With prizes of vegetables hitting the roof, its a wonder we can actually cook any dish with these vegetables. A week back, the prize of tomatoes was 60 rs, now its somewhere around 40, which is still very expensive.Imagine the plight when you can't think of cooking anything without tomatoes. For me, the mindset has always been, without onions and tomatoes, there can't be a gravy! How sad indeed. Since couple of weeks, I have been planning on dishes that use very minimum of these prized vegetable! Not just that, even carrots, brinjals cost sky. Hubby dear, back from his usual shopping, brought a kilo of tomatoes and carrots. Promptly asked me to lock away those vegetables. I didn't understand what he was trying to say. He said they cost so much that they are fit to be locked away in beerva!
The other day, Dad came home and saw a bag of tomatoes lying on the table. He commented so merrily "Oh you are buying tomatoes? I could only join him in the merry, though the plight of cooking a dish with tomatoes, sound so tough! Since last week, we have been cooking only dals with tamarind instead of tomatoes. Dals are fine, but how about my masala gravies, I ask! How about Paneer Butter Masala? Konda needs a weekly dose of PBM. My colleague J had asked me for the PBM recipe sometime back and she came around to cooking it finally now. When my other colleague B came to know this, she said J is going to cook a very expensive dish. J asked if its because of loads of cream, butter and other things. For which B replied, no its because PBM is going to consume lots of tomatoes!
Thinking of our woes of tomatoes and other vegetables, here comes a soup that makes an efficient use of left over vegetables or rather blend of all vegetables on hand. There is no hard and fast rule on this recipe. This came into existence for the sheer want of a change from the usual roll of soups getting brewed!
Ingredients Needed:
French Beans - 4
Carrot - 1/2
Cabbage - Handful chopped
Tomato - 1/2
Yellow Moong Dal - 1 ladle (can be less if you want)
Mint leaves - about 5
Garlic - 3 small pods
Onion - 1 small
Clove -1
Cinnamon - 1"
Salt & Pepper to taste
Oil - 1/2 tsp
Method to prepare:
Wash and chop all vegetables. Heat oil in a pressure cooker, sauté clove, cinnamon, then onions and garlic till its fragrant.
Add in the mint leaves, fry for 1 min. Then add the drained vegetables. Sauté for 2 mins on high. Then add the washed moong dal. Fry for 1 min. Add 1 - 2 cups of water and pressure cook for 2 whistles. Remove the clove and cinnamon.
Once its cool, grind to a smooth paste. Add more water if required, then season it with salt and pepper. Bring to boil and remove.
This taste absolutely yummy. I would say it tasted of all the vegetables that went in and I felt more filled. A bowl of this makes a dinner complete.
And not to mention, best way to clean up left over small quantities of vegetables.
vidhas says
I am so happy valli to comment first. Very healthy receipe. Can you drop in my blog for collecting something.
Priya says
Delicious SOup..feel like having rite now..
SMN says
Hey Valli i know its a pain to go shopping these days especially the veggies..I thought Bangalore is bad in entire India ut now v r better placed here a tomato a kg is 36 bucks and i hv been preparing only palak and aloo ..
Just waiting to eat all the veggies..I liked the idea of using the leftovers.
Uj says
Soup looks filling and really good.. A very good way to use the veggies :).. I too cant imagine cookign without tomato's
Bhawana says
yuuuummy vegetable soup... delicious.
Curry Leaf says
Lovely and healthy.Sure nice way of using up leftover veggies.Sometimes I too turn them into soup,though a bit diff from this.Lovely
Zee says
An apt recipe in this weather..your soup looks so yummy and creamy..wish I could slurp some right now:)
Yasmeen says
Pricey Tomatoes! It wise to efficiently use all the left over veggies to make such delicious soup:)
A surprise for you in my blog:)
srikars kitchen says
wow.. healthy & creamy soup....
Arundathi says
nice job - always end up making a mixed vegetable curry - this is a healthy alternative.
anudivya says
Looks really comforting Valli. Oh, and I did take off the "word verification" off on my comment page. Whack me the next time I don't listen to you, okay? 🙂
And, yes, I will be sending my wild rice salad to the rice event by you for sure. Just haven't gotten around to it, will do it shortly.
Hugs.
Varsha says
thats one lovely nutritious soup valli..:)
Happy cook says
60 rs for tomato that is indeed really expensive, now it is winter here they are too expensive, and not to mention tasteless.
Vij says
yummmy soup!
rekhas kitchen says
nice way to use veges nd dal
LG says
Even I listen about the soaring prizes of veggies. A neat idea of using left over veggies
Sharmila says
A diff way of using leftover veggies. I too add a little dal to soups. 🙂
Divya Vikram says
Now I am in the process of using up my leftover veggies..Ready to leave to India!! Bookmarking this one to prepare during the last day!!
Divya Kudua says
Yummy soup Valli..you are right,the way prices of veggies are soaring,I wonder how much cooking we'll be doing..;-)