1,000 Indian Recipes (114 page)

Of course, in years to come, with two American-born and -raised children—whose lives were filled with school and camping activities—I came to realize the convenience of canned soup. But to me, soup is best when it's the result of imagining a blending of flavors, buying fresh seasonal vegetables and other ingredients (or making use of leftover refrigerated produce), combining them and spicing them the way my taste buds direct me that day. Serving and eating canned soup just doesn't give me the same satisfaction.

Soups, in fact, are one of the easiest things to make, because once you put all the ingredients in the pot, they pretty much cook themselves. They showcase the cook's skill in preparing comforting foods, are easy to make for company, and are generally filling. Because Indian soups are often vegetable-based, they can be ideal foods for health-conscious people, who can first fill up on healthful soup and then easily eat less of the meats, breads, and fried foods featured as main courses.

Most of my soup recipes are vegetarian, as is representative of Indian cuisine. Meat broths are just not common in India. You could, for flavoring, substitute all or part of the water in a soup with a meat or chicken broth—just make sure the quantity of liquid remains the same.

Indian soups are generally served steaming hot. Chilled soups, though not an age-old concept, are gaining popularity in the urban areas, so I've included a few.

= Vegan
= Pressure-Cooker Quick

Basic Broths

Vegetarian Broth

Akhni

Makes about 3 cups

Made by simmering together some of India's most popular seasonings and aromatics, this basic broth has an intense concentration of intoxicating flavors. Add it to soups,
dals
(legume dishes), rice
pullaos
(pilafs), and curries.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3 dried red chile peppers, such as chile de arbol, broken into pieces

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

2 large cloves fresh garlic, chopped

4 quarter-size slices peeled fresh ginger

4 black cardamom pods, crushed lightly to break the skin

5 green cardamom pods, crushed lightly to break the skin

1 (1-inch) stick cinnamon

10 whole cloves

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon ajwain seeds

1 large onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

5 cups water

1.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the red chile peppers, cumin and black peppercorns, stirring, about 30 seconds. Then add the garlic, ginger, black and green cardamom pods, cinnamon, cloves, fennel, and ajwain seeds, and stir about 1 minute.

2.
Add the onion and bell pepper, reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

3.
Add the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and simmer until the broth is reduced by about half, about 1 hour. Simmer longer for a more concentrated broth.

4.
Strain and discard the spices. Or pass everything through a food mill to obtain a stronger essence of flavors.

Variation:
In step 1, along with all of the above, mix in about
¹
⁄
₂
cup each of any one or all of the following: fresh mint, cilantro stems, lemon leaves or lemongrass, fresh fenugreek leaves. Then add an extra cup of water in Step 3.

Spicy Chicken Broth

Murgh Yakhni

Makes about 3 cups

This delicately flavored broth is an almost clear soup that mothers serve when someone is under the weather. If you wish, use it cup for cup in any of the tomato soups or in rice
pullaos
, in place of the water called for in the recipe.

1 (2
¹
⁄
₂
- to 3-pound) chicken, skin removed

5 to 6 cups water

3 large cloves fresh garlic, peeled

8 quarter-size slices peeled fresh ginger

8 to 10 fresh lemon or lime leaves or 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon or lime juice

3 (2-inch) sticks cinnamon, broken in pieces

10 cloves, crushed lightly

4 black cardamom pods, crushed lightly to break the skin

6 green cardamom pods, crushed lightly to break the skin

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed lightly

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1.
Rinse and place the whole chicken in a large saucepan. Add the water and all the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and simmer until the meat is very tender, about 45 minutes.

2.
With large tongs or a large slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a bowl. When cool enough to handle, separate the meat from the bones and reserve meat for another recipe. Return the bones to the pan and continue to simmer until the broth is reduced by at least half, about 1 hour. Simmer longer for a more concentrated broth.

3.
Let cool. Then secure a piece of muslin or 4 layers of cheesecloth over a large bowl and pour the broth through to collect a clear broth. Discard the muslin or cheesecloth and chill the broth in the refrigerator, at least 2 hours. With a spoon, remove and discard the layer of fat that solidifies on the top. Reheat to serve as a soup or use as a flavored broth in other recipes.

Spicy Lamb Broth

Gosht Yakhni

Makes about 3 cups

True
yakhni
is made with lamb's trotters (foot bones, called
paayae
) that are cut into 2-inch pieces and then boiled and slow-simmered with herbs and aromatics. An easier way is to use bone-in lamb pieces.

A common practice in India, and one often followed by Indians in America, is to first boil the meat in generous amounts of water, then drain and discard the water and wash the meat in fresh water to get rid of the frothy scum that surfaces and any gamey smell usually associated with lamb. The lamb is then boiled once again to make the actual
yakhni
.

This broth is strong. Enjoy it as a thin soup with a side of salad and garlic bread, use it as a flavor boost in
pullaos
(pilafs) and curries, or mix some into any of the vegetable or lentil soups, cup for cup, in place of water, for added protein and flavor.

2 pounds leg of lamb with bone, all visible fat trimmed

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 small carrots, finely chopped

2 small turnips, finely chopped

1 green bell pepper, finely chopped

3 large cloves fresh garlic, peeled

8 quarter-size slices peeled fresh ginger

1 to 3 fresh green chile peppers, such as serrano, chopped

8 to 10 fresh lemon or lime leaves or 2 lemongrass stalks (bottom 4 inches only), sliced (optional)

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems

3 (2-inch) sticks cinnamon, broken

10 cloves, crushed lightly

4 black cardamom pods, crushed lightly to break the skin

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons coriander seeds

1 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed lightly with the back of a spoon to break

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

6 to 7 cups water

1.
Rinse the lamb and place it in a large saucepan. Cover generously with water and boil over high heat about 3 minutes. Drain and discard the water and wash the meat in cold water. Then, separate the bones from the meat, then cut the meat with a sharp knife into 1-inch pieces.

2.
Place the meat and the bones, along with all the remaining ingredients, in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and simmer until the meat is very tender, about 1 hour.