Silver Talkies Member Special: Chandrika Desai’s Cappuccino Soup Is A Frothy Mix Of Taste & Health

Bangalore-based Chandrika Desai, a loving and ever-enthusiastic member of Silver Talkies Club is known for her abiding love for textiles and passion to learn new things. She loves healthy cooking and shares with us a very simple yet tasty recipe. Today is her birthday and we thought nothing could be better than trying out this recipe as the perfect birthday gift to her. Over to Chandrika:

Most of us just want easy cooking in our twilight years. This recipe may be simple in preparation but is certainly very nutritious and has a mix of cost-effective, easily available local ingredients.

This recipe is the idea of my beloved aunt Mrs. Anita Parikh, who continues to be a source of inspiration for healthy and easy cooking. My aunt lovingly calls this ‘Cappuccino Soup’ because of the frothy foam on the top.

Abbreviations used:

C= Cup = 240ml = 8 ozs.

Tbsp= Tablespoon =15 ml

Tsp= Teaspoon = 5 ml

All quantities are taken as leveled unless otherwise stated.

TIP 1: The success of my recipes is in the accuracy of measurements, that is why it is advisable to invest in standard measuring cups and spoons.

Cappuccino Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1½ C Ridge Gourd (Torai or Heerekai) cut and boiled with a little water

• 1 C Green Peas boiled with a little water

• Salt to taste

• Freshly ground pepper

• For garnishing: 1-2 Tbsp

. finely chopped Celery

• 1 tsp. olive oil

Method:

1. Blend the boiled ridge gourd and boiled peas separately.

2. Mix both in a saucepan with water to have the required consistency of soup. Add salt and freshly ground pepper and bring to a boil. Turn off the flame.

3. Lightly sauté the celery in olive oil.

4. While serving, first put the celery at the bottom of the cup. Pour the hot soup filling half the cup and if the hand blender goes into the cup, just give one or two churns to get the froth. Otherwise, just before pouring, give 2 or 3 churns to the whole quantity and then pour.

TIP 2: To retain the fresh green color, always boil on a high flame without covering.

More about the Soup

This refreshing soup blends the thin consistency of ridge gourd with the thick consistency of peas.It is cost-effective as it blends the cheaper ridge gourd to costlier peas.The amazing color of the soup is very appetizing.It has almost zero fat, so it is very useful in weight reduction diets with all the added benefits of fiber.

What’s more? It is a no onion-no garlic recipe that Jains will love and a vegan-friendly recipe too! Hope you try it soon, enjoy it and share your feedback in the comments below.