Come November and chilly winds of the approaching winter start blowing! But along with the comfortable weather, tag along quite a few health ailments. So what better way to keep yourself warm, hale and hearty other than a steaming bowl of fulfilling soup.

Barley and chicken soup
A perfect blend of lean protein and high fibre

Ingredients
100 gm barley
500 gm chicken breast
1 carrot, peeled and diced
250 gm onions, peeled and chopped
1 tbps ginger, finely chopped
2 tbps ghee
½ tsp black paper, crushed
Pink sea salt to taste
½ tsp lemon juice
1 tsp soya sauce
½ tsp vinegar
1 bunch of cilantro or coriander leaves, finely chopped, for garnishing

Barley and chicken soup

Method
In a heavy bottomed  pot boil the barley in a litre of water. Once the barley is cooked, strain it and save the stock water.
Heat ghee in another heavy bottom pot, add chopped onion, ginger, carrot and the chicken. Sautee on medium to high heat for one minute, and then add the barley stock.
Let it cook for 10 to 12 minutes on slow fire. Now add the sea salt, soya sauce, vinegar and let it simmer for two to three minutes stirring the soup at regular intervals.
Top it off with
lemon juice, black pepper, chopped cilantro (or coriander) and two tbps of cooked barley.

Mushroom and Black Bean Soup

A warm soup which keeps you active and energetic through out the day

Ingredients
150 gm canned black beans
2 tbps tomato puree
100 gm button mushrooms
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic, finely chopped
2 tbps olive oil
1 tsp black pepper
1 lt vegetable stock
100 gm french beans, chopped
Sea salt to taste
1 tbps parsley, finely minced

Mushroom and Black Bean Soup

Method
Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan and add chopped onions, garlic, mushrooms, tomatoes and sautee for one minute on medium flame.
Now add the canned black beans and tomato puree along with the vegetable stock and let it cook on medium flame for 10 minutes.
Season the soup with sea salt, black pepper and lemon juice.
Now let it simmer for another five minutes and finish it with a garnish of finely chopped parsley leaves.
Serve hot with ragi crisps!

Inam Khan, chef

Lukane ka soup

Ingredients
½ kg lukane (bones)
1 tbps oil
2 to 3 cardamom
2 to 3 cinnamon sticks
2 bay leaves
Few black peppercorns
½ tsp sliced ginger
½ tsp sliced garlic
½ tsp turmeric powder
2 green chilis
Salt to taste

Method

Heat oil in a pressure cooker,  add the whole garam masala (cardamom, bay leaf, cinnamon, pepper), ginger-garlic and sautee.
Then add the bones and all the leftover ingredients and add about 750ml of water. Cook until six whistles, then on low flame for five minutes.
Then open strain the soup and garnish with coriander.
Serve hot with bread.

Arabian Mutton Shorba

Ingredients

½ kg boneless mutton, diced
3 tbsp oil
2 large tomatoes, chopped in to four pieces each
6 tbsp oats
1 small onion, sliced
¼ tsp garam masala
¼ tsp ginger-garlic paste
½ lt water
Salt to taste

Arabian Mutton Shorba

Method

Heat the oil in a pressure cooker and fry the onion golden brown.
Add the ginger-garlic paste, salt, mutton pieces, one cup of water and cook for 10 to 12 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for another 10
minutes.
Finally, add the oats, three glasses of water, garam masala powder and black pepper, cover it and cook on low heat for another 10 minutes.
Serve hot!

Hasmina Hamed, home chef

— As told to Oishani Mojumder