Risotto Soup

One-dish meals have to be the second greatest invention ever.

One of the restaurants we like here, Coco's, makes this lovely Risotto soup that is light, warming and quite filling.

I made this attempt at home. With way smaller vegetable bits, and with little bits of what vegetables I could lay my hands on, and needles to say, left out vegetables that my three gourmets turn up their noses at. It turned out quite alright. Just right for an eat-as-you-work dinner. Ideally, the vegetable chunks could be larger. I made them bite sized for the kids.... artistic and culinary integrity take a flying leap.

Risotto Soup
(not quite the same as Coco's makes it)
serves 4

4 tbsp rice (uncooked)
1 tbsp barley
1 cup corn
1 medium carrot (peeled and diced)
4 French beans (chopped)
1/4 cup cauliflower florets (cut into small pieces)
2 soup cubes
6 cups water
1 tbsp butter
salt and white pepper to taste



Wash and rinse rice and barley.
Soak in 6 cups hot water for 1 hour.
Strain the rice and barley. Reserve the water used for soaking.
Melt butter in a saucepan.
Sauté the cauliflower florets, carrots, corn and Beans in butter for 2 minutes.
Add rice and barley, sauté for a minute.
Add the reserved water, and the soup cubes.
Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, or till the rice and barley are cooked.
Adjust salt to taste.
Season with white pepper and serve hot

Notes:
Some things that would taste great in this soup (which were left out for the sake of fussy eaters) mushrooms, turnips, edamame (green beans, a local speciality), daikon pieces, all cut in bigger chunks.

Dal Shorba

Both the kids are down with a cold. So am I. Runny noses, cough, and rising (body) temperatures set the tone for the weekend to come. Two cranky babies, one cranky mommy, and incessant rain (which is way noisier than incessant snow)... Add to that my inability to even go out for a walk....

What's a girl to do??

Wait for the kids to go to sleep, make a hot bowl of spicy dal-based soup (my m-i-l's recipe), sit at the table with a good book, and eat at a leisurely pace, in perfect silence (the other half having been warned that I've had a really bad day).. Bliss.

What more can I ask for?


Dal Shorba
the way my mother in law makes it

1 cup split masur dal (washed well and soaked for an hour or two)
1 onion (coarsely diced)
1 tomato (diced)
3 tbsp garlic (minced)
2 tbsp (or more) Curry powder
2 tbsp oil
salt to taste
Croutons and/or chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Heat oil. Fry onions and garlic till well browned.
Add curry powder and stir for a minute.
In a pressure cooker, cook soaked masur dal, onion-garlic mix, and tomatoes with about 4 cups water.
After the dal is cooked, let it cool, till it's about lukewarm.
Puree in blender.
Add water to the puree to adjust to desired consistency.
Season with salt and simmer for 5 minutes.
Garnish with croutons and coriander leaves.
Serve hot.

Notes:
The curry powder I prefer is Everest (or MDH) Meat Masala.
The onions and garlic could be fried in butter or ghee instead of oil, for a richer taste.

Soup, salad and some indulgence

Weekday lunches, are something the other half and I look forward to. On weekdays, lunch is the most relaxed and 'No-don't'-free meal. By the time the OH comes home for lunch, the littlest one is fed and watered, and not very likely to be noisy. If we're very lucky, she might even be asleep, and we might even have a 'real' conversation.

Lunch is one meal where I can try something different, and not worry about whether it would suit little palates. Lunch is when I can really experiment. And try to make something elaborate or fancy. Or in other words, food that makes the other-half take skeptical or even outright suspicious looks or sniffs.

And since I'm focusing on eating healthy, I thought of making a soup and salad lunch.

I'd bookmarked this recipe from the FatFree Vegan Kitchen. As usual, I didn't have half the ingredients in hand, didn't have the enthusiasm to trudge through gale and snow to a store, and decided to make do with what I had. I garnished this soup with fresh roasted and crushed coriander seeds. That acted as a thickener, and gave the soup a lovely spicy boost.

