugreek South Indian Soup

INGREDIENTS

1 large tomato
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp oil
1 tbsp fresh/frozen coconut
1 cup yogurt
3 red chillies
Salt to taste

For Tempering:

1 tsp. Oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1-2 whole red chillies
1 sprig of curry leaves

DIRECTIONS

Lightly oil the tomato and fire roast it on an open flame till the skin turns brown. Allow it to cool down. The skin will wilt as it cools, hence you should be able to peel them easily. Lightly roast the fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds and red chillies till you get the roasted aroma from them. Don't let them brown a lot as they will turn bitter and lose the taste. It takes about a min or two. Cool and grind them along with the roasted tomatoes and coconut. Lightly beat the yogurt and this paste to it. Tamblis are usually thin and a little runny in consistency. So adjust by adding extra water if required to bring it to thinner consistency. Add salt to taste.

Temper the Tambli by seasoning it well. Heat a tsp of oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds. As they begin to pop, add in the red chillies and curry leaves. Let the curry leaves fry for half a minute or less. Pour this seasoning over the Tambli. Serve it cold over steaming hot rice.

I am falling back humbly on a recipe that is close to my roots. I am going back to my basics with this post. After a couple of posts with multi-cuisines, desserts, cookies and cakes, I feel obliged to come back to simple everyday cooking.

I am feeling nostalgic as I write this post today. I have spent a fair part my life in my native where summer heats are clammy and pose the biggest challenge. While different parts of world celebrate various seasons with summers, autumns, spring and monsoons, I crib, it's only this part of the world that has seen only 2 seasons. The oppressive humid summers that last 8 long months and the terrific rains lasting meager 4 months. Unfair. It's no joke. And it's for these summers, tamblis would bring respite in form of food. I wouldn't be doing justice if I do not post this recipe here.

I can't stop smirking when I think of how I would often sneak into kitchen even in the brief absence of my mom to quench my coveted thirst for various delicious tamblis prepared by amma for those sultry afternoon meals. I am no better even today!

Tambli is a much loved, uncooked, coconut blended curry revered in the coastal belts of Karnataka. It's a pleasure to serve this with a helping of steaming hot rice and a drizzle of this cool and soothing yogurt based curry. With simple and very basic few ingredients, this does all the justice for the hot summer days.

Menthe Tambli

INGREDIENTS

1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp oil
1 tbsp fresh/frozen coconut
1 cup yogurt
3 red chillies
Salt to taste

Seasoning:
1 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
A sprig of curry leaves

DIRECTIONS

Lightly fry the fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds and red chillies till you get the roasted aroma from them. Don't let them brown a lot as they will turn bitter and lose the taste. It takes about a min or two. Cool and grind them with coconut. Lightly beat the yogurt and this paste to it. Tamblis are usually thin and a little runny in consistency. So adjust by adding extra water if required to bring it to thinner consistency. Add salt to taste.

Temper the Tambli by seasoning it well. Heat a tsp of oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds. As they begin to pop, add in the curry leaves. Let the curry leaves fry for half a minute or less. Pour this seasoning over the Tambli. Serve it cold over steaming hot rice.

My mom adds a tad bit of jaggery to this for that hint of bitter-sweetness. I like to leave that out. Apart from being are excellent coolants in summers, they are good for patients suffering from fever as they are simple and easily digestible. Enjoy this traditional meal with some palya, uppinkai and happala!

I vouch this for one of those ancient recipes that have been passed on from generation to generation, from grandmas to mothers, from mothers to daughters and probably their daughters in future ;). It's one of those kinds which has been preserved, seeing little or no changes.

The city is getting hotter and sweltering under heatwave for the past couple of weeks. Mid-days are bad with temperatures soaring as high as 34 deg C. I have considerably reduced on spice in food to relive the heat. Ceiling fan switches have been turned on after a long time and as we are reeling under the heat, we look forward to eating simple meals with low spices and masala. Kitchen affairs are more of salads, simple curries, vegetable stir-fries, soups, yogurt based meals and many of their likes. Though, I seldom make soups, but whenever I do, it's eaten steaming hot, spooned right off from the stove to the mouth! So I have never been able to capture them on my camera.

