Sattu's Cold Soup

New Year begins with new promises, resolutions and loads of happy wishes for everyone. I am back to blogging after a loooong vacation.  Are you still stuck in vacation mode, why not to try something easy and healthy? Here I am with a “No Cook Cold Soup" made from "Sattu". I am sure most of you will recognize this age old recipe.
A staple from North India, Sattu was originally made of roasted gram flour but has now evolved to include other nutritious flours like barley, wheat etc. You can buy it from any Indian grocery store. Sattu is a perfect blend of balanced nutrients and is prepared in one of the healthiest cooking methods – roasting. Its high fibre content makes it healthy for the intestines. And a low glycemic index is good for diabetics as well. It has cooling properties. Cold soups are a particular variation on the traditional soup, wherein the temperature when served is kept at or below room temperature. They may be sweet or savoury. In summer, sweet cold soups can form part of a dessert tray. An example of a savoury chilled soup is gazpacho, a chilled vegetable-based soup originating from Spain.

Serve:   2

Preparation time: 10 minutes.


Ingredients:

Sattu:                                 6 tablespoon
Cold water:                        2 cups
Onion:                               1 small (finely chopped)
Green Chili:                       1/4 small (finely chopped)
Coriander leaf:                  2 tablespoon (finely chopped)
Black Salt:                        1 teaspoon
Red chili powder:              1/4 teaspoon
Lemon juice:                     2 tablespoon
Chat masala:                     1 teaspoon
Roasted Cumin powder:   1 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Method:

1) Mix all the ingredient in a big bowl.
2) Serve it cold or just below the room temperature as a soup or drink.


BON APPETIT...

Mediterranean Red Lentil Soup

As promised in my earlier post I am here with the Mediterranean Red Lentil Soup. This is a perfect time to share this warming recipe since we are now ready to set in the winter soon. Red lentil soup is a Turkish/ Greek favorite and served in most restaurants. Most households in Mediterranean region consume this soup. This is another simple, yet delicious recipe. Red lentils are a good source of protein, dietary fibre and iron similar to beans. Lentils are great soup material, adding wonderful richness and protein.

Ingredient:
For two serving


Red lentils:                               1/2 cup               
Onion:                                     1/2 medium sized
Carrot:                                    1 small
Tomato or pepper paste:         1 tablespoon (substitute:  1 small tomato)
Garlic:                                     1 small clove
Butter:                                     1/2 tablespoon
Salt to taste
Crushed white pepper
3 cups of water
Lime juice

For the garnish sauce:
Olive oil/ butter:                         1 tablespoon
Paprika Powder:                       1 teaspoon

Lemon wedges

Method:

1) Heat some butter in a saucepan/ pressure cooker. Add garlic, onion and toss for a minute till it sweats. Add tomato or its paste.  Stir it for half a minute.

2) Add the other ingredient like carrot and red lentil. Season it with salt and pepper. Add water and let it cook till soft. In pressure cooker the process is faster.

3) Let it cool and blend it in a food processor. 

4) Adjust the consistency of soup if required. Boil it in the pan again. Add lime juice.

5) Before serving garnish it with the chilli oil. 

6) For the garnish heat some butter in a pan. Once fuming close the flame and add paprika powder. Spoon it over the hot soup. Serve it hot with some lime wedges.

BON APPETIT...

Baked Malfatti dipped Shorba

"Malfatti" quiet an unusual name but not for a hard core Italian food lover. Malfatti, means badly made or ill-shaped, because these are made of the filling for a ravioli, and therefore not enclosed and defined by the dough. For such an amazingly good dish it has such a pessimistic name.Nonetheless it’s really delicious and delicate in flavor. Serve with a mixture of melted butter and Parmesan cheese, or a very light creamy tomato sauce. Today I am trying a great fusion of this less known Italian "Malfatti" with all time classic Indian "Tomato Shorba". A little bit of changes are made from the basic version to compliment each recipe.

Ingredient:

Spinach:                     1cup ( Blanched and finely chopped)

Parmesan cheese:       1/2 cup

Ricotta cheese:           1/2 cup

Garlic powder:           1/4 tea spoon

Nutmeg powder:        1/4 tea spoon

Salt to taste

Black pepper

Tomato:                     4 Large

Spring onion:              1 stem

Yellow onion:             1 medium

Carrot:                       1 medium

Garlic:                        2 cloves

Dried Rosemary:        1/2 tea spoon
Bay Leaf:                   1 small

Olive oil

Method:

1) Mix well strained spinach, parmesan, ricotta, garlic powder, nutmeg, salt and pepper on a clean kitchen top. Make small dumpling from this mixture. Set aside.

2) Heat some oil in a pan and add garlic. Add finely chopped green onion, onion, carrot and tomato. Season it with salt and pepper. Cover and let it cook for 5 minutes until all the vegetables are soft and pulpy. 

3) Add 2 cups of water, rosemary, a small pinch of nutmeg and bay-leaf. Mix well and let it simmer covered for another 10 minutes.

4) Strain the soup and discard all the pulp.

5) Carefully place 1 or 2 spinach dumpling in a flat soup bowl and pour the tomato shorba carefully. 

6) Sprinkle some parmesan over the dumpling and let it bake for 15 minutes at 180 degrees.

7) Serve this hot and appetizing Malfatti baked Shorba with your favourite bread.

BON APPETIT..

  

Dal Ki Dulhan ( Red lentil soup with floating dumplings)

Presenting- "Dal ki Dulhan"  Sounds like a total Bollywood "masala" film. Well this is no "masala" film but a "masala" soup. Soup with few spices and floating dumplings which make it a full meal. Its velvety texture and delicate hues are comforting reminders of my childhood. This recipe is very quick to make and really filling to stomach. You can find red lentil soup in mediterranean cuisine also. I hope to share that recipe soon with you all. For the time being lets enjoy the Indian version of it.

Ingredients:

Red lentil:                 1cup
Wheat flour:             2 cups
Onion:                     1 small
Garlic:                      3-4 cloves
Black peppercorn:   1/2 spoon
Dried red Chili :       2 nos
Cumin seed :           1/2 spoon
Black cardamom:    1 small
Turmeric:                1/2 spoon
Salt to taste
Refined oil:             2 spoon
Lemon Juice           2 spoon
Clarified butter:       1 spoon
Lemon wedges

Method:
1) Pressure cook the red lentil with salt, turmeric and water. You can use a normal pan also to cook the lentil.
2) Grind onion, garlic, black peppercorn, red chili and black cardamom to a fine wet paste.
3) Heat some oil in a pan and add the paste. Fry it till til golden brown. Pour the cooked lentil in the pan and mix well. Add some water to get the correct consistency and let it boil.
4) Meanwhile knead the dough using water and wheat flour. Roll it in a medium thin sheet. Use a round cookies cutter to make small circles out of flour sheet. Put diagonally opposite sides of the circle together to make a star like structure.
5) Keep adding these small flour dumplings to the boiling soup. Boil the soup for another 2-3 mins after putting the last dumpling.
6)Turn off the heat and add clarified butter and lemon juice.
7)Pour it in a flat soup bowl and serve it with fresh mint leaves and lemon wedges.

BON APPETIT....