Lentil and Vegetable soup
serves 2

1/4 cup lentils (whole masur dal)
1 carrot (peeled and sliced thick)
1 medium potato (peeled and cubed)
1/4 cup cauliflower florets
1 large onion (sliced fine)
1/4 tsp black pepper powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 large tomato (chopped fine)
1 tbsp coriander seeds
salt to taste


Wash lentils, and soak for 30 minutes.
In a pressure cooker, cook lentils. carrots, onions, potato, cauliflower, salt, turmeric and pepper with 4 cups water, for about 7 minutes.
Roast coriander seeds till fragrant, and crush to a coarse powder.
Add chopped tomato to the lentil mix, and simmer for for 10 minutes or till the tomato is cooked through.
Season with coriander powder and adjust salt if needed.
Serve hot.

After the soup was done, I wanted to try something new. I thought I'd try my hand at a terrine. The rice was rather dry. Next time I would like to toss some cottage cheese with the rice, and see if that would make it less dry.

Potato and Rice Terrine
serves 2

1 large Potato (Peeled and sliced)
1/2 cup cooked rice
1/2 cup vegetable stock


Heat oven to 180ºC.
Line 2 ramekins with Baking parchment.
Warm vegetable stock (about 40ºC)
Soak potato slices in vegetable stock for 15-20 minutes.
Remove slices from stock. Reserve stock.
Arrange a few slices of potato in the bottom of each ramekin. (reserve 2 large potato slices for later use)
Fill each ramekin with cooked rice.
Cover ramekins with baking parchment, and bake for about 20 minutes.
Drizzle reserved stock over the rice in both ramekins.
Cover with reserved potato slice.
Cover ramekins again with baking parchment, and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Invert over a plate and serve hot.

And now that our lunch was so wonderfully healthy, I just had to add some indulgence.

No-fuss Mango Dessert
serves 2

1 cup + 2 tbsp mango pulp
1/2 cup low fat Mascarpone cheese
Sugar to taste (optional)


Whisk Mascarpone, 1 cup mango pulp and sugar (if using) till smooth and the mixture starts to thicken.
Divide equally into dessert bowls.
Top with reserved mango pulp.
Chill for an hour.
Serve cold.

Potatoes Galore

It was one of those days! I got up with a minor headache, a cranky infant and a little one who wanted something 'cute' for lunch. Oh, and did I forget to mention that the chief gourmet had just had a tooth extraction, and was as cheerful as a bear with a sore paw. So there I was, I had to make a 'cute' lunch for baby bear, liquid lunch for papa bear, and something light and filling for mama bear.

And trying to get my daughter ready for kindergarten, my little one soothed and cold packs for my husband, the kitchen was in chaos. By the time the baby was rocked to sleep, and the other one well on her way getting ready for school, I went into the kitchen to get cracking on the lunchbox. I looked at my cooker. What on earth were so many potatoes doing there?? Just what am I supposed to do with 6 LARGE boiled potatoes? In all that chaos, I'd dumped the entire potato bag into the cooker, and I had plenty of boiled potatoes.

Well, there was nothing to be done, but finish it all. First the lunch box. A fruit assortment, rice rolls, and crispy potato rolls. Potato soup was the obvious choice for the liquid lunch (not that there was a choice) and a potato salad for me. Easy... and done!

Crispy Potato Rolls
makes 10 small rolls

1 potato (boiled and peeled)
1/4 cup cooked rice (cooled)
salt to taste
oil for frying


Mash potatoes with rice and salt.
Shape into rolls or patties.
Deep fry in hot oil.
Drain rolls on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

That's that. No jokes, that's all it takes. Try adding a pinch of turmeric and some cumin powder. This is one of a repertoire of never fail recipes. And the potato fingers stay crisp till lunch time.

Potato and Pineapple Salad
serves 2

2 potatoes (boiled, peeled, diced)
1 small onion (diced)
1 cup pineapple (diced)
4 tbsp sour cream
1/4 tsp dried peppermint
salt to taste

Stir peppermint and salt into the sour cream.
In a large bowl, mix potatoes, onion and pineapple.
Add dressing, and toss lightly till evenly coated.
Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Serve cold.

