Egyptian Carrot Soup (with Dukkah Spice)

Dukkah is an earthy and deeply flavoured Egyptian spice mix made with nuts and herbs. It is easy to make at home as it requires few ingredients like freshly toasted nuts and seeds. There are many recipes for dukkah, but generally every mixture includes nuts (either pistachios or almonds or hazelnuts etc.either alone or in combination), sesame seeds, cumin and peppercorns or chilli flakes. Mostly, Dukkah spice is used as a crust for Paner and Tofu and also served as a dip (by adding Olive Oil) with bread. It can also be sprinkled on roasted vegetables, pasta, cheese cubes, and even on fresh fruits.

Egyptian Carrot Soup is a nourishing Soup. While roasting the carrots brings out its sweet taste, the Saffron brings in a subtle flavour and adds a lovely colour to the soup. What makes this dish warm and delicious is the crunchiness that comes from the Dukkah spice mix. 

Serving:  2-3 People

Approx. Time:  30 minutes 

Ingredients

For Dukkah Spice (Egyptian spice powder):
2 tbspns Pistachios
1 tspn Sesame seeds (Til)
1 tspn Cumin seeds (Jeera)
1/2 tspn Fennel Seeds (Saunf)
1/2 tspn Black Pepper (Miri)

For Carrot Soup:
2 tspn Butter 
2 roasted Carrots
Oil for brushing
1 cup chopped Onion
3-4 Garlic cloves
1/2 cup soaked Moong Dal (Petite Yellow Lentils)
4-5 cups Vegetable stock
10-15 Saffron strands (soaked in 2-3 tbspns Milk)
1 tbspn Dukkah spice powder
1/4 tspn Pepper Powder 
Salt to taste

For Garnishing:
Hung Curd
Dukkah Spice Powder

To serve with:
Pita Bread with butter and Dukkah Spice

Pre-preparation

1. Soak a little more than 1/4 cup of Moong Dal for minimum 2 hours in a cup of Water. 
2. Take 2-3 tbspns of milk in a cup and add 10-15 Saffron strands. Set it aside for 15-20 minutes. 

Method
To make Dukkah Spice Powder:
Preheat a pan on low flame. Take Pistachios in a pan. Dry roast the Pistachios on low flame for 2 minutes. Transfer it in a bowl and keep it aside for cooling. Then transfer the balance spice mix ingredients in a preheated pan. Toast the ingredients till they start releasing aroma. Keep aside to cool. Once cool, crush it in a mixer to make coarse powder.  

To make Soup Paste:
Grease the Carrots with Vegetable Oil or Butter. Roast it on direct flame till it gets some black patches. Chop the roasted Carrots and set it aside.

Heat a teaspoon of Butter in a pan. Add the Garlic cloves and chopped Onions and saute till the onions are translucent. Thereafter, add the roasted Carrot pieces and soaked Moong dal into it. Saute it for 2-3 minutes. Add a cup of vegetable stock and let the Moong dal cook. Once the dal is cooked, turn off the flame and let it cool for some time. Once cooled down, transfer the mixture into a blender. Blend the mixture into smooth puree. 

Again heat a teaspoon of Butter in a deep sauce-pan. Add Dukkah spice powder and saute. Then add the carrot puree and the remaining Vegetable stock and Salt to taste. Simmer it for few minutes and bring it to a boil. Finish it with Saffron milk. 

While serving, add a dollop of sour Hung Curd to the Soup. Garnish it with Dukkah Spice powder. Serve hot with Pita Bread sauteed in butter and garnished with Dukkah spice. 

Notes

1. You may add Cheese Spread or Cream Cheese to make this soup more creamy.

2. The moong dal may be substituted with 2 bread slices.

3. If the Hung Curd is not sour, you may add few drops of lemon juice, but it may suppress the delicate flavour of Saffron.

Soups

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Lebanese Chickpea Soup (with Baharat Spice)

Every cuisine has its own set of spices that give the dishes of that cuisine a peculiar flavour and aroma. Just like Indian cuisine has its Garam Masala, Lebanese cuisine is famous for its Baharat spice powder. It is the mix of Pepper, Red chillies, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves and several other spices. A pinch of Baharat adds an intense flavour and irresistible aroma to the Lebanese dishes including soups, sauces and salads.

