Bottle Gourd (Lauki) Soup

Bottle gourd, known as Lauki or doodhi in north India and as "aanapakaya" or "sorakaaya" in Hyderabad is not really known to be a "soup" vegetable - but I firmly believe that any vegetable can be souped or stewed :) Bottle gourd is mostly water, so this soup is very light and easy on the palate. It has no definite taste of its own, so based on the seasonings or broth you use, the taste will vary. I flavor it with cinnamon and cloves and use just a hint of salt.

Ingredients:
1 small bottle gourd, peeled and diced. Discard seeds.
1 stick cinnamon
4-5 cloves
1 tsp oil
salt to taste
water for desired consistency

Method:
1. In a microwave safe dish, add the bottle gourd pieces. Cover and cook for 7-8 minutes, until pieces are soft and a fork pierces through easily.
2. Allow to cool and puree adding a little water until you have a fine paste.
3. In a pan, heat 1 tsp oil and add cinnamon and cloves to it. When the cloves are "fat", add the puree and salt and stir well. The soup will "bubble". If you want a finer consistency, add water and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes till the soup has an even consistency and the water is not floating on top.

You can also pressure-cook the bottlegourd on stove-top and follow steps 2 and 3 after that.

Cabbage Soup

My friend Lisa once told me that cabbage soup, if eaten three times a day (without eating anything else), can help drop a significant number of pounds a week. I was very taken by that - seemed like a simple enough thing to do, especially since I love soups. So I tried to lose weight by eating this soup instead of lunch and dinner a few times. It is very filling, you won't really feel hungry, but I crave variety by the end of the second day and lose interest in eating soup. I lose 1 lb or so each time, but it comes back very fast! I would not recommend this as a weight loss soup, but it is a nice soup to eat anyway.

Ingredients:

1 medium head of cabbage
1 carrot
1 stalk celery
1 bunch green onion
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch spinach
1 green pepper
5-6 tomatoes
Seasonings to taste

Method:
1. Wash, clean, peel and dice all vegetables into bite sized pieces.
2. In a large dish, combine all vegetables and seasonings and add water until the vegetables are just submerged.
3. If you use a microwave, like me, use a deep dish with atleast 4-5 inches of space between the top of the water and the top of the dish. This will prevent water from boiling over and spilling on to your microwave. Microwave for about 15 minutes. Let stand for a few minutes and enjoy. My new microwave has a "stew" option and that also works fairly well for this.
4. If you use stovetop, combine vegetables, seasonings and water in a soup pot and put on a high flame till the water starts boiling, about 10 minutes. Cover and cook till vegetables are tender, about 3o minutes.

Curried Tomato Soup

Tomato, or "tamatar" as it is called in Hyderabad, is one vegetable that we always have in our kitchen, we rarely ever run out of it. It is a staple in most homes, and tomato soup is a soul-warmer in the winter. Here is a recipe for curried tomato soup.

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic (you decide), minced
1 inch ginger, grated
3 medium tomatoes, diced
Salt, pepper, Curry Powder to taste
Oil
Water for desired consistency

Method:
1. Fry the chopped onion in a little oil until golden.
2. Add the ginger and garlic and saute for a bit
3. Add the tomatoes and cook. Tomatoes are done when the oil leaves the sides.
4. Add curry powder and stir well for a few seconds, you will presently have a nice aroma arising from the pan.
5. Add water, salt and pepper and bring to boil.

Voila! Thicken with a little cream if desired. Garnish with cilantro or basil.