Potato, Leek and Garlic Soup
makes 2 helpings

3 potatoes (boiled, peeled, grated fine)
1 cup leek (finely sliced)
1 head garlic
2 tbsp butter
2 cups low fat milk
2 tbsp almond paste
1 tbsp vegetable stock (dissolved in 1/4 cup water)
salt to taste
pepper for garnish

Wrap garlic in aluminium foil and bake for 30 minutes at 160°C.
Cool slightly, and squeeze garlic of of skin. Mince lightly and keep aside.
Heat butter. Lightly fry leeks till they start to brown.
Add garlic and fry for 2 minutes.
Puree one potato in a blender.
(If you want a smooth soup, puree the leeks and garlic along with it)
Add the grated and blended potatoes, the vegetable stock and mix well, mashing lightly against the sides of the pan with the back of a spoon.
Add milk a little at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Add almond paste, and stir well, ensuring there are no lumps.
Season with salt.
Garnish with white pepper and serve hot.

Spicy Tomato Soup

A couple of years ago, on a visit to the US, my family and I had dinner at a friends' restaurant in NJ. It was a wet wet day, and we were rather disoriented after a non-stop 18 hour flight. As we waited for dinner, we were served some soup.

I wasn't really in a mood for any little bits and nibbles. I just wanted my dinner, and wanted to hit the sack, and reset my body clock. It was also one of those occassions where I couldn't refuse, or not eat it. So I took a sip, then a gulp and then slurped it all down and asked for seconds.

It was such a wonderful soup, a cross between tomato soup and rasam. Light, thin, sweet, spicy, and made me feel at peace with the world after a long long journey with my little one in tow.

And since then I've always tried to replicate that lovely soup, and I finally got it just right. It's simple, tasty, and very unfussy.

Spicy tomato soup
makes 3 cups

1 (200 ml) can tomato sauce (NOT ketchup)
400 ml water
1 tbsp rasam powder (or to taste)
1 lemon sized ball of jaggery
1 tbsp ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
Hing (Asafetida)
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
salt to taste



Bring tomato sauce, water, rasam powder and salt to a boil.
Add jaggery.
Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
Heat ghee. Add jeera and fry until lightly browned. Add hing. Pour over soup.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Notes:
1. Hunts tomato sauce is my favourite. It works better than most other brands. I usually measure out one small can of sauce, and 4 cans of water.
2. Use water according to desired consistency. I like this soup thin. Use less water for a thicker soup.
3. In case you can't find tomato sauce, puree a can of diced tomatoes, strain the puree, and add water accordingly.

Cream of Pumpkin Soup

I've not blogged in absolutely ages. I do a lot of cooking, I do take pictures, but I just don't find time to post anything.

And I'm catching up on it all today!

Today I was determined to take time to post all the yummy glorious soups I've made all month long. The littlest one too, co-operated and took a long nap!

The pumpkin is a very soup friendly vegetable. It's sweetness can be balanced with myriad spices. A simple cream of pumpkin soup, garnished with a little curry powder does go a long way in making a cold and dreary winter afternoon way more bearable.

Cream of Pumpkin Soup

1 lb grated pumpkin
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup cream
salt to taste

Garnish
2 tbsp cream
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cumin powder


Melt butter in a heavy bottomed pan.
Add pumpkin, cover and cook till pumpkin is tender.
Puree in blender.
Add salt to taste, stir in cream and bring to simmer.
Garnish with cream and spices.

Broccoli ... (yum or yuck?????)

Broccoli... yum!!!!
Broccoli... yuck!!!!

Where broccoli's concerned, there seem to be just 2 schools of thought. Love it or despise it. A friend once made this soup for me, and I'm no more a broccoli-hater. This soup is also very easy to make. Dunk every thing in a pressure cooker, cook, puree, season, simmer, and voila... Soup's up!!!!!



Broccoli and Everything soup

2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup cauliflower florets
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 small potato (peeled)
1/2 carrot (peeled)
1 cup peas
1/2 cup corn kernels
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tsp pepper powder (or to taste)
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt to taste

Cook all vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, peas, corn, potato and carrot) in a pressure cooker with enough water.
Cool and puree.
Add seasonings, and bring to simmer.
Add water to adjust to desired consistency.
Blend in sour cream.
Serve hot.
Garnish with more sour cream, if desired.

Roasted Capsicum, Carrot and Squash soup

This month was like a soup-a-day gala at our home. The significant other had some heavy duty dental work done, and found it easier to eat his dinner with a straw. And that meant Soup Glorious Soup. All this month, I've experimented with different combinations of vegetables in soups. Some were great, some were not bad at all.... and as for the rest, well, let's just say I'm not about blog those in a hurry... better still, I'm not about to block those EVER!

