Tomato Soup

Tomato Soup

Tomato contains amazing amounts of Lycopene which is said to have anti-oxidant properties.  We use tomatoes for almost in all dishes. 

A few health benefits are given below:

It has high fiber so are widely used by people who are health conscious. 

They are good for improving skin porosity and are widely used in the manufacture of skin care and beauty products.

 

The organic facts of tomatoes are:

- Aids in digestion

- Blood purifier

- Improves vision

- Prevents gallstones

- Lowers hypertension

- Good source of antioxidants

- Prevents Urinary tract infections

- Reduces Cholestrol & protects heart

- Counters bad effects of cigarette smoking

- Reduces oxidative stress of type 2 diabetes

The Nutrient content of tomato is:

- Dietary Fibre - 5%

- Protein - 2%

- Carbohydrates - 1%

- Calories - 1%

The Vitamin content of tomato is:

- Vitamin C - 21%

- Vitamin A - 17%

- Vitamin K - 10%

- Folate - 4%

The Mineral content of tomato is:

- Pottasium - 7%

- Manganese - 6%

- Phosperous - 3%

- Copper - 3%

100g of tomatoes provide 21% of daily requirement of Vitamin C.

Soup is one of our favourite dish and here I'm going to share the preparation. 

Ingredients

Tomato - 3

Onion - 1

Garlic - 4 to 5 cloves

Ginger - 1 inch

Green chilli (optional) - 1

Butter - 1 tsp

Coriander leaves - 5 to 6 strands

Pepper powder - as required

Salt - as required

Fresh cream - 3 tbsp

Method

Select fresh,reddish, ripe, bigger hybrid variety i.e., Banglore tomato. Cut tomatoes and onion into medium sized pieces.

Pressure cook cut tomatoes, cut onion, garlic, ginger and green chilli. You can also microwave it for 10 -12 minutes or more minutes till it becomes soft. Allow it to cool for few minutes.

Grind the above into a fine paste. Add some water to the paste and filter it thoroughly. Discard the chunks.

Heat butter on a sauce pan and add the filtered sauce. Boil the sauce for 5 minutes. Switch off the flame. Add salt and pepper powder. Add fresh cream and coriander leaves.

Serve hot with soup sticks.

Will meet you soon with another healthy recipe. Bye.

Pidi Kozhukkattai

Pidi Kozhukkattai or Upma Kozhukkattai

A healthy traditional dish which we all love to have is Pidi Kozhukkattai. It is called in various names, as Kara Kozhukkattai, Pidi Kozhukkattai or Upma Kozhukkattai. Whatever the name may be; the taste remains the same; the craze for the dish remains the same. Here I'm happy to share the preparation.

Ingredients

To make Rice Rava:
Raw Rice - 1 cup
Pepper - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 2 tsp

For Seasoning:
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Black gram (splitted) - 1 tsp
Red Chilli - 2
Asafoetida powder - 1 pinch
Curry Leaves - 1 strand
Green Chilli - 2
Coconut (grated) - 1/4 cup
Coconut Oil - 1/2 tbsp
Cooking Oil - 2 tsp
Salt - to taste


Method


Wash and clean the rice. Soak the rice in new water for 5 minutes.Drain the water and dry the wet rice on shade, spreading it on a clean dry towel for half an hour. The dried rice, when taken with our hands, must stick on to our hands and when dropped, it must leave our hands easily. This is the right stage for grinding.

Dry grind the rice coarsely with pepper and cumin seeds to form a rava.

In deep thick bottomed pressure pan, heat coconut oil and cooking oil.

When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds; when it splutters, add black gram, then red chilli, then asafoetida powder, then curry leaves, then green chilli, and then grated coconut, one by one. Roast the coconut till golden brown.

When the coconut is golden brown, add water and salt. Allow it to boil.

Water is three and a half (3.5) times the rice. (Rice - 1 cup : Water - 3.5 cups)

When the water boils continuously, add the prepared rice rava to the boiling water slowly with continuous stirring. Take care for there is no lumps are formed. Continue to stir the rava and water; rice rava will be half cooked now and becomes a dough like form.

The dough must be slightly thicker than Idli batter and looser than Chappathi dough. At this stage switch off the the flame.

(At this stage, for Rice Upma, we can close the pan and place the weight and pressure cook for 4 whistles and serve hot.)

Allow it to cool for few minutes.

Spread the dough on a big plate; take a small amount of dough and make small egg shaped balls with it. If it is too hot, sprinkle little water.

 

Arrange the balls in Idli plate and cook for 12 minutes.

Pidi Kozhukkattai is ready to serve. Coconut chutney and Sambhar will be the nice combination for this.

Note: We can remove the green chillis and red chillis before making balls.

Have a great day. Will revert soon with another delicious recipe. Bye.

Murungaikkai Soup

Murungaikkai Soup or Drumstick Soup


The unique flavored drumsticks are not only popular with their taste but also with its  health benefits too.

Drumstick pods, leaves consists of rich amounts of minerals, phyto-nutrients, dietary fiber and vitamins that are essential to stay healthy.

Drumstick benefits 

• Drumsticks contains of an array of minerals including calcium, manganese, magnesium and iron. 
• Drumsticks contain rich amounts of oleic acid which is an essential mono-saturated fatty acid necessary for our body.
• Drumsticks are rich in vitamin C. Vitamin C helps in the reduction of respiratory problems like asthma, common cold and works against the congestion and blockage in the nose and ears.
• Apart from the above benefits it helps to boost up the immune system and to combat with various infections.
• Drumsticks helps digestion. The drumstick pods and leaves contain good amounts of B complex vitamins such as vitamin B6, riboflavin, niacin and folic acid, which are considered as vital vitamins to regulate the digestion. 
• Drumstick pods as well its leaves are the best sources of vitamin A, which is highly used in the age reducing beauty products. Vitamin A is also popular to foster the good vision and to boost up the immune system.
• Both the drumstick leaves and pods have the property of purifying blood. It also works like an antibiotic.
• Drumsticks are recommended for pregnant women in order to ease the delivery problems. It also used to enhance better lactation in mothers.

Drumsticks are mostly used in the preparation of Indian dishes.

Here I'm going to give a very healthy and delicious drumstick soup which you all like to taste.


Ingredients

Drumstick or Murungaikkai - 3
Onion -1
Tomato -1
Green chilli -1
Sombu or Fennel seeds -1 tsp
Pattai or Cinnamon - 2
Pepper -1/2 tsp

 

Krambu or Cloves -1
