Bowl of Comfort: Try these five delicious soup recipes at home this monsoon

Love it or hate it Mumbairsquos monsoon is one of the most talked about topics in the country While the season is mostly synonymous with chai and pakodas a hot bowl of soup can also give you that warm and fuzzy feeling Soups are appetising easy to make and add the perfect amount of warmth and comfort to your mealsldquoSoup is the cuisinersquos kindest courserdquo renowned English novelist Virginia Woolf had once said In the midst of a pandemic we need kindness in abundance So gather these ingredients and try out delicious soup recipes provided by five Mumbaibased chefsFarmerrsquos style potato leek and corn chowder with skin chips and cregraveme fraicheby chef Rollin Lasrado Smoke House DeliPhoto Courtesy Smoke House DeliIngredientsPotato peeled cut in dices Keep the skins aside in ice cold water for the chips 500 gSweet corn 250 gLeeks 200 gOnion chopped 200 gCelery peeled and chopped 50 gCarrot peeled and chopped 50 gGarlic cloves chopped fine 2Salt and fresh crushed black pepper to tasteStock ndash veg or chicken whichever you like Keep hot 15 ltrOlive oil 30 mlCregraveme fraiche or sour cream 100 gOil to deep fry the chipsMethodbull Remove the roots leaves and outer layer of the leeks Cut in half lengthwise and then slice the leeks into halfmoon slices around frac12rdquo thick Immerse in cold water to clean and drainbull Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed stockpot on medium high heat Sauteacute the leeks first Then add the onions carrots celery and garlic Gently stir and cook slightly covered for 15 to 20 minutes until the vegetables are soft and not caramelisedbull Add the potatoes and gently sauteacute Add the hot stock to the pot and bring to a boil Cover it partially and reduce the flame Simmer till the potatoes are completely cooked Season as desired Remember ndash A soup boiled is a soup spoiled Old jungle sayingbull Drain the potato skins and wipe off any excess water Heat the oil in a deep fryer or pan to 160 degrees Celsius Test the oil with a wooden satay stick or small piece of bread If it bubbles vigorously it is ready Keep a plate or bowl lined with kitchen paper to drain the fries Place the potato skins in the oil and fry till golden brown and crisp Drain from the oil and toss with some salt This ensures that the salt will stick and melt onto the chips If seasoned when cold the salt will just fall off Alternately you could place them on a baking dish drizzle with olive oil season and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 15 ndash 20 mins till crispybull When the soup is almost ready add the sweet corn in it and cook for a further 10 minutes till the corn is tender Use an immersion blender to pulverize to a coarse pureebull Serve hot with a dollop of cregraveme fraiche and crispy potato chipsbull Leave some of the skins on the potatoes when making the soup for added fibre You could add shredded spinach or kale to the soup to make it even healthierOven roasted tomato soup with olives basil and parmesanby chef Malcolm Pereira The Sassy SpoonPhoto courtesy The Sassy SpoonIngredientsTomatoes 4 nosOnion 1 mediumGarlic cloves 23 clovesCelery 1 stalkBlack olives pitted 810 nosOlive oil 2 tbspBasil few sprigsTomato puree 1 tbsp optionalRed wine vinegar 1 tbspParmesan cheese 3 tbspVegetable stock 3 cupsSugar to tasteSalt to tasteBlack pepper to tasteMethodbull Take nice ripe tomatoes and wash them well cut it into quartersbull Peel onion garlic and cut roughly wash celery and cut into piecesbull In a roasting tray mix tomatoes onion garlic olives celery basil stems and olive oilbull Spread it evenly and roast it in a preheated oven at 160 C for 15 minutes Toss it to get even colour and roast for another 15 minutesbull Once done remove it from the oven and cool the mixture Blend this mixture in batches along with parmesan cheese and basil