Spicy Beetroot & coconut soup

There has been a long silence on this blog and as is the case with conversations, it is a little difficult to figure out a way to break the silence & start talking once again. I guess the best way to start would be to explain why there was this long break here.

There has been a series of illness at home for the past few weeks. It started with simple cold & cough & went on to graduate into a full blown viral infection for both me & Shreya. April, as I have discovered, is a month I should be wary of from now on, because I had almost the same problems last year in April & the previous one too! Nothing to do with ‘time kharab hai’ etc but simple change in the climate I suppose, since this is the transition month where it is still cold but is getting warmer. Add to that the pollen, rains and a long weekend, I mean you have to go out on a long weekend whatever the weather, right?

Anyway to cut a long story short, I haven't been able to cook anything, nor eat anything for that matter. The closest I came to cooking was this Khichadi sans Kadhi, which was put together in a hurry while GM was tending to S. I did get a chance to sample his cooking after a long time and I have secretly decided to give him more chance in the kitchen from now onwards, even when I am well.

This post had been in the drafts and since I didn't want to give you my ranting without a recipe, I am digging this one out.

The best thing about this soup is the colour. A deep shocking pink, its almost better than the way the soup tastes. I just wanted to keep looking at it.

Ever since the ‘realisation’ that we have to eat healthy had hit, I had bookmarked quite a few soup recipes. But this isn't one of the recipes I found. I admit I started to make one those recipes but realised that apart from Beetroot I hardly had anything else that the recipe called for. So while I set out to make it as per the bookmarked recipe, I ended up making something totally different.

Spicy Beetroot & Coconut Soup

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 3 cups grated beetroot
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1 medium sized onion, chopped
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp Chilli powder (Optional)
• 1-2 tblsp olive oil
• Lime juice (as per taste)
• Salt & Pepper

To be ground into a paste

• 2-3 red chillies
• 6-8 curry leaves
• 1” piece of ginger
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2-3 tblsp fresh coriander leaves

Method:

Get the paste ready by grinding all the ingredients, using a little water if necessary.

In a deep pan, heat olive oil & add cumin seeds. As they begin to sizzle, add the chopped onions, reduce the flame to medium and fry till the onions turn translucent.

Now add the ground paste and continue to fry for 2-3 min.

Add the chopped tomatoes, salt & chilli powder if using. Cook until the tomatoes turn soft.

Add the grated Beetroot and stir well, cook for about 4-5 minutes.

Add the coconut milk, bring to a boil and then simmer until the beetroot is cooked.

If necessary, add more milk, the normal one.

Once the beetroot is cooked, turn off the heat and allow to cool.

Using a hand blender or a processor, blend this mixture to desired consistency. It will be a slightly thick soup and will not be very smooth either.

Return the blended soup to the heat. Add salt & pepper as per taste and heat through till just boiling. Switch off the heat and add lime juice if using.

Mix well & serve hot or warm topped with small cucumber cubes. The cucumber provides the crunch in place of croutons.

My Notes: I used the coconut  milk powder for the coconut milk and could get the desiccated coconut effect in the soup. I was somehow a little uncomfortable with the beetroot & coconut combination, it might have been because of the powder I used. I intend to try this again with either fresh coconut milk or at least the canned one.

On another note, the Cooking For Kids event, as you all know has been extended to the 24th April and this deadline is fast approaching. Please send in your entries and the roundup will be posted in the last week of April.