Cream of Broccoli Soup

Ingredients:

1. Broccoli florets - 2 cups
2. Olive oil or Butter - 1 tbsp.
3. Milk - 2 cups
4. Corn flour - 2 tsp.
5. Onions ( chopped) - 2
6. Garlic - 5-6 pods
7. Salt and pepper powder - to taste

Procedure:

1. In a pan, heat oil/butter. Add the garlic and onions and saute till they turn golden brown.
2. Add broccoli and cook till the raw smell is gone and the broccoli is tender.
3. Add milk and bring to a boil.
4. Cool the above and blend in a mixer till it becomes a thick liquid
5. Boil the bended mixture once again.
6. Make a thin paste out of the corn flour and add to the boiling soup to thicken it.
7. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with garlic bread. While serving, you might want to garnish the soup with croutons or grated cheese or finely chopped coriander.

Plantain Pith Soup

Picked up this idea from a road-side soup stall in Chennai. If you live in Chennai, soup stalls are a common sight. I was surprised to see one in Bangalore too, outside Total Mall on Airport Road. This soup gives you a "taste bhi, health bhi" feeling! Doesn't look very tantalizing though...Any suggestions for making it not look dirty brown are welcome!

Ingredients: 

1. Plantain Pith - 4 inches long
2. Garlic - 6 pods
3. Onion - 1 medium sized
4. Butter - 2 tsp.
5. Corn Flour - 3 tsp. dissolved in 50 ml. water without lumps
6. Salt and Pepper - as per taste
7. Coriander leaves - for garnishing

Procedure:

1. Finely mince the plantain pith , garlic, green chillies  and onions.
2. In a kadai, heat the butter and lightly sauté the garlic, green chillies and onions.
3. Add the plantain pith to this and continue to sauté for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add around 100 ml of water, close and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add more water ( around 800 ml) and bring to a boil.
6. Add salt and pepper.
7. While it is boiling add the corn flour very slowly and keep stirring. The soup will start thickening. Stop when the required thickness is reached.
8. Remove from flame and garnish with very finely chopped coriander leaves.

Variation:

The soup stalls serve the soup garnished with fried cornflakes. They go crunch-crunch. Add them if you like it that way!