As dark clouds settle over the city, a seasonal comfort is finding its way onto dining tables — a bowl of warm soup.
Soup is one of the world's oldest prepared foods, dating back to 20,000 BC. The word 'soup' itself is derived from the Middle English 'soupe' and old French, 'soupe' meaning 'soaked bread'. Over time, this meaning shifted to the liquid that was used to soak the bread.
Archaeologists discovered scorch marks on ancient pottery in China's Xianrendong cave, indicating early humans were boiling soup long before written history.
As civilisations developed, so did their soup. It started appearing in kitchens all over the world in different forms. From traditional pepper rasam and chicken broth to creamy pumpkin soups and ramen broths, warm bowls are finding favour among many who seek comfort during rainy evenings.
Beyond comfort, soups are often valued for their nutritional benefits. Made with vegetables, lentils, meat and seafood, they provide essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants in an easily digestible form.
The high water content also helps maintain hydration, while ingredients such as ginger, garlic, turmeric and black pepper — commonly used in many soups — are known for their anti-inflammatory and immunity-supporting properties.
This monsoon, when digestive issues and seasonal illnesses become more common, warm soups are often considered a wholesome and soothing meal option.
Here, TNIE presents a few soup varieties to savour this monsoon season.
Creamy Mushroom Potato Soup
INGREDIENTS:
Button mushrooms: 200 g (sliced)
Olive oil: 80ml
Parsley: 6 g (chopped)
Potato: 100 g (cubes)
White pepper powder: 5 g
Salt: To taste
Garlic: 5 g (chopped)
Onion: 10 g (chopped)
Fresh cream: 100 ml
Thyme: 2 g
Lemon juice: 10 ml
METHOD:
Heat oil in a pan. Add chopped garlic and onion. Cook until translucent. Add small potato cubes, thyme, salt and sliced mushrooms. Cook for a few minutes and add water. Once the potatoes are well cooked, add the fresh cream and reduce the heat. Cook for two minutes. Finish with lemon juice, white pepper and chopped parsley.
Ash-e-reshteh
Ingredients:
Chickpeas: ½ cup (100g)
Kidney beans: ½ cup (105g)
Whole masoor dal: ½ cup (95 g)
Mung beans: ½ cup (105g)
Water: 9 cups
Vegetable oil: ⅓ cup
Onions: 2 (chopped)
Garlic: 8 cloves (thinly sliced)
Mint leaves: 1 tbsp (dried)
Turmeric powder: 1½ tsp
Flour noodles (reshteh): 100g (snapped in half)
Fresh parsley: 1½ cups (minced)
Fresh coriander: 1½ cups (minced)
Spinach: 1½ cups (chopped)
Green onion: 1 stalk (thinly sliced)
Salt: 1½ tsp + plus more to taste
Methi: 2 tsp
Black pepper powder: 1 pinch
Yoghurt: 1¼ cups
Method:
Soak chickpeas and kidney beans in a large bowl overnight. Soak masoor dal and mung beans also overnight. Take water in a large pot and add chickpeas and kidney beans. Bring to a boil. Scoop off the foam, reduce the heat and cover with a lid. Cook for 50 to 60 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the onion and salt, and cook until the onions are lightly golden. Add the garlic and cook until golden. Then add the dried mint and turmeric, and stir for 20 seconds. Reserve a quarter of the onion mixture in a bowl. Add the rest to the pot of cooking beans.
When the beans are cooked through, add masoor dal and mung beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cover with the lid. Cook for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, chop all the greens. Then add the noodles and cook for 7 to 8 minutes. Add the chopped greens, salt, fenugreek, and pepper to the pot. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add more water as needed, as the beans and the noodles will quickly soak up the liquid. Garnish with yoghurt and the reserved onion and garlic mixture.
Tomato egg drop soup
Ingredients:
Oil: 2 tbsp
Tomato: 1 large or 2 small (small chunks)
Chicken stock: 1 cup
Water: 2 cups (or more chicken stock)
Light soy sauce: 2 tsp
Sesame oil: 1/2 tsp
White pepper: 1/4 tsp
Salt: To taste
Egg: 1 (beaten)
Cornflour: 1 1/2 tsp (mixed with 2 tablespoons/30ml water)
Green onion: 1 (finely chopped)
Coriander: 2 tbsp (chopped, optional)
Method:
Heat oil in a pot. Add the tomato chunks and let it cook for 5 minutes until the tomatoes are softened and start to fall apart. Stir occasionally. Add one cup of chicken stock, two cups of water, two tsp of light soy sauce, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, and 1/4 tsp white pepper. Add salt to taste. Bring the mix to a boil, and let it simmer over low heat with the lid on. Quickly beat the egg in a small bowl and prepare the cornstarch slurry in a separate bowl. Use a ladle and slowly swirl the soup in a whirlpool motion. Keep swirling as you pour in the cornstarch slurry until well incorporated. Now pour a thin stream of egg into the middle of the whirlpool. Serve hot or at room temperature. Garnish with chopped green onions and coriander.
Baked cauliflower soup
Cauliflower:300gm
Onion: 1 medium
Garlic :1 bulb
Olive oil: 2 tbsp
Salt: as needed
Pepper powder: 1 tsp
Rosemary :3 -4 strands
Method :
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and place the sliced cauliflower florets onto a baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil, along with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly with your hands to make sure all the florets absorb the flavours. Add a few strands of rosemary too. Now, prep the onions. Slice the onions in half, rub oil on the cut side, and place them flat down on the baking sheet alongside the cauliflowers. Roast the cauliflower and onions. Place the baking sheet into the oven for about 20 - 25 minutes, or until the edges of the cauliflower become a nice golden brown. Transfer the ingredients to a blender. Add the cauliflower, onions, garlic and vegetable broth. Make sure to remove the outer skin of the onions and garlic cloves. Blend on high for one minute. If you find that the soup is too thick, you can add more vegetable broth or water. Garnish the soup with leftover roasted florets, toasted almond slices, fresh rosemary and serve!
Kadal Meen Charu
Ingredients:
Prawns with shell: 30 g
Squids: 10 g
Fish: 10 g
Octopus: 15 g
Coconut oil: 2 tbs
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Peppercorns: 1 tsp
Jeera: 1 tsp
Small onion: 10 g
Garlic: 15 g (chopped)
Green chillies: 1
Curry leaves: 1 sprig
Coriander powder: 1 tbs
Turmeric powder: 1 tsp
Tomato: 20 g
Coriander leaves: 2 sprigs
Salt: To taste
Method:
Clean the prawns and keep the shell and meat separate. Clean the squid, fish and octopus. Cut them into small pieces and keep aside. Roast the prawn shells in the oven for 10 minutes and keep them aside. Heat a saucepan, add coconut oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chillies, garlic, and jeera. Sauté well. Add small onions and sauté well. Add turmeric powder, coriander powder and tomato slices and sauté for a few minutes. Add the prawn shells. Cook until the soup gets the flavour of prawns. Add cleaned prawns, squid, octopus and fish to the stock and bring to a boil. Once the soup is ready, check the seasoning. Strain the soup and keep the cooked prawns, squid, fish, etc., separately. Discard the other ingredients. Place the cooked meats in a serving bowl. Pour the soup on top. Garnish with coriander. Serve along with boiled rice.
Kashmiri Yakhni Soup
Ingredients:
For the meat & stock:
Mutton: 500g (bone-in, preferably shoulder)
Cinnamon stick: 1 inch
Bay leaves: 2
Black cardamom: 1
Green cardamom: 2
Clove: 1
Salt: 1 tsp
Water: 1.5 cups
For gravy:
Fresh yoghurt: 420 ml (whisked until smooth)
Water: ½ cup (mixed with the yoghurt)
Fennel powder: 1½ tsp
Ginger powder: 1 tsp
Ghee: 3 tbsp
Dried mint leaves: ½ tsp
Black cumin: ½ tsp
Method:
In a pressure cooker, add the mutton, whole spices (cinnamon, bay leaves, cardamom pods, clove), salt, and water. Pressure cook for about 15–20 minutes until the mutton is tender. Remove the mutton pieces and set them aside. Strain and reserve the rich meat stock. Heat ghee or oil in a deep pan over medium-low heat. Slowly add the whisked yoghurt and water mixture, stirring continuously. Once the yoghurt comes to a boil, stir in the fennel powder and dry ginger powder. Let it simmer for 7-8 minutes until the gravy thickens slightly. Add the cooked mutton pieces and ½ cup of the reserved stock into the simmering gravy. Let it cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes with a lid on to let the meat absorb the flavours. In a small pan, heat a teaspoon of ghee and splutter the black cumin. Pour this tadka into the Yakhni, sprinkle dried mint, and stir. Serve hot.
This story was reported by Anu Jophy for TNIE – Kerala.