Red Bell Pepper Soup

I had my eyes on Sig's Red bell pepper soup and was completely floored when I tried it. Grilling the bell peppers and the touch of curry powder enhances the flavour of the soup incredibly. Try it and enjoy the sweetness of the peppers, sourness of the tomatoes and spices, all in one hot bowl of soup!

You need:

2 large red bell peppers
2 large tomatoes peeled and chopped
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 1/2 cups water or stock
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sliced shallots/onions
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp curry powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

For the garnish:
Thinly sliced green onions
Garlic croutons
Cream

Grill the bell peppers turning them on and off till the skin starts to turn black for about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove and cool for 10 minutes. Peel, remove the seeds and chop. Heat oil in a large enough saucepan and add the shallots/onions and garlic. Cook till the shallots/onions start to soften. Add the chopped bell peppers, tomatoes, red chilli powder, curry powder and cook for about 10 minutes stirring frequently. Add the water/stock and milk and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 20-25 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and into a smooth liquid. Stir in the lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Serve hot in individual bowls and garnish with garlic croutons, sliced green onions and a dollop of cream.

Hot and Sour Soup

I prefer to cook simple and quick to make food and I'm quite satisfied if the end result is tasty. Long laborious recipes make me nervous and most certainly I'd be tired by the time I got around to eating what I cooked. Whenever I plan a dinner, I decide the menu – it would on most occasions be tried and tested recipes, and before I step into the kitchen, I mentally rehearse in what order I'm going to prepare them. Yeah, thats the most important part - the rehersal! Am I quirky?? Maybe I am. :) Which is why I planned a fairly hassle free dinner the other day. It's easier to make more items if the procedure is simple or can be done in advance. Continuing with the Chinese recipes, here's the hot and sour soup. A warm soup, perfect for a cold day, or anytime if you love this kind of cuisine!

You'll need 1 tbsp each of chopped carrots, chopped mushroom, bean sprouts, 1 tsp chopped celery stalk, 1 tbsp vinegar, 6 cups of vegetable stalk, 1 tsp red chilli paste, salt, pepper, ajinomoto, soya sauce, cornflour, spring onion greens. Blanch the carrots and mushrooms. Boil the vegetable stock. Add the vegetables, red chilli paste, salt, pepper, ajinomoto, soya sauce and spring onions. Add the cornflour mixed in a little water to thicken it. Cook for a minute and serve hot.

My entry to Allana's February focus - Soup's On.

Tomato Soup

This is my mother's version of tomato soup and is always a hit whenever she makes it.

Ingredients:

Tomatoes - 5-6 nos
Maida/flour - 2 tbsp
Butter/ghee - 1 tbsp
Milk - 2 tbsp
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Pepper and salt as per taste

Method:

Wash and pressure cook the tomatoes. Puree the tomatoes and sieve well. In a pan, heat the butter/ghee till it melts. Add the flour and cook till aromatic. Add milk stirring continuously till all the lumps are dissolved. Add the tomato puree gradually stirring continuously. Mix in the salt and sugar and cook for another 2 mins. While serving, sprinkle freshly ground pepper, and a dash of cream. Serve hot with croutons.