Almond Pumpkin and Shallots Soup (Vegan recipe)

A tentative foot inches out from beneath the blanket. The cold is intimidating. Almost on reflex, it is withdrawn immediately into the warm confines of the quilt. And just as the brain begins to lull itself to slip back into a dreamy state, the shrill alarm goes off. Yet again. Only to be put on a snooze.

This childish little game of peek-a-boo continues for half an hour ever morning before another alarm goes off. This time in another room. The kitchen to be precise. Letting out a sigh I throw off the quilt and swing my legs off the bed. My eyes are barely open as I stumble and fumble to reach and turn off the irritating device. Even before I switch off the alarm, I switch on the electric kettle placed right next to it. Throughout the year, I like to kick start my day with a glass of warm water. But with the cold weather playing havoc with my immune system, I need a glass of warm water even for splashing on to my face. Open pores be damned.

No wonder warm fluids are the mainstay of my life during the winter months. And after endless glasses of warm water and half a dozen cups of tea, piping hot soups are very much a part of my everyday routine. Especially on days like today when I have a bad throat and everything tastes like sawdust. As usual ended up skipping lunch in favour of a big bowl of Pumpkin and Shallots soup. Roasted the stuff in an oven for added flavor though it can also be prepared in a pressure cooker.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 40 mins ( takes just 20 mins if pressure cooked )

Ingredients -

• 1 cups pumpkin slices (about 4 mm thickness)
• 10-12 shallots
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 4-5 almonds
• a dash of paprika
• a pinch of powdered cloves
• salt to taste
• olive oil
• 1/4 tsp sugar (optional)
• 2-3 cups vegetable stock

Preparation - Soak the almonds overnight . Wash and peel them.

Place the pumpkin slices , 4-5 shallots and garlic cloves on a baking tray. Drizzle with a little olive oil and a dash of salt.

Place it in a pre-heated oven and bake for 30 mins at 200 C. Remove .

Transfer the roasted vegetables to a blender jar along with the almonds and 1/2 cup of hot vegetable stock. Blend for 2 mins .

Pour the liquid into a saucepan and place it on a low flame. Add the sugar and paprika. Adjust the consistency of the soup by adding more vegetable stock. Let it simmer for a few minutes.

In the meanwhile, peel and chop the remaining shallots into tiny rings. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a pan and add the shallots. Fry on low flame till they are caramelized. Remove and keep aside.

Pour the soup into the serving bowls. Garnish with the caramelized shallots.

Serve hot.

The Original Turmeric Latte (Haldi Wala Doodh)

"Turmeric Latte ?? Really ?" ROFL. Some more ROFL. "Do you mean that yucky yellow drink that Mom used to force down my gullet ?",says my friend as she lets out a mock shiver.

"Yeah. But a lot more yuckier than the stuff we used to have in our days ", I replied back. "Now they add coconut milk and even some virgin coconut oil to it ", I added. Now it was my turn to let out an involuntary shiver.

"And yet there are others who really go for it with all guns blazing. How else does one come up with gems like cayanne, chia seeds, hazelnut butter, vanilla extract or something equally exotic ?". My words added to her growing horror.

Thankfully I am able to check myself before the whole post turned into a continuous rant about how the Western world embraces these 'magic' potions with a zeal that could easily rival that of village bumpkins out to get the 'darshan' of a so-called holy man. And to think that they call us superstitious.

This post is dedicated to the original 'Haldi wala doodh' which more than deserves its '15 minutes of fame'. For one, I swear my it's effectiveness is soothing down my throat inflammation.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time -

Ingredients -

• 1/2 inch fresh turmeric (else use 1/2 tsp powder)
• 2/3 cup skimmed milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cloves
• 6-7 peppercorns
• 1/3 inch cinnamon
• 1 green cardamom
• a few drops of ghee
• honey to taste (optional)

Preparation - Slice the knob of raw turmeric.

Coarsely pound all the spices in a mortar.