Lebanese Chickpea Soup is a winter classic that is also an all-in-one meal if served with bread. The beauty of this soup is in its simplicity. It?s a kind of soup that keeps us warm during the winters. The flavor of the Baharat Spice is complemented with fragrant mint. 

Serving:  2-3 People

Approx. Time:  30 minutes 

Ingredients

For Soup Paste:
1 tbspn Olive Oil
6-8 Garlic cloves
1 medium Onion (roughly chopped)
1 medium Tomato (finely chopped)
1 cup Chickpeas (soaked overnight)
2 Red Chillies
Salt to taste
1/4 cup Mint leaves
1 cup Water

For Baharat Powder (Lebanese spice powder)
2 tbspn Coriander seeds (Dhana)
4-5 Red chillies 
1 tspn Black pepper powder (Miri)
1 Cinamon stick (Dalchini)
4-5 Cloves (Laung)
1/8 tspn Nutmeg Powder (Jaiphal)
1/8 tspn Sesame Seeds (Til)
1/8 tspn Fenugreek Seeds (Methi)
1/8 tspn Fennel Seeds (Saunf)

For Final Soup:
1 tspn Butter
1 tspn Baharat Powder
1 tomato (finely chopped)
1 cup Water (or Vegetable Stock)
Salt to taste
1 tbspn lemon juice
1/4 tspn Red chilly powder 

For Garnishing:
Cherry tomatoes
Coriander leaves
Baharat Spice Powder

Pre-preparation

Soak the Chickpeas overnight for minimum 8 hours in water with a pinch of Soda Bi-carb. 

Method
To make Baharat Powder:
Combine all the ingredients of Baharat Powder in a pan.  Dry roast the ingredients on slow flame for 3 to 4 minutes or till they start releasing aroma. Keep aside to cool. Once cool, blend it in a mixer to make coarse powder (or fine powder as per your taste). Store it in an air-tight container.

To make Soup Paste:
Heat Olive Oil in a pressure cooker. Add chopped garlic cloves and chopped Onion. Saute it till the Onion is transculent. Add the Red Chilles and saute. Then add the soaked Chickpeas and tomato. Saute it for 5 minutes. Finally add the Mint leaves, Salt and Water. Pressure cook till 3-4 whistles. Once done, remove the mint leaves from the mixture. Transfer it to a blender and blend it to a smooth paste. 

To make Lebanese Chickpea Soup:
Heat Butter in a deep pan. Add Baharat powder and saute. Then add the tomatoes and saute it for two minutes. Then add the Soup paste (cooked Chickpea paste), water (or Vegetable Stock) and Salt to taste. Simmer it for few minutes till it starts boiling. Adjust the water as per the required consistency. Finish it with lemon juice and red chilly powder. 

Transfer it into a serving bowl. Garnish it with Cherry tomatoes, finely chopped Coriander leaves and Baharat Powder. 

Notes

1. You may keep the Baharat Spice Mix ready well in advance and store it in an air-tight container. It has a long shelf life and can be used in Salads and Soups. 

Stepwise Pictures

Soups

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Raw Mango Saar - 2

Saar means extract. Saar is a very tasty extract of the key ingredients. Roti and Rice is the main diet of Mahrashrian people and to accompany it, various liquid curries like Varan, Aamti, Kaalvan, Kalan / Kadhan, Saar etc. are made. It is made from local available ingredients. The consistency of these curries also varies from region to region. Raw Mango Saar known as Kairiche Saar in Marathi is popular in Konkan region of Mahrashtra. There are various methods of making this Saar, but amongst the various methods, two methods are popular i.e. one without Coconut milk and the other one is with Coconut as given here. 