After a few doses of cookies and desserts, I am introducing soups on my blog for the first time. Bingo! Good way to go. This soup was my choice for the day from an array of soups, salads and desserts, picked from a cookery book by Radha Rao's 'Soups, Salads and Desserts', that don my bookshelf from past few weeks. A Grape Gazpacho. For the uninitiated, Gazpacho are cold soups commonly made with ingredients of bread, olive oil, water and garlic. Tomato Gazpacho are the most commonly known ones, but this one is a Grape Almond Gazpacho. I was curious! Not quite sure how this combination would work out. With grapes, almonds, garlic, olive oil, I was skeptical if it would really come well together!

Since grapes are in season, I thought it was a great idea to give it a try. Sit back and relish a cold soup, the best way to soothe the high temperatures and beat the heat.

Grape Almond Gazpacho

INGREDIENTS

1 cup green seedless grapes
1 cup diced bread pieces
4 large garlic cloves
1/2 cup blanched whole almonds
1 cup water
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp vinegar/lime juice
Salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Soak whole almonds in warm water for 15 minutes.

Wash and clean the green seedless grapes. Puree them in a blender till they are fine. Collect the pulp and the juice. Place the torn bread pieces in a bowl and pour the grape pulp and juice over it so that it absorbs it.

Combine blanched softened almonds (along with water) and garlic in a food processor. Pulse until nuts are finely ground. Add the bread along with grape juice and blitz again until bread is completely incorporated. Add the vinegar or lemon juice and olive oil and pulse until all is evenly incorporated. Add salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning as preferred.

Transfer the soup to a container and chill for an hour or more. Gazpacho is best served when cold. Pour into soup bowls and garnish with parsley/coriander and pepper. Serve cold.

Even as I was pouring the soups to their respective soup bowls, I sipped and enjoyed quite a lot of it directly from the jug! It was good enough not to last long! The soup has higher tones of garlic which I thoroughly loved. But, reduce a few garlic cloves if that's not your liking. I served these with bread croutons to complete the soup.

It's a simple aromatic soup made of juicy sweet grapes and nutty almonds, spiced with hints of garlic and pepper. Cool and soothing for a nice sunny day.

I am sending this over to Nithubala's event "Think Beyond the Usual - Fruits".

"Firstly, wishing all a Happy and Prosperous New Year 2010"

Initially, the sole purpose of this blog was to publish simple, easy, home cooked vegetarian recipes. However, I have been cooking and posting more desserts and bakes than what the blog originally called for. I see myself deviating from what was meant to be a simple Veg Bowl, love for life and simple good food... going the vegetarian way. I think I should reconsider renaming this blog for another one. Probably a Dessert Bowl or a Bake Bowl, yeah?

This blog has unfolded new facets of cooking to me and I am enjoying it thoroughly with every passing day. It has been fun working in kitchen trying new stuffs which were tried and tested by my mum long back but not by me. She is taken by surprise the way I have been evolving into a daring baker! I ought to continue with the bouquet of surprises for her :)

Recently, we were craving for some simple food. The Christmas gala and the New Year bash must have seen most of us diving into an array of heavy fat loaded food and creamy, fancy desserts, that now we ought to give rest to our tummies. So I made these simple yet, flavorsome ginger tambli/tambuli to accompany rice for our afternoon meal today.

Tambli or Tambulis are supposedly coolants and are commonly made in summers to beat the South Indian heat. They are best had with steaming hot rice. They are had as starters over steaming hot rice accompanied with pickles and papads. Varieties of these tamblis can be made from different ingredients ranging from ginger, garlic, various herbs, asafeotida or even methi seeds (fenugreek seeds). They are simple and easy to prepare and are generally coconut and yogurt based.