After way too many varieties of tomato soups, I decided to try something different. And this was the end result. Taking pictures at dinner time, in bad light, doesn't really do justice to this wonderful orange-hued soup! The balance of flavours was appreciated by both the gourmets at home.

This is one of the better experiments of the month! Do try it out.

Roasted Capsicum, Carrot and Squash Soup

3 large Red capsicums
3 medium sized carrots (peeled and cubed)
400 grams squash (peeled, deseeded and cubed)
2 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste
1tsp garlic powder (Optional)

Char the capsicums over a gas flame (or in a broiler) until blackened on all sides.
Put in a paper bag and keep aside for 10 minutes.
Peel the charred skin off the capsicums and deseed. Keep aside.
Heat oil, and toss in carrots and squash.
Add a little water if required and cook till tender.
Puree capsicums, and the cooked squash and carrots.
Add water to adjust consistency. Season with salt and garlic powder.
Bring to a simmer.
Serve hot.

For an oil-free version:
Char capsicums as above.
Cook the carrots and squash in a pressure cooker.
Puree with the capsicums, and proceed as above.
Tastes delicious either way.

2 in 1 soup

February... brrrr....

This has to be the first time in my life I've seen what winter is for myself. For a girl who's spent all her life in tropical areas, and who thought winter was a cold 18 (Celcius). A Japanese winter was an... experience of sorts. Days that ended by half past four called for hot comfort foods, and soups were the ultimate comfort food. And Veggie Venture's February round-up of Soup Glorious Soup couldn't have come at a better time!

I'm a big sucker for visual presentation.... no matter how humble the food, but I'm always impressed by presentation, however pretentious! Hubby is someone who doesn't have time for fancy foods. There have been times when we've gone out to try new restaurants (back when we used to live in Singapore) and he'd finish a lovely (in my opinion at least) meal and then say, "I like your version better". Not that it isn't flattering, but sometimes I think great presentation is wasted on A!

Ah well! my husband, the typical south Indian, isn't happy unless as many square millimeters of his plate are filled up with as many varieties of something. Think tpyical south Indian traditional meal with 2 vegetables, appalam, vadai, sweet, rice sambar, rasam, kootu, 2 salads and pickle.. and let's not forget the rice and curds at the very end. Now you get the idea.

I digress... but it will (begin to) make sense soon. A few weeks ago, I decided to try my hand at an artistically presented 2-colour soup. The refrigerator was loaded with tomatoes and spinach. What more contrast can one ask for. So I made a lovely tomato soup, and a nice cream of spinach soup, and served it like this.


The Significant Other took a look, gave one suspicious sniff, went into the kitchen, got 2 bowls, served himself each soup in a different bowl, and declined to eat his spinach. His reasoning: 'Green soup?? No one drinks green soup.' Now I know for a fact he never watched Popeye cartoons! After a little cajoling, the 3 and a half year old, and the 3 and a half decade old admitted that they liked both soups, but the older one still wishes the spinach soup could be made in some other colour. Sigh.. I give up....

The Basic Roux

5 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
5 tablespoons flour
4 cups milk
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt

Melt the butter in a soup pot.

Add the onion and cook until the onion is softened but not browned.
Sprinkle the flour over the butter mixture and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the milk, bay leaf, sugar, and salt and stir until slightly thickened.
Discard bay leaf.
Divide roux in two equal parts. Keep aside.

Tomato soup
1/2 of prepared Roux
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups tomatoes chopped (fresh or canned)

Stir the baking soda into the tomatoes.
Add the tomatoes to the roux, and bring just to a simmer.
Remove from the heat, allow to cool and puree.
Adjust seasonings and heat before serving.

Spinach soup
1/2 of prepared Roux
5 cups chopped, spinach
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 small potato, boiled, peeled and diced

Blanch spinach.
Puree with roux and boiled potato.
Return to soup-pot and bring to simmer.
Adjust seasonings.

To serve:
Two equal sized cups
Take one helping of each soup. Pour into soup plate from opposite sides, simultaneously.
Garnish with sour cream.
Serve hot.
Enjoy!!!