This Saar can be served with plain Steamed Rice with a dollop of Ghee on it or can be served as an appetizer before / during the meals 

Servings: 2-3 Servings

Approx. Time: 20 mins  (excluding pre-preparation)

Ingredients

For Tempering

1 tspn Ghee

3/4 tspn Cumin Seeds (Jeera)

1/4 tspn Asafoetida Powder

8-9 Curry Leaves

For Raw Mango Saar

1/2 cup boiled Green Mango Pulp
5 cups Water
1/2 cup Rice flour Slurry (i.e. 2 tbspns Rice flour mixed in 1/2 cup Water)

Salt to taste

2 tbspns Sugar
3-4 Green chillies (chopped or paste)
1 cup Coconut Milk

For Garnishing:

Chopped Coriander leaves (Cilantro)

To Serve with:

Plain Steamed Rice

Method

Pressure cook 2 medium sized raw green Mangoes for 3 whistles. Remove the raw mangoes and peel it when it is warm. Scoop out the mango pulp and mash it. If the pulp is fibrous (has strings) then blend it into a smooth paste. 

Transfer the Raw Mango Pulp in a large mixing bowl. Add 5 cups water to it and mix well. Then add the Rice flour slurry into it. Mix well. Then add the Salt, Sugar and chopped Green Chillies. Set it aside.

Heat Ghee in a a pan. Add the Cumin Seeds and saute. Then add the Asafoetida and Curry Leaves. Then immediately add the green mango puree mixture into the pan. Heat the mixture till it gets a boil. 

At the end add the Coconut milk and let it simmer for few minutes. Garnish it with chopped Coriander leaves and serve hot with steamed Rice. 

Notes

1. From the tempering ingredients, you may substitute Ghee and Cumin Seeds with Oil and Mustard Seeds.

2. The quantity of Sugar may be adjusted according to the sourness of raw Mango.

3. Alternatively, you may prepare the tempering separately and pour it on the Saar. 

Traditional Marathi

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Laksa Soup

Laksa is a spicy Noodle Soup from Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.  It is a part of Peranakan cuisine which is a combination of Chinese and Malay cuisine. The variants of Laksa include Curry Laksa , Asam Laksa, Nyonya Laksa, Thai Laksa, etc.  (Source: Wikipedia) 

The original Laksa being completely non-vegetarian, I have derived this Laksa recipe on my own out of the multiple recipes read on various websites. In this recipe, I have substituted the 'Shrimp Paste' with Black Bean Sauce, 'Candle-nuts' with Cashew Nuts etc. to make an Indian Vegetarian version of Laksa. Also, I have also added few ingredients like Spring Onions, Mushrooms which are not used in the original recipes, but goes well with the Laksa Soup. 

Servings : Approx. 4-6 servings
Approx. Time : 1 hour (including pre-preparation)

Ingredients:
For the Laksa paste:
2 sliced Onions (large)
1 tbspn chopped Garlic 
1 tbspn Galangal paste or Ginger paste
2 tspns lemongrass white stem
10-15 Fresh Coriander Stems
4-5 Basil leaves
4-5 dried red chillies (soaked in water)
10-15 Cashew Nuts (soaked in water)
1/2 tspn Turmeric Powder
1 tspn Black Bean Sauce
Water, if required.

For Laksa Soup:
4 tbspns vegetable oil
spice paste (as prepared) 
4 cups Vegetable stock
7-8 Basil leaves (or Mint leaves)
1 tspn Gram Masala powder (Or Curry Powder)
1 tbspn Sugar
salt to taste

1 tbspn Black Bean Sauce

5-6 Button Mushrooms (chopped)
5-6 Fried Tofu 
2 cups thick coconut milk 
2 tbspns Spring Onion Greens
1 lemon Juice

To Serve with
Boiled noodles 
Parboiled Bean sprouts
Deep fried Tofu

For Garnishing:
Lemon wedges
Finely chopped Spring Onion Greens

Pre-preparation:

Deep frying of Tofu Slices  

Take 200 gms Tofu and slice it into small cubes. Toss the sliced tofu in a mixture of Soy Sauce, Vinegar, and Sesame oil and rest it for few minutes. Then sprinkle some Corn flour over it. Ensure that the Tofu slices are coated with the Corn flour. Deep fry the Tofu slices in hot Oil till it is golden brown in colour. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Cooking of Noodles:

Cook the noodles in salted water as per the instructions given on the packet. Drain and pour a teaspoon of Oil so that the Noodles do not stick to each other. 