Cooking - Add the 1/2 cup of water along with the ground spices and the turmeric to a saucepan.
Simmer it on low flame for a few minutes .

Add the milk to the same vessel. Let it boil for 2-3 mins on a low flame.

Strain into a glass/cup and stir in the ghee and honey.

Drink it while it is still hot.

Note - Unlike the Western diet which advocates going off all dairy products for a complete detox, the Ayurveda actually includes milk, turmeric and ghee as essentials for a detox ritual.

Panjiri ( Navratri Collab with Delish Potpourrie and A Dollop Of That )

I have always wondered about the way in which the Hindu festivals are linked to the change of seasons . They are not merely symbolic as most people assume. Rather, the rituals or the prasadam involved in these celebrations mark a much needed shift in our eating habits to accommodate for the change in weather conditions.

The fasting observed during Navratri is actually one such period of cleansing as prescribed by Ayurveda. Apart from eliminating toxins from the system, it helps to activate 'Agni' or the digestive fire which needs to be maintained at it's peak during the cold months. It allows the body to prepare for the onslaught of energy rich foods that are normally consumed during winter. No wonder the sales of ghee and dry fruits shoot up around this time of the year.

'Panjiri' is one such high-energy food that is normally consumed in the Northern parts of India and Pakistan. Made with whole wheat flour roasted in copious amounts of 'desi' ghee and sweetened with 'bura' or natural cane sugar, it is delicious and quite filling too. While a few dry fruits are a mandatory addition to any Panjiri recipe, a friend's mother-in-law makes one that consists almost entirely of dry fruits and especially 'phool makhana'.

Apart from the various dry fruits, one can also add spices like saffron(for a lovely aroma), ajwain (for digestion), soonth (for heat) and even fennel/cardamom. Desiccated coconut and edible gum (or 'Gond' ) is usually put into this recipe.

A few spoonfuls with warm milk is enough to keep one going through the winters. But since there is quite a bit of roasted wheat flour in this recipe, it transforms magically into an 'Atta ka halwa' with some hot water. Nice and easy. And also my preferred way of having the 'Panjiri'.

Read on for my version of 'Panjiri' -

[ Plus check out the two bonus recipes at the bottom of this post which are a part of the Navratri Collaboration !! ]

Preparation Time - 1 hour

Ingredients -

• 2 cups whole wheat flour 
• 1/2 cup ghee or clarified butter
• 1/2 cup bura or unrefined sugar
• 1 tsp soonth powder (dry ginger powder)
• 2-3 pinch saffron strands

To be roasted and powdered separately

• 1 cup Phool Makhana or puffed fox nuts
• 12 almonds
• 12 cashews
• 12 pitachios (optional)
• 2 tbsp poppy seeds
• 2 tbsp char magaz ( melon seeds)
• a handful of raisins
• 7-8 dry dates
• 3 tbsp edible gum

Preparation - Heat the ghee in a thick bottomed pan.

One by one, add all the ingredients mentioned under 'to be roasted and powdered separately' . Each one needs to be roasted separately as the required time varies.

The phool makhana should be roasted to a light brown. The edible gum should be puffed up adequately.

Once each ingredient is roasted, separate the dates. Transfer the rest to a mixer jar and grind into a fine powder. Chop up the dates into small pieces and add to the powdered dry fruits mixture while discarding the seeds.

Add the whole wheat flour to the same pan and roast it till it turns darker by a few shades. The smell will also change by this time. Finally add the 'bura', soonth powder and saffron strands to the roasted flour. Roast for another minute or two before adding the powdered dry fruits and chopped dates.

Remove from the flame. Let it cool down completely before storing in an airtight jar.

Do not forget to check out these amazing Navratri recipes by my blogger friends -

Parinaaz's droolworthy Carrot Milkshake !!

and

Saswati's lip-smacking Chenna Bara Tarkari !!


For still more Navratri recipes, do check out HERE :) !