1-2-3 soup

Have you ever had one of those days when you feel you'd be at peace with the world with a piping hot bowl of soup? Of course you do. Open a can, and there you go!

Have you also wished that that soup could be homemade? Made from scratch so that there is that extra element of satisfaction to it? But nothing too complicated, not too many ingredients, and of course taste really great?? Tall order there?? Actually, no.

My neighbour, back in Singapore, used to make this particular soup quite often, whenever her kids, who were very picky eaters, wanted soup. And once I saw just how easy it was to put together, I had to jot down the recipe, and start making it as and when I wanted a nice hot bowl of soup.

I call it the 1-2-3 soup because that's the proportion of ingredients needed. 1 potato, 2 onions, and 3 tomatoes. And some water, salt and pepper. How much easier can it get?

1-2-3 soup
serves 4


1 potato (peeled)
2 onions (peeled and halved)
3 tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste (optional)
salt to taste
pepper to garnish

In a cooker, cook potato, onions and tomatoes with just enough water to cover.
Take cooked tomatoes out with a slotted spoon. Peel and discard skins.
Cool the vegetables slightly, and puree in blender, adding tomato paste if using.
Pass through a strainer.
Use water from the cooking to adjust consistency as required.
Heat on a low flame and bring to a simmer.
Season with salt and pepper.
Serve hot.

Notes:
Make sure the potato, onions and tomatoes are the same size (i.e. all small, all medium or all large)
Tomato paste just gives this soup a richer red colour. Its optional.

Mamma Mia!

Last month, I received the most wonderful hostess gift ever. A's collaborator from Italy was here on a visit, and he gifted me this generously large wedge of the most wonderful Parmigiano Reggiano... rind and all.... And the timing was so brilliant too. I'd been doing the rounds of assorted supermarkets here for a half decent Parmesan for some bread recipes that I wanted to try out.

So I sat with this block of lovely aromatic, pungent cheese in front of me, and between nibbles tried to figure out what to make with it. After a lot of browsing online, I decided on a simple Cream of Vegetable soup, Parmesan rolls and a light Risotto.

Yes, my 3 year old helped too. She saw me kneading the dough for the Parmesan rolls. After the rolls had risen well, I'd kept them aside before putting them in the oven. Next thing I know, she's telling me how she's cooking like me. That did set the alarm bells ringing. I went to the table, and there she was, busy punching down the rolls for her dear Amma. The bread tasted real good, but it was a tad hard and crusty. Next time I make some, I plan to let it rise on a very high surface. Maybe on top of the refrigerator!

A looked rather skeptical while dinner was cooking. And even he loved the end results. He insisted that since his daughter helped with the bread, it tasted great.... so what if it was a challenge to his teeth.

Nothing beats a really great cheese to make a simple dinner something out of the ordinary.

Thanks, Sandro... this is the best gift ever!

There's still a generous chunk of the cheese sitting tight in my refrigerator. I'm waiting for some more inspiration to strike. Suggestions, anyone??

Parmigiano-Reggiano Rolls
makes 6

2 tsp yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1 tbsp olive oil
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons salt
1 cup grated Parmesan (or Parmigiano-Reggiano)

In a small bowl, sprinkle yeast over warm water. Keep aside for 7-10 minutes till it turns foamy. Stir in olive oil.
In a large bowl, mix 1 3/4 cups flour with salt and grated cheese. Stir in yeast mixture.
On a well floured surface, knead the dough adding more of the flour as required till the dough loses its stickiness (about 7-8 minutes) and is smooth and pliable.
Divide dough into 6 equal balls, and transfer to a lightly oiled baking sheet.
Cover loosely with plastic wrap and leave it in a warm place to rise till double in volume (1 1/2 hours)
Preaheat oven to 200 deg C.
Bake rolls in the middle of the oven till golden brown.

Notes: A dash of oregano and black pepper gives these rolls a lovely flavour. After dividing dough into rolls, lightly coat each roll with a few drops of olive oil and sprinkle with dried oregano and black pepper.

