Clear chicken ball soup

About the food:

This is an original recipe of mine. My 4 yr old son is crazy about chicken soups, and if given his way, can have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner.I had to think hard to add variety to his 'chicken soups'. I leafed through by cookery books, searched the net, and then this recipe came to my mind.

In this recipe, the chicken balls are succulent, the apricots give a sweet and twangy taste and the ginger gives a spicy flavour.It is an extremely healthy and versatile food, your kids would love the soft and succulent chicken balls, you can have it as a light meal or you could serve this in a party. The best part of this dish is that it is extremely easy to cook! You cannot expect anything more for a dish.So, let's go ahead!

Preparation time: 30 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

500 gms boneless chicken breast pieces
1 bunch of spring onions, chopped
1 tbsp of ginger paste
1/2 inch root ginger, finely chopped
6-7 dried apricots, chopped finely
1 tbsp black peppercorns
1 tbsp black pepper powder
salt
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp cornflour
vegetable oil
1 ltr water or chicken stock

Method:

1. Chop the chicken pieces and using a food processor/mixer mince them finely to a thick paste.
Take them out in bowl, add the ginger paste, onion powder, black pepper powder, cornflour and salt. Mix them together and leave it for 20 mins.

2.Wet your both palms with some oil, and make small balls from the mixture. Line them it a plate, taking care that they do not touch.

3. Heat a deep pan and add they butter. Put the black peppercorns, chopped ginger, spring onions and apricots. Fry for 5mins over a low flame. Add 1 ltr of water or the chicken stock, add salt and let it boil. One by one, lower the chicken balls into the boiling water. Cover and let them simmer over a low flame for 20-25mins.

4. Scoup off any fat from the surface, and serve hot with garlic bread.

Gujarati mango soup

About the food:

I came across this odd, new, innovative and fantastic recipe in Madhur Jaffrey's ' The ultimate curry bible', which I am currently reading. My apologies to madhur-ji, I have modified the recipe slightly, tuning the spice mix.This is a Gujarati recipe, where it is served as an appetizer, and is accompanied by the puris ( Indian fried flat breads). This can be a fantastic option of a vegetarian soup, and it feels deliciously fresh.

When I read through the recipe for the first time, I fought with my imagination to visualise it ( and to taste it!). Even when I was preparing it, I was extremely apprehensive about the success of the dish. But when it was done, I was absolutely bowled over by its taste, smoothness, texture and freshness. You could even serve this to the kids as a light meal, which would be an extremely healthy option.

The recipe uses the ripe alphonso mangoes, which is one of the best mangoes in India: with just the right mix of sweetness and texture. You can go ahead with this recipe with any other variety, then you have to adjust the salt and sugar quantities. But if you want the best, go for the alphonso!

Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time:10 mins

Ingredients: serves 4-5

5-6 ripe alphonso mangoes or 700 ml canned alphonso mango pulp
200ml plain yogurt
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 red dried chillies
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
10-12 curry leaves
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp coriander powder

Method:

1. If you are using whole mangoes, soften the mangoes by pressing and rolling them over your palm, until you can feel the pulp has become a smooth paste. Now peel the mangoes carefully, capturing the juices, and squeezing the seed and scrubbing the skin. Whisk the pulp into a smooth paste. Press the pulp through a sieve to take any fibre out.

If you are using the canned pulp, pour it in a mixing bowl.

2. In a bowl, put the yogurt. Add 125 ml (1/2 cup) of water and whisk it well. Add the cumin, coriander and salt. Mix them well.

3. Add the mango pulp to the yogurt. Add the sugar and 400 ml of water ( a little less than 2 cups), and mix them well.

4. Heat oil in a pan. Put the mustard seeds, curry leaves and the red chillies, broken into halves. Let them crackle. Remove from the flame and add the mixture. Return to the flame, bring it to boil, cover and simmer for 5 mins, taking care the base does not stick to the pan.

5. Remove from heat and serve warm.

Oriental style aubergine soup

About the food:

This dish belongs to the Chinese/Thai cuisine.

I recently had this soup at a Chinese eatery, and it tasted so new and different that I was immediately drawn to it. It took me some time before I could find a recipe which is the closest match to the dish, and impoverished on it in to get it done. It is a brilliant dish, ideal for the vegetarians, and could be served as a starter or as a light meal. It is extremely easy to make, and I am thoroughly in love with this dish. I can promise, many of my guests would soon have it served!

Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients: serves 4

3 aubergines
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp ginger paste
vegetable oil
salt to taste
1 tbsp Sesame seeds, dry roasted in a pan.

For the sauce:

4 tbsp soya sauce
2 tbsp wine vinegar
2 tbsp black pepper powder
1/2 cup tomato puree
2 tbsp Thai sweet-chilli sauce

Method:

1. Cut the aubergines in small 1 inch pieces. Make sure that each piece has a share of the skin, otherwise the piece will become very soft.

2. Brush a steamer rack with oil. Put the aubergines in the rack and steam it for about 10-12mins. Take care not to overcook them, the aubergines should just be tender and cooked through.

3. To make the sauce, put all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and mix well.

4. Heat a pan. Pour 1 tbsp of oil. Fry the chopped garlic for 1 min. Add the ginger and stir fry for another minute. Add the sauce and continue stirring over a medium flame. Continue until the oil separates from the mixture. Add 1/2 cup of water to make the sauce a little dilute. Adjust the water quantity according to the thickness of gravy, to get a thick soup. Season it with salt, it needed.

5. Add the steamed aubergine pieces, cover and cook for 2 mins.

6. Pour it on a serving bowl and garnish with the sesame seeds.