Golden-Morning Soup (Yellow Pumpkin-Corn Soup)
Type:
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Soup
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Boiling Hot, Ice-Cold
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For: 4 persons
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Process: Cutting,
Chopping, Grating, Boiling, Seasoning
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Dietary Value:
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Vitamins- Beta Carotene, C, B-plex
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Mineral Salta & Fiber
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Anti-Oxidants
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Carbohydrates, Proteins, Fat (all in Small amounts)
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Time:
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Preparation:
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5-10 min
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Serving:
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5 min – with decoration of each bowl
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Recipe:
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5-7 min
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Eating:
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10 – 20 min
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Name:
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Golden-Morning Soup (Yellow Pumpkin-Corn
Soup)
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Preface:
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This is a
naturally flavored, tasty, appetizing, satisfying and refreshing greenish
yellow-orange soup that is also rich in vitamins and minerals.
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This can be
taken any time in a day but it is best at (or for) breakfast, with family
(particularly on Sundays after morning walk, jogging or hill-climbing
exercise), to start a day enthusiastically in a Golden and Warm mood.
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It is also
best as appetizer, half an hour before dinner or as a dinner (for old, obese,
hypertensive or diabetic people).
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We will
prepare this Soup for 5-6 people (for 4 in our square family and some more
for unexpected but welcome friends who will bring some more golden moments).
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Pre-Preparation:
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Preparation
of Vegetable stock on previous night - take leaves and stalks of any green
leafy vegetable; stalks of coriander; small portions of all vegetables
available (and otherwise wasted) at home (one onion, onion sprouts, cabbage
leaves, stems of cauliflower, half carrot, small tomato, piece of white
pumpkin, skin of yellow pumpkin etc.), all cut into small pieces. Add them to
about 1 Lit. water and simmer / boil on low flame (just maintaining boiling
temperature) for 10 min. Strain them and allow to cool overnight. This clear
and naturally flavored liquid, rich in minerals, is vegetable stock.
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Preparation:
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We will need
5 ½ cups vegetable stock (or water),
2-3 sweet corns (about 1 bowl grated corn), 3 X 3” piece (or 125 gms) of
yellow pumpkin, 1 bowl coriander leaves, few mint leaves, 1-2 green chilies,
1” ginger, 5-6 garlic cloves, half teaspoon black pepper powder, juice of
half lemon, 4-5 teaspoons corn-flour, salt and butter.
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Recipe:
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·
We will grate
pumpkin and corn; chop coriander leaves, ginger and garlic; slit chilies
longitudinally and soak corn-flour in half cup of water.
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We will keep
vegetable stock for boiling (today we will use stock of stalks of coriander
and ‘Pokala” – leafy vegetable with red leaves, very common at our native
place ‘Wai’).
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We will add
grated corn, ginger, garlic and black pepper powder.
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Just before
boiling, we will add grated pumpkin, half of chopped coriander leaves, mint
leaves, green chilies; season with salt to taste and keep a lid.
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At boiling
point we will taste it and if it is perfect we will add pre-soaked corn flour
and keep for boiling for 1 min.
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We will
season it with lemon juice and butter just before serving. (Or we can give
Cumin in Ghee ‘Phodani’ – hot infused Ghee)
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Fortification:
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By using
vegetable stalk instead of water and seasoning it with fresh lemon juice we
have already fortified it. And we are going to add half to one teaspoon of
butter to each bowl before serving. That is really enough.
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We can add
coarse paste of green peas, fresh green grams or germinated green mung beans.
This will fortify the soup with some protein and add to it’s taste, texture
and colors.
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Skills:
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This soup
needs no additional cooking skills.
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Adding
pumpkin and coriander just before boiling avoids overcooking and preserves
color and (of course) vitamins.
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Add green
chilies late to preserve flavor and minimize pungent taste. It is better that
way, since we are having the soup for breakfast. If you want in more hot, as
an appetizer in the evening, add chilies early.
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Add lemon
juice just before serving to avoid bitter taste.
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The soup is
sweet enough with sweet corn and yellow pumpkin. So it is not necessary to
add sugar.
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Tasting it
twice or thrice during preparation is absolutely necessary for perfect
‘Taste-Harmony’.
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Decoration and Serving:
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The soup is
already attractive and tempting with greenish golden yellow color.
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You can add
some grated carrot to add orange color (because yellow pumpkin comes with
varied colors from faint yellow to dark orange).
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Add butter
and chopped coriander leaves just before serving for white and green contrast
(and of course for taste, flavor and fortification).
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Add grated
cheese or cheese biscuits for more fun.
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Tasting, Sipping and Appreciating:
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We will
appreciate and taste ‘Golden-Morning Soup’ first with eyes, then, with eyes closed, with nose (don’t be
over-enthusiastic to dip it in the soup) and then, very slowly, with tongue
(It is boiling hot).
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Afterwards
you can sip it, surrrrr it, drink it, eat it or do whatever you like
(maintaining your status).
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Thinking:
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One can’t think on empty stomach. If you are having it for breakfast,
eat it first and then think (if you want to).
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First warmth (of soup and of being with the family), then leisurely
chatting and then satisfaction.
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The things that give real satisfaction are really very easy and simple.
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In the evening, if we are having it before dinner, with friends, it
will enhance the warmth and pleasure of their company and of the evening and
will increase the appetite.
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Remaining soup can be added to any gravy (without anybody noticing it).
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According to the need and appetite this soup can be served (with or
without modifications) with bread, Bhakari, Roti, Thalipeeth, or any type of
rice. (Last two are, of course, very practical, unimaginative and unromantic
thoughts.)
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