MAITRI Challenge Recipe: Chilled Cucumber Soup

Recently as part of the MAITRI friendship chain, the very sweet Swapna of  Simple Vegetarian Recipes sent me a much-anticipated parcel. Lo and behold! Swapna made my day with a very sweet card and a really cute gift… check it out!

Of course, the parcel also contained the mystery ingredient tangy Black Salt or Kala Namak. I had so much fun thinking up of recipes to concoct with the kala namak. So at the end of it all I give you this simple and absolutely refreshing chilled cucumber soup.

Swapna.. I'm so glad I was matched with you! Thank you for the lovely parcel. Priya and Reshmi, your efforts at thinking up of this delicious idea of a friendship chain and bringing it to life are much appreciated!

This recipe also goes out to my friend KK for his request on 5-minute healthy recipes… I hope you like this one!

What You Need:

1 Large Cucumber - diced and deseeded (or 2 Small Cucumbers)

2 Scallions / Green Onions / Spring Onions – Chopped

Juice of Half a Lemon or 1 Small Lemon

1 Garlic Clove – Smashed

2 Cups Yoghurt

1 Scant Teaspoon Black Salt/ Kala Namak

Salt to Taste

White Pepper to Taste

To Garnish:

Chopped Tomato, Mint, Freshly Roasted Cumin Powder

Getting Down to Business:

Blend all the ingredients till smooth. If desired you can strain the soup for a smoother consistency.

Let the soup chill in the refrigerator. This will also help the flavors settle.

Garnish with either chopped tomatoes or mint and roasted cumin powder.

Notes:

If you are feeling bold, throw in some green chili for heat. To take the heat factor down a notch, you could deseed the chili.

For a smoother, richer soup you could also add in cream or sour cream.

I used non-fat yoghurt to cut down the calories.

Back to the Lazy Girl’s Series-Easy Oriental Soup

I try my best to eat healthy although it really is an uphill battle for someone who dreams in Chocolate and Technicolor! I sometimes rustle up this easy broth when I’m in a hurry. It makes for a flavorful and tasty lunch that’s not to high on the calorie chart. The added bonus is that you can get all your veggies into one meal. I make this on gloomy days when nothing but a huge bowl of steaming broth is essential for some soul lifting…

I have no measurements for this recipe as it’s one of  those fridge magnet recipes where I throw in everything but the kitchen sink.

Egg and Tofu… very very good for you!

Life Is Always Better With A Bunny Bowl

Veggies With Noodles... So Slurp-alicious!

Easy Chinese Vegetable Broth

What you need:

Equal parts of chicken or vegetable stock and water

Evenly chopped vegetables such as carrots, mushrooms, green peas, spinach, etc

Minced Garlic or Minced Ginger

Green Onions

Tofu - Optional

Eggs - Optional

Egg Noodles or any other whole-wheat alternative

Frozen Potstickers

Soy Sauce

Chili Flakes or if you wish for some added heat, you can use a splash of chili garlic sauce

Salt

Getting Down to Business:

Chop the green onions and separate the green parts from the white onion. Mix in the onion along with the remaining veggies you wish to use for the broth.

In a roomy pan, add in the stock and the vegetables. Also add in the minced garlic or ginger. Add in a little salt. Let the vegetables reach and boil and simmer till they’re cooked. You can also add the vegetables in a phased manner starting with the ones that take the longest to cook (like carrots and beans) and add in the ones that cook fast like green peas at the end.

If you are using a noodle of any kind, add it in when the vegetables are three fourths done and let it cook along.

Once your vegetables are uniformly cooked, add in the soy sauce, chili flakes or sauce, salt. Let it simmer for a few minutes.

Sprinkle on the reserved green leaves of the green onion and dig in!

Notes:

Add in the tofu if you are using it at the final stages of cooking to ensure it doesn’t disintegrate.

At the end, break in an egg if you wish into the broth and stir well. Ensure that the egg is cooked. To make things easier, you can beat the egg ahead of time and pour it into the broth for a shortcut to an egg drop broth!

If you wish to use pot stickers, or steamed wontons, add them in towards the end to avoid them breaking up. I love Trader Joe’s Gyoza and use them all the time. Do not let the potstickers thaw. Drop them in frozen and let them cook through.

If you wish to add chicken, slice the chicken meat into strips and keep aside. Heat some toasted sesame oil, add in the chicken and sauté for a few minutes. Following this step, proceed from the first step.

Avoid adding too many elements in your broth and overcrowding it… simple is best! You could do tofu and eggs or just the potstickers or wontons, etc.