leavesbull Pass it through a sieve to get a smooth pureebull Now take a saucepan and heat a little olive oil and sauteacute the tomato paste now add the vegetable stock and blended tomato mixture Bring it to a boil add red wine vinegar and check for seasoningbull Serve in a soup bowl garnish with olive oil and grated parmesan cheeseLebanon Lentilby chef Ajay Thakur BayroutePhoto courtesy BayrouteIngredientsRed masoor dal 60gChopped onion 10gChopped celery 5gChopped garlic 5gChopped carrot 10gGhee 20gBay leaf 3gWater 200mlSalt to tasteDukkah spice 12gCumin Powder 4gVegetable stock 50mlMethodbull Soak the dal for 20 minutes in warm waterbull In a sauce pan add half the ghee and bay leaf and let it cracklebull Sauteacute all the chopped vegetables till translucentbull Add in the strained dal and sauteacute for a couple of minutesbull Add in the water and bring to a boil continuously stirringbull Cover and simmer for 20 min or till the dal has completely dissolved in the waterbull Remove the bay leaf cool the mixture and then blend till a smooth thick mixture is formedbull In a pan add in the mixture add in vegetable stock salt and cumin powder Finish the soup with the remaining gheebull To garnish sprinkle the dukkah spice and serve hotCooking tip If dukkah is not available in the kitchen one old replace with any spice like zaatar or sumac or even garam masala Cheesy Broccoli Soupby chef Sarvesh N Karandikar CocoCafePhoto Courtesy CocoCafeIngredientsOnion diced 150 gLarge carrots 2Stalks of celery 2Garlic cloves 2Broccoli florets 340 gSalted butter 2 tbspSalt 14 tspDijon mustard 1 tspAllpurpose flour 35 gChicken broth 60 mlWhole milk 470 mlShredded cheddar 230 gFor garnish fresh parsley choppedBlack pepper 12 tspAlmonds slivered 100 gSprig rosemary 2Smoked paprika 12 tspMethodbull Finely chop onion carrots and celery separately mince garlic chop broccoli into 12 inch florets and finely chop any broccoli stems use only tender bits Set garlic and broccoli asidebull Melt butter in a pot over medium heat Add onions carrots celery and salt Sauteacute until vegetables are softened about 67 minutesbull Add minced garlic and mustard to the pot and stir until fragrant about 1 minute Sprinkle sieved flour over vegetables and stir to evenly coatbull Stream broth and milk into the pot stirring constantly to dissolve the flour Season soup with salt and pepper Then add broccolibull Brink soup to a low boil stirring occasionally Reduce heat to low cover and simmer Stir occasionally until broccoli is just tender about 1015 minsbull Turn off the heat but leave the soup pot on the burner Add half of the cheese to the soup in 2 additions stirring after each addition until completely meltedbull Add slivered almonds to a frying pan heat over a high flame and fry for a minute Add 2 tsp oil salt and chopped rosemary then fry until crisp Remove from heat and sprinkle in paprika toss togetherbull Chop parsley Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with rosemary almonds and parsley Add salt and fresh ground pepper to the soup if requiredRoasted butternut squash soup with barleyby sous chef Shrikant Jogdankar JW Marriott Mumbai SaharPhoto courtesy JW Marriott Mumbai SaharIngredientsButternut squash 120 gGarlic 5 gOnion 10 gThyme 1 springRosemary 1 springSalt 10 gWhite pepper 5 gOlive oil 5 mlButter 10 gFull fat cream 10 mlPearl barley 10 gMethodbull Marinate medium cut butternut squash with salt pepper thyme rosemary and garlic and roast it at 180 degree for 15 minsbull Sautee chopped garlic and onion with olive oil and add the roasted pumpkin to itbull Add double the quantity of vegetable stock and bring it to boilbull Blend the mixture and check for seasoningbull Cook the barley separately with some thyme in and add to the soupbull Add the block of butter and cream to the soup and serve hotAlso Read Water Keepers A new illustrated book wants to teach little ones the value of water