Cream of Vegetable Soup
serves 4


1/4 cup cabbage (finely chopped)
1/4 cup cauliflower (finely chopped)
1 small carrot (peeled and finely chopped)
1 potato (peeled and finely chopped)
1 medium onion (finely chopped)
1/4 cup frozen corn kernels (thawed)
1 cup warm milk
2 +1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp white pepper powder
1 cup vegetable stock
2 cups water
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp dried oregano
Salt to taste

Make roux:
Melt 1 tbsp butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour. Keep stirring over low flame ensuring there are no lumps.
When mix starts to bubble, add warm milk, stirring continuously. Simmer for 1 minute.
Add white pepper and keep aside.

Heat remaining butter in saucepan.
Saute onions till onions start to turn transparent.
Add remaining vegetables. Saute for 5 minutes more.
Add stock and simmer for about 5 minutes till vegetables are soft.
Add roux and garlic powder. Mix well.
Add water, if required (a little at a time), to adjust consistency.
Simmer till well combined. Adjust salt to taste.
Sprinkle dried oregano.
Serve hot.

Risotto
serves 2


1 cup long grained rice
1/4 cup frozen corn kernels
1 small red capsicum (deseeded and diced)
1 small green capsicum (deseeded and diced)
1/4 cup frozen peas (thawed)
1 small onion (chopped fine)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 tbsp butter (or extra virgin olive oil)
3 cups vegetable broth/stock
2 tbsp grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings for garnish

Melt butter. (or Heat oil)
Saute onion and garlic till transparent.
Add capsicums, corn and peas and saute till capsicums are slightly soft.
Add rice and saute for one minute. (Make sure rice doesn't burn and stick to the bottom of the pan)
Add 1 cup vegetable broth. Cover and simmer till it's fully absorbed.
Repeat till all broth is used, and rice is fully cooked. Stir in grated cheese.
Serve hot, topped with cheese shavings.

Notes:
I left out any mention of salt in this recipe. If the vegetable broth/stock is not salty enough for your taste buds, do add some salt with the last addition of broth/stock to the Risotto. This is generally not required.

Kid's favourite Vegetable Sweet Corn Soup

It was one of those days. All my two year old wanted was chocolate milk. No rice. No dal. No vegetables. No fruit.

As a last ditch try I threw in all vegetables I had at home into one bit pot, and voila, a soup she actually liked. She had 4 helpings. Wow... so this recipe is a keeper.

Almost 4 cups of chopped vegetables, all of it sauteed, some of it pureed, no artificial additives unless you wish to add soup-cubes to boost the flavour. How much healthier can it get!

Do note that there are no thickening agents like cornflour. The puree acts as a thickener.

Add some pasta, and serve with generous slices of garlic bread to make it a one-dish meal. Any pasta is fine, as long as it's in the tiny to small size range.

Vegetable Sweet Corn Soup
makes about 2 liters of soup

1 onion (finely chopped)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 carrot
1 medium potato
1 capsicum (deseeded and finely chopped)
1 cup cauliflower florets
1 cup broccoli
3 large tomatoes
1 cup corn kernels
1 liter cups water
3 tbsp butter

Salt to taste
Fresh milled black pepper to taste
Optional - soup stock or soup cubes

Wash and peel potato and carrot. Chop into very small pieces.
Chop cauliflower and broccoli florets into fine pieces. (I use the stems too)
Melt butter in a large saucepan.
Saute onion and minced garlic till the onions start to turn transparent.
Add all other chopped vegetables except the tomatoes and corn kernels. Add a little salt, stir well and close the saucepan. Cook until the vegetables are done, but retain some crispness.
Keep aside one cup of vegetables. Cool and puree in a blender.
Chop tomatoes. Cover with 2 cups water and boil for 5-7 minutes.
Defrost corn kernels if using frozen. Boil in 2 cups water for 3 minutes or till slightly soft.
Add corn and tomatoes to the vegetables. Stir in remaining water. Stir in the blended vegetable puree.
Add more water if required to adjust to desired consistency.
Adjust salt. Add soup cubes if required.
Let soup simmer for about 10 minutes.
Serve hot with fresh milled pepper if required.

One way to make this a heavier meal in itself is to add cooked pasta. To this particular recipe, I usually take 1/2 cup alphabet pasta, or any other tiny pasta, cook it al dente, and add it to the soup when adding the tomatoes. Then simmer for 10 mins and serve hot.