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Recipes: Lip-smacking soups to beat the chill

Here are three easy-to-make soups recipes to beat the winter chill.

Winter evenings are incomplete without steaming hot bowls of soup and the packed variety just don't feel nutritious enough.

Here's help -- three easy soup recipes, each yummier than the other.

They can be healthy for those on a strict diet or you can add a dollop of cheese or cream to your bowl.

1. Cream of Broccoli Soup

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 small broccoli flower (200gms or so)
1 large onion (chopped)
1 tsp garlic paste
1tsp olive oil
1 bay leaf
Salt/ pepper to taste
1/2 cup milk
2.5 cups water

Method

In a thick bottomed pan, heat the olive oil and add garlic.

When fragrant (and not brown or golden), add the onion and saute till it is transparent.

Add brocolli flowerets broken into small pieces, saute for a minute or two.

Add the water (or stock if you have any), salt, bay leaf and give it a boil.

Boil on low heat (covered) for 15 minutes.

Cool slightly, remove bay leaf and churn in the mixer till smooth. 

Put it back in the pan, add pepper to taste, milk and give a boil. 

Check for seasoning and serve hot.

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2. Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Don't go by the name, it is just divine to taste!

Serves 2

Ingredients

200 gms pumpkin (kaddu)
1 small boiled potato (chopped into cubes)
4 cloves garlic
1 small spring onion (chopped)
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup milk
2 cups water
Salt, pepper, oregano to taste

Method

Rub some olive oil on the chunk of pumpkin, sprinkle salt and pepper on it.

Crush the garlic cloves with a knife and press them into the pumpkin.

Bake the pumpkin in an oven for 45-50 minutes (200 degrees) till a fork easily pierces it till the bottom.

Remove the garlic, cloves if they start turning dark.

Take the roasted chunk of pumpkin and scoop out all its flesh right down to the skin.

In a thick bottomed pan, pour olive oil and saute the spring onions and the roasted garlic (finely chopped) just till the onion turns transparent.

Add the pumpkin flesh and potato cubes.

Mix and add ½ cup milk and ½ cup water and cook for five minutes. Cool.

Put the above mixture into a blender and blend well. Pour back into the pan.

Add remaining milk, water, salt, pepper and oregano and give it a boil.

Serve hot.

3. Sweet Corn Soup

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 cup sweet corn kernels
3 cups stock or water
Salt/ pepper to taste
1 ½ tsp cornflour mixed in ¼ cup cold milk

Method

In a thick bottomed pan, heat the water/stock.

Add half the sweet corn kernels in this and cover and cook for 10 minutes on medium flame.

Grate the rest of the sweet corn and add to the above mixture. Add seasoning. Stir and cook for a few more minutes.

Add the cornflour paste to this, stirring continuously. Give it a boil and simmer for 2 minutes.

Serve hot.

Harnoor Channi-Tiwary is the founder of Journey My Way (journeymyway.com), a personalised travel advisory firm.