These were very common at home. Amma makes varieties of these. I am an ardent lover of these and can have them as is, even as a refreshing drink. Amma generally makes another gravy curry and a dry subzi whenever she makes tambli. They make great food for patients suffering from fever as they are very easily digestible. This will make you hungry within few hours if not accompanied by side dishes.

Shunti Tambli

INGREDIENTS

3/4 inch ginger pod
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 cup thin yogurt/buttermilk
2 Green chillies
1 tbsp Grated Coconut
Salt to taste

For tempering:

1 tsp oil
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
2 Red chillies
A pinch of asafoetida

DIRECTIONS

Grind the ginger, green chilli, coconut & cumin seeds to a smooth paste. Add thin curd or buttermilk along with salt to this & mix it well. Adjust the consistency by adding more water to this. Tamblis have a thin consistency. So add water if preferred.

For tempering, heat oil in a temper pan. Add mustard Seeds, 2 whole red chillies and a pinch of asafoetida. Fry till it begins to splutter. Add this tempering over the prepared tambli and close immediately.

Serve with steaming hot rice, papads and pickles. Enjoy!

A Perfect Quick Healthy Meal!

Are you feeling tired or lethargic? Or you've been out all day and are back home for dinner, but you don't have sufficient time to cook a complete meal. Do you wish to wrap up a quick meal not wanting to spend too much time in the kitchen? But your better half is hungry and expecting a good meal tonight? I am sure you have been through this sometime. Well, this is what you can do?

The trick here is not to strain yourself too much, but making a meal that looks worth a day effort! Now here's something that can make it look elaborate, but isn't as much as it looks. Adding to it, it's a great meal loaded with nutrition. I started with boiling vegetables on one hand, cooking pasta and making the white sauce simultaneously.

Step 1: Choose a mix of veggies available in your pantry. 1/2 cup each of the following veggies diced and boiled. Carrots, peas, spring onions, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, sweetcorn or baby corn, french beans, mushrooms, spinach (boil separately as they leave color), etc. Add a finely chopped green chilli for some spice (optional).

Boil these veggies (sufficient for both clear veg soup and pasta) in water. Add salt while cooking. It takes about 10 mins. Cabbage and mushrooms are added just before the other vegetables are about to cook. Make sure that the vegetables are just cooked and they retain their crispness. We don't want them mushy.

Step 2: While the vegetables are cooking, prepare the pasta. Cook the pasta in boiling water with salt and a tsp of oil till they are just done. Drain the water, add another tsp of oil.

Step 3: Using a slotted spoon, transfer a part of these veggies (without the broth) to another bowl and kept them aside for dressing the pasta.

Now for the Mornay Sauce, we require the following

4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 garlic pods pods
1 onion slit to 4 pieces
4 cloves (pierced them onto each onion piece)
2 cups milk salt freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the butter in a sauce pan over medium-low heat until melted. Slowly add the milk to the butter and whisk continuously. Pierce about 4 cloves to the onion. Add this with garlic to the milk. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Turn up the heat to medium and cook the flour for about 6 to 7 minutes. This will prevent the sauce from having a raw flour taste. Whisk continously to prevent lumps. Bring to a boil. Remove the onion pieces and then add 1/2 cup grated cheese to 1 cup of hot sauce; stir over low heat until cheese is melted. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent scorching, then remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm until ready to use.

Clear Vegetable Soup

Scoop out the remaining veggies with the broth into serving bowls. Add freshly ground pepper to them and serve hot.

Italian pasta in Mornay Sauce

Here's how we can arrange the pasta. It's done in 3 layers with pasta as the base, following the veggies and then the sauce.

Base: Place a layer of steaming hot pasta as the base.
Middle Layer: Layer the next layer with the cooked veggies.
Topping: A nice serving of the Mornay white sauce. Garnish with basil leaves.

Believe me, I just took 20 mins to prepare and serve this one! 5-7 mins to chop, 10-12 mins to boil veggies and pasta and another 3-5 mins to layer and serve. And not just for those lazy days, this one is a sure hit among your family and friends and will be loved by all!