Carrot Ginger Soup

Actually, this is an uncomplicated thick soup probably would fall under bisque category. I prefer accompanying this with light or no dinner. There are few dishes I like to add cooked carrots and this is one of them that brings out a wonderful flavor, taste and color of carrots.

Ingredients:

1. Carrot - 5

2. Ginger - 2" piece

3. Milk - 1/2 cup

4. Olive oil - 1 tbsp

5. Pepper crushed - 1/2 tsp

6. Salt to taste

Method:

Step 1: Peel and slice the carrots and ginger.

Step 2: In a pan, toss sliced vegetables with  olive oil in medium heat. 

Step 3: Saute them until tender. Let it cool down.

Step 4: Grind them fine in a mixer jar with some water as required.

Step 5: Heat milk in the same pan that is used to saute, stir in the pureed veggies and season with salt and pepper. Adjust consistency with water or milk.

Step 6: Garnish with fresh cream and serve it hot or warm.

Kathirikai kaarakuzhambu

Kaarakuzhambu is a thick spicy curry that is eaten with steamed rice. Coming from a village background, I have grown up seeing peasants and laborers consuming this almost everyday for supper. This is a preferred curry for mass cooking as it is simple, economical and quite filling. Even today, while I stand in the balcony or terrace, I see in the construction sites here and there someone cooking with small stoves making rice in pots and karakuzhambu in sattis, the aroma appetites me in no time. More than the taste of the dish itself, it is the love and gratitude I've seen these people eating it with after the whole day's exhaustion, they celebrate the mere satisfaction of hunger for food; sometimes they stay far away from their families for work yet become family with people around. I really envy their attitude of living in the present.

Ingredients:

1. Brinjal - 5

2. Onion - 1

3. Tomato - 1

4. Garlic - 1/2 pod

5. Gingelly oil - 2 tbsp

6. Vengaya vadagam - 1/4 ball or 1 heap tbsp 

7. Curry powder - 2 tbsp

8. Tamarind - gooseberry size or 2 tbsp store bought pulp

9. Salt to taste

Method:

Step 1: Wash and chop brinjal, tomato, onion and peel the garlic cloves.

Step 2: If using tamarind, soak the tamarind in water and squeeze out pulp and keep aside.

Step 2: In a kadai heat the gingelly oil and add vengaya vadagam to it. 

Step 3: Once the spices splutters and browns well, add onion, garlic to saute until soft; then add tomato and finally the brinjal. Saute for 2 minutes.

Step 4: Add curry powder, salt and water and let it boil for 10 minutes in low flame.

Step 5: Add the tamarind pulp and stir to boil for 5 more minutes.

Step 6: Serve with hot steamed rice along with papad.

TIPS:

* Vengaya vadagam is a mixture of spices along with onion that are soaked in castor oil and then sun dried; it is said to have lot of medicinal properties in addition to the strong flavour it renders to the curry. 

* If vengaya vadagam is not available, you can splutter the spices like mustard, cumin seeds, fenugreek, asafoetida, red chilies, curry leaves and urad dal seperately before adding the vegetables.

* Kaarakuzhambu can be prepared with other vegetables like potato, ladies finger, radish, colocasia or drumstick also.

Beetroot Juice

Today my husband prepared some beetroot juice for me with little help from me which entitles me to add it into this blog. I have had beet soups still not really the beet juice; usually beet juice is mixed with carrot juice for some reason but he made with plain beets. It had a very dark purple color and was dense in flavour. Beet juice is said to have treasures of minerals and is beneficial for blood. It looked so glamorous and tasted good.

Ingredients:

1. Beetroot - 4

2. Salt - 1/2 tsp

3. Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp

4. Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp

Method:

Step 1: Wash, peel and cut the beet roots into cubes.

Step 2: Using a juicer or a mixer jar extract juice from the vegetable. Strain it well if you are using mixer jar.

Step 3: Chill it in refrigerator, better not to use ice cubes.

Step 4: Add salt, cumin powder, pepper and mix well and pour into serving glasses.

Step 5: Garnish with mint leaves if you've.