Hearty Vegetarian Soup Recipes

1. Heat the base of the pressure cooker on medium high heat and add the onions, sautéing till soft and translucent. Add the cumin seeds and sauté till fragrant.
2. Add the sliced carrots and sauté till they start getting soft. Add just enough water to cover and stir in the baking soda and salt.
3. Put the lid of the cooker on and cook for 10 minutes on medium high heat, about three whistles.
4. Take the cooker off the heat and let it cool down or place it in the sink and run cool water over the lid. Take the lid off when it can be released easily. At this point the carrots should be a dark orangish-brown and have a nutty caramelised aroma.
5. Stir in the jeera powder, ginger and carrot juice and simmer for two minutes.
6. Blend till smooth using an immersion blender or mixer.
7. Adjust the seasoning to taste and serve hot garnished with fine chopped coriander. Pro tip: In case you don’t have a juicer, you can just blend sliced carrots with a little water in your blender and strain it.

1. Place the bell peppers in a bowl and coat evenly with oil. One by one, char the bell peppers over an open flame till they are fully blackened. Place the charred bell peppers back in the bowl and cover tightly while warm.
2. Meanwhile, heat a heavy bottomed pot on medium and sauté the onion in the olive oil till translucent. Add in the sliced garlic and sauté till fragrant. Add the chilli flakes and cook for 30 seconds. Take off the heat and set aside.
3. Remove the charred skin from the peppers and lightly rinse under running water to remove and charred bits. Deseed the peppers and roughly chop up the roasted peppers.
4. Place the pan with the onions back on the heat and add the chopped peppers and add the water/stock to cover. Add a pinch of salt to season. Cover the pan and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Blend the mixture using an immersion blender till completely smooth while still warm and stir in the basil leaves and lemon zest. Adjust the salt and sugar to taste and take the pan off the heat, keeping it covered for five minutes.
6. Strain out the soup through a single strainer and let chill.
7. To serve, pour the soup into bowls and top with chopped basil and a dollop of sour cream.

1. Fold a kitchen towel and place it inside a wide metal bowl. Use one hand to place an ear of corn upright atop the towel, and use a sharp knife to slice off two to three rows of corn kernels at a time by sliding the knife down. The closer you can get to the cob while slicing, the better. Repeat with all the corn. Reserve the cobs.
2. Place the cobs in a large stockpot and cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Then take off the heat and keep covered for 10 minutes. Discard the cobs and reserve the corn stock.
3. Meanwhile, heat another pot over medium heat and add the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the sliced onions and sauté until completely soft and translucent.
4. Add the corn and the chilli and turn up the heat, sautéing just until the corn turns a more vivid shade of yellow. Add just enough corn stock to cover the corn, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes with a lid on until the corn is tender. Strain out the chilli at this point if you prefer it less spicy.
5. Using an immersion blender, carefully blend the soup till it is completely smooth. Strain through a fine strainer.
6. Adjust the consistency using the remaining corn stock and stir in the lime zest.
7. Season to taste with the salt and sugar.
8. To serve, place half a teaspoon of the lime juice in a bowl and ladle the corn soup over.

Garnish with the chopped cilantro and serve hot. Alternatively, this soup can also be served chilled.