Warm Soups for Rainy Season

Come rainy season and it’s time to enjoy some warm soups to go with the mood. Chai and paakoras sub khate hai… why not make it healthier and sip on some soup.

My kids love soup and it’s a party of their regular diet. One reason I stress on soup is, oodles of veggies gulped down without a fuss. Serve it in a decorative bowl with some bread croutons or bread sticks or a garlic bread by the side. You will see your family relish it with a happy smile.

So, I am sharing some of my soup recipes which I make regularly for my family.

Broccoli Soup:

Broccoli needs no introduction. Packed with nutrients like fiber, vitamins, iron, potassium, and protein. Broccoli can be enjoyed both raw and steamed. Toss it in a salad, make a sabzji or a bowl of soup, broccoli is in true sense a wholesome vegetable. So, let’s start with the recipe

You will need:

One big broccoli cut in florets

One big onion

Few garlic cloves

Spoonful of Butter

Herbs for seasoning

Fresh basil for garnishing

Salt to taste

Method:

In a pan, add 2 to 3 glasses of water. Add the cleaned broccoli florets, onion cut in half and garlic cloves. Let it simmer till they look well cooked. Now strain them and let it cool down. In a blender, grind all together and make a puree. In a pan, add butter. You can use olive oil if you don’t want to use butter for diet reasons. One the butter melts, add the puree. Mix well. Now add 2 glasses of water. Stir it. Add the seasoning herbs like oreganos, mixed herbs, rosemary, thyme. Add salt to taste. Let it cook for 3 to 5 mins. Cut some fresh basil leaves and garnish it. Voila, the yum soup is ready to serve.

Tomato Carrot Soup:

One more of my kid’s favorite soup, Tomato carrot is a staple in our dinner times. Both tomato and carrot have their own nutritional benefit. When having it warm as a soup, it helps boost immunity.

You will Need:

2-3 tomatoes

1 medium size carrot

1 onion

Few garlic cloves

Seasoning herbs

Salt to taste

Black pepper powder

Method:

 In a pan, take on spoon butter and let it melt. Now add the chopped tomatoes, onion, and carrot cubes. Drop in the garlic cloves. Let it cook for a while. Once done, off the gas. Let it cool down. Now in a blender. Blend all the ingredients together and make a fine puree. Once again take a pan, add butter or olive oil. Add the puree to it. Add 2 glasses of water. Let it simmer. Add the herbs like oreganos, chili flakes and basil. Simmer some more. Salt to taste. Add a pinch of pepper powder. Take some cream and garnish it. Fry some bread croutons to go by the side or keep a bread stick. Serve it hot.

Palak/Spinach Soup

This Soup is super healthy and nutritious and also tasty at the same time. I at times feed it with rice to my kids instead of lentil/Dal and they simply love it.

You will Need:

1 bunch of cleaned spinach finely chopped

1 onion finely chopped

1 tomato finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic

Indian Spices

Method:

Finely chop the spinach. In a pan, add oil/butter and add the chopped garlic. Sauté it. Add onions and tomatoes to it. Let it cook till onions turn transparent. Now add the chopped spinach. For spices, add turmeric, garam masala, cumin powder, coriander powder and salt to taste. Let it simmer for a while. For adults you can also add chopped chilies along with garlic to up the spice level. Serve it hot.

There is no other pleasure than gulping something warm while it’s raining outdoors. Plus, it helps sooth the throat. Change of season brings with it seasonal flu and a healthy cup of soup is perfect to give the comfort required.

If you try making any of these soups, do let me know how it was and I would also love to know any of your special soups that you make or enjoy during the rainy season.

Also Read: Makhana A healthy snaking option