Parboiling Bean Sprouts:

To cook the Bean sprouts, add the Bean Sprouts in salted boiling water for about a minute. Then drain it and  immediately pour cold water over it. 

Method:

To make the Laksa paste:

Take all the ingredients for Laksa paste in a grinder and grind it into a coarse paste. Add some water if required for grinding.

To make Laksa:

Take Oil in a pan and saute the ground paste till the raw flavor of the paste goes away. Ensure continuous stirring to avoid burning of the paste. 

Once the paste is cooked, add the Vegetable stock and simmer. Thereafter, add the Basil leaves, Garam Masala or Curry Powder, Sugar, Black Bean Sauce, Salt, Mushrooms, Fried Tofu and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the coconut milk and simmer for 2 more minutes on medium flame. Also add some Spring Onion Greens and turn off the flame.  Finally add the lemon juice to the Laksa. 

To assemble Laksa:

To assemble Laksa, take a Serving Bowl and place the noodles in it. Then arrange some Bean sprouts and Fried Tofu and ladle the Laksa Soup into the bowl. Garnish it with Spring Onion Greens and lemon wedges. Serve hot.

Notes:

1. In the Vegetable Stock, along with the other vegetables you may add Lemon Grass and Basil to enhance the flavor of Laksa.
2. You may also use the raw Bean Sprouts instead of boiling it.
3. Do not overheat the Soup once the Coconut milk is added as the Soup may curdle.
4. Parboiled Baby Corns, Carrots, French Beans etc. may also be added as per the choice.
5. I have used Hakka Noodles, however you may use Rice Noodles in place of Hakka Noodles.
6. The consistency of the Soup may be altered by increasing or reducing the quantity of Vegetable stock.

Soups

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Roasted Garlic and Potato Soup

Roasted Garlic and Potato Soup is a perfect Soup for serving guests during a small get-together. It is can be made with very few ingredients but tastes awesome.

Servings: 4 people

Approx. Time: 30 min

Ingredients:
To Roast Garlic
5-6 Garlic cloves
? tspn Oil
? tspn Red Chilly Powder

For the Soup:
1 tbspn Butter
1 cup chopped Onion
5-6 roasted Garlic cloves (as above)
1 cup chopped Boiled Potato Cubes
1 tbspn All purpose flour (Maida)
2 & ? cups Vegetable Stock
1 cup Full fat Milk
1/2 cup grated Cheese
? tspn Pepper Powder
Salt to taste

For Garnishing:
Grated Cheese
Chopped Spring Onions

Method:

Take Garlic cloves on an aluminium foil. Pour Oil and sprinkle Red Chilly Powder on the Garlic Cloves. Then make a small packet / bundle of the same. Heat it in a microwave or pre-heated OTG for 15 minutes. Alternatively, you may roast it on hot pan also. After roasting remove the peel of roasted Garlic and set aside for using it in the Soup. 

To make Soup:

Heat the butter in a pan. Add the chopped Onion and roasted Garlic and cook till the Onions turn translucent. Then add the Maida to it and cook for a minute. Then add the boiled Potato cubes and stir-fry for two minutes. Pour a cup of vegetable stock into the mixture and simmer. Turn off the flame and cool the mixture. Transfer the mixture into a Mixer and blend it into a smooth paste. 

Pour the paste into a Saucepan / Pot and heat it. Add the remaining Vegetable Stock and milk to the Soup and simmer. Season the Soup with Pepper Powder and Salt to taste. At the end add the grated Cheese and give a stir. Transfer it into a serving Bowl. Garnish it with Grated Cheese and Spring Onion greens. Serve hot.

Notes:

Instead of blending all the potato cubes, you may retain few for using it in the Soup
You may add some cream also to make it more rich.

Stepwise Pictures:

Soups

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