Four recipes for warming Indian soups

Potato and coriander (pictured above)

The humble potato shines through in this dish, with a little help from green chillies and fresh coriander. They give the soup not only a beautiful colour, but also a lovely dose of tangy heat.

Prep 10 min
Cook 35 min
Serves 4

1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tbsp salted butter
4 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
1 small green chilli, finely chopped
2 leeks, finely chopped
3 carrots, cut into 1cm pieces
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm pieces
2 vegetable stock cubes
850ml boiling water
50g fresh coriander, leaves and stems, roughly chopped
¼ tsp each salt and black pepper
¼ tsp chilli flakes

Heat the oil and butter together in a large saucepan over a medium–low heat. Add the garlic and chilli, and cook for two minutes, until they begin to colour and soften. Mix in the leeks and cook for roughly five minutes, until softened. Stir in the carrots and potatoes, increase the heat to medium and cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften.

Crumble the stock cubes into the saucepan and add the boiling water. Set aside some of the coriander for garnish and stir the rest into the saucepan. Cover the pan and cook for 15–20 minutes, until the potatoes are very tender. Take off the heat, then purée the soup using a hand-held blender. Return the pan to the hob, cook for a final two minutes, then stir in the salt, pepper and chilli flakes. Serve sprinkled with the reserved chopped coriander.

Chicken, lentil and fresh turmeric

You could use ground turmeric for this recipe if you can’t find fresh, but bear in mind its flavour is more powerful than that of fresh.

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Prep 10 min
Cook 40 min
Serves 4

1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
10 curry leaves
2 red onions, peeled and roughly chopped
50g fresh turmeric, peeled, roughly chopped (or use 1 tbsp ground turmeric)
1cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
3 tomatoes, roughly chopped
40g fresh coriander, leaves and stems roughly chopped, plus extra to garnish
1½ tsp salt
1 tsp honey
400ml boiling water
400ml can coconut milk
100g red lentils
(masoor dal)
500g skinless chicken breast fillets, cut into 2.5cm dice

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the coriander and cumin seeds and peppercorns, and cook for a few seconds, then add the curry leaves and leave it all to sizzle for a few seconds more.

Mix in the onions and turmeric, then reduce the heat to medium–low and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are lightly golden.

Stir in the ginger and garlic, cook for a minute, then add the tomatoes and mix well. Turn up the heat to medium and cook for five minutes, until the tomatoes have softened.

Add the fresh coriander and take off the heat. Blend the mixture until smooth, then return the soup to the pan.

Put the saucepan back over a medium heat, stir in the salt, honey, boiling water and three-quarters of the coconut milk, then mix in the lentils and chicken. Put a lid on, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15–20 minutes, until the lentils and chicken are both cooked. Sprinkle over the extra fresh coriander and drizzle with the remaining coconut milk before serving.

Butternut squash, chickpea and spinach

This hearty soup, with a dollop of natural yogurt on top, will fill you up, but you can serve it over rice if you prefer. The simple flavours come together really well, thanks to the spicing.

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Prep 10 min
Cook 50 min
Serves 4

1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2.5cm dice
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp sunflower oil
1¼ tsp salt
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp chilli powder
400g can chopped tomatoes
400g can chickpeas
100g spinach leaves, finely chopped

Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)(350F)/gas 4. Spread out the squash pieces on a roasting tray. Sprinkle over one teaspoon of the oil and a quarter teaspoon of the salt, then rub the oil over the cubes with your fingers. Bake for 40 minutes, until the squash is soft and starting to brown.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a large saucepan over medium–low heat. Add the onion and cook for five to seven minutes, until it begins to colour.

Add the remaining salt to the saucepan, along with the cinnamon, cumin and chilli powder, and mix well. Next, tip in the tomatoes, chickpeas (along with the canning water) and 400ml boiling water. Give everything a good stir, then cover the pan, reduce the heat to low and cook for 30 minutes, until everything is cooked down and well combined.

Stir in the roast squash and spinach leaves, cover and cook for a further 10 minutes, until the spinach has wilted. Serve at once.

Black-eyed beans with cavolo nero

Robust shreds of cavolo nero bring texture to this wonderfully comforting dish, and their earthy flavour complements the equally earthy taste of black eyed beans well. Serve this dish alone as a soup, or with chapatti or rice.

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Prep + soak 2 hr
Cook 1 hr
Serves 4

250g dried black-
eyed beans
1½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 small green chilli, finely chopped
200g cavolo nero, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 tsp garam masala
½ tsp chilli powder

Put the beans and 850ml soaking water into a large saucepan and leave for a couple of hours, until the beans are swollen.

Mix one teaspoon of salt and the turmeric into the bean pan and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, until there is very little liquid left. Add 850ml boiling water and cook for another 30 minutes, until the beans are cooked.

Meanwhile, heat the ghee in a saucepan over a low heat. Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for a few seconds, then stir in the onion and green chilli, and cook for five minutes, until the onion is softened.

Next, mix in the cavolo nero and tomatoes, then cover the pan and cook for 15 minutes, until the leaves are soft.

For a smoother soup, take the pan off the heat, leave the mixture to cool for five minutes, then tip into a blender and blitz coarsely – you don’t want the sauce to be like a puree. Otherwise, leave the cabbage and tomato mix chunky as pictured.

Stir in the remaining salt, the garam masala and chilli powder, then add the cooked beans. To finish, simmer over a high heat for two minutes, to ensure everything is warmed through, and serve right away.