Friday, March 15, 2013

Palak soup for the soul!

Do you love soups? I do. I am a soup fanatic. If I was cooking only for myself and did not have to care for the carb crazy husband, I will survive only on soup.

On the other hand I am so NOT a salad person. I think I have a strong dislike for anything uncooked (Other than fruit) and cold (other than dessert). Hence it is only unwillingly that I try to eat things like cucumber raita, sprout salad, carrot salad etc. Veggies like carrots, radishes and beets, I make either into a paratha after grating and adding to Chappati dough or into  payathankanji.

I discovered that as much as a soup may sound fancy, it is actually very very easy to prepare and gets done in a jiffy too.

Palak( Spinach greens) soup for the soul:

1 bunch palak - stems and all - chopped roughly
1 large onion
green chillies 2 or more as per heat requirement
garlic (if you like the flavour, I don't)
2 teaspoons all purpose flour (maida)
milk 200 ml
grated cheese (optional)
Oil - 2 teaspoons
Salt to taste
desired garnish

Heat oil in a wok. Add the onions saute until they turn pink. Add salt as well. Now throw in the chopped palak and chillies. Mix well. Add about a cup of water , cover and cook till almost all water is evaporated.

Once evaporated, cool the palak onion mixture unless you want your kitchen walls painted green.

Once well cooled, add the 2 teaspoons of maida and grind into a bright green smooth paste. Transfer back to the wok on a low flame to let the maida thicken the soup. Keep stirring lest the misture gets lumpy. Add about two cups of water ( or less as needed)Fold in the milk to and simmer until the whole house smells of palak soup. When still hot you may add in the grated cheese. ( I used mozzarella which was sitting in the fridge for too darn long)

You can garsh with grated/ crushed garlic/ chilly flakes/ oregano/dried masil/ parsley.

Serve. as is or with whole wheat pasta/ some home baked bread :)

This is the toddlers bowl with rice and a few drops og ghee. He loves it this way:



 
 
 

And here's my lunch:



Thats a salad with moong sprouts, peanuts, pomogranate, grated carrots and cucumber and crumbled paneer sprinkled with salt and pepper. Very healthy and fairly tasty too :)

And oh!! I have updated a picture from the Contours Womens Day Run. Please do go there and be your sweet selves, dear readers :)

and also updated my work out page, after a well deserved prod from Gowri. Thankyou.


 

14 comments:

  1. looks yum! I love palak soup

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  2. I love the title :-)... will try this soup.. I love the salad - never thought of the combination of peanuts and pomegranate hmmm lot to learn in cooking healthy...

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    1. :) was too tempted to name it so

      Cooking is creative... Feel free to combine anything...you never know the result may be a resounding success!

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  3. Wow the soups n salad looks so yummy-Imma try it maybe tonight-I have all the ingredients ready in the fridge-Thanks for sharing Sugar :)

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    1. :) you are most welcome sheetal

      Do let me know how you liked it!

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  4. The photos look soo yummy...but I am shocked by the quantities. You are eating sooo little.....are u sure u are eating enough?
    Or maybe I am eating a lot...LOL....

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    1. I find that when I eat a salad, my mouth gets tired of chewing.So I cant really eat all that much. Plus I do find this stuff filling, esp when combined with a liquid like soup. Liquid foods fill up the stomach faster. So I try to fill up on soups along with my meal.

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  5. Love your blog Sugar! I am on a similar journey as you. Came down from 98 to 77 kgs but for the past few months, my weight has been going back n forth from 77-80 kgs. Frustrating! But your blog keeps me motivated and focussed. You must read this book 'Eat. Delete.' by Pooja Makhija.....it has some great advice and perspective on what it takes to lose weight.
    Good luck with your journey!

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    Replies
    1. thankyou very much!!! I will try to read that book. Congratulations on your own achievement. I'd love to learn how you lost the weight. Could you mail me how you have accomplished that?

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  6. Dear Sugar, I love your bowls more than the soup! I have never liked palak but for the palak potato subzi. Your recipe sounds interesting ,Will give a try.Shehnaz.

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  7. So I did try this yesterday Sugar-and everyone including the twins,Big bro hubby and me-loved it-yummy! Thanks so much for sharing!This is a really healthy and easy recipe-Thanks again!

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    1. thankyou Sheetal... this is truly the best feeling in the world. I'm smiling ear to ear...

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    2. Hey Sugar! Just dropping you a line to let you know-I tried this recipe with Carrots instead of the Spinach-and it tasted yummy to! Thanks for inspiring me :)

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