Potato Corn Soup

Ever since I fell in love with the Potato Leek soup that I had in a restaurant sometime back, I wanted to try out potato soup at home. After reading a lot of recipes I created my own version for Potato soup; it definitely tasted way different from the restaurant style one but it was good enough.

Serves: 2

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1.     Fresh corn – 1

2.     Potatoes – 3

3.     Onion – 1

4.     Garlic – 1 cloves

5.     Butter – 2 tbsp

6.     Milk – 1 cup

7.     Fresh cream – 2 tbsp (optional)

8.     Salt to taste

9.     White pepper crushed – 1 tsp

Method:

Step 1: Boil the potatoes, peel and chop them into small dices.

Step 2: Shave the corn kernels form the stalk, peel garlic and chop onion.

Step 3: Melt butter in a pan and sauté garlic, onion, corn and potato cubes in it.

Step 4: Add a cup of milk and cook on simmered stove until corn kernels are soft.

Step 5: Cool it, strain the milk and grind the vegetables into smooth paste such that bits of corns remain.

Step 6: In the same milk mix the paste and bring to boil, adjust consistency with water and season with salt and pepper.

Step 7: Serve hot or warm garnished with fresh cream along with garlic breads.

Papad Ki Sabji

I had learnt this recipe from a TV show and tried it recently when I ran short of vegetables at home. This is a simple, quick and tasty side dish ideal for phulkas. These kinds of recipes using papads or salted and sun-dried vegetable preparations originate from Rajastan where fresh vegetables are less available due to their climatic conditions and landscape. They are unique in taste and is slightly greasy.

Serves: 2

Preparation Time: Nil

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1.     Pepper papad – 4

2.     Curd – 2 cup

3.     Oil – 2 tbsp

4.     Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

5.     Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp

6.     Chilli powder – 1 tsp

7.     Garam masala – ½ tsp

8.     Turmeric – 1 pinch

Method:

Step 1: Stack the papads one above the other and fold it twice to break into even quadrants. Shallow fry the papads in two tablespoon of oil and keep aside.

Step 2: In the same oil along a dash of ghee (optional), add cumin seeds, once it crackles add ginger garlic paste and sauté well.

Step 3: Add chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala and then beaten curd.

Step 4: Pour some water and while it comes to boil, add broken papads and garnish with coriander. Turn off heat.

Step 5: Serve hot with phulkas.

Maize Upma

There was this broken maize that I procured from the local grocer which I used for this conventional south Indian recipe, Upma. Both of us are fond of upma, like the dialogue in ‘Pokiri’ movie, we also belong to upma-family. Maize upma tastes more like broken rice upma except for it is a tad bit sticky. Makki ka roti is famous in north India, corn breads or tacos and the like are well known maize recipes in continental cuisines; but in south India usage of maize is not much prevalent. Hence, this recipe would offer good cereal diversity to south Indian cuisine.

Serves: 2

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1.     Broken Maize – 1 ½ cups

2.     Onion – 1

3.     Green peas – ¼ cup

4.     Carrot – 1

5.     Beans – 6

6.     Green chilies – 2

7.     Curry leaves – 1 sprig

8.     Oil – 2 tbsp

9.     Mustard – ½ tsp

10.            Bengal gram – 1tbsp

11.            Urad dal – 1 tbsp

12.            Asafoetida – 1 pinch

13.            Salt to taste

14.            Water – 3 ½ cups

Method:

Step 1: Wash and chop the vegetables into small dices.

Step 2: Heat the oil in a kadai, splutter mustard seeds, roast Bengal gram & urad dal in it, sprinkle asafoetida, add curry leaves, green chilies and sauté onion in it till translucent.

Step 3: Heat water on the other stove with enough salt in parallel.

Step 4: Sauté carrot, bush beans and finally the green peas along with the onion.

Step 5: Add the broken maize into the kadai and let the grains get roasted.

Step 6: Now carefully add the boiling water to the kadai and close immediately. Be very careful as the hot water may splash while pouring into the kadai.

Step 7: Close the lid and cook in simmer for 5 minutes. Then open the lid, stir and cook again for 5 minutes.

Step 8: Fill a bowl, place it upside down on the serving plate and take off the bowl to get nice moulded serving.

Step 9: Serve along with coconut chutney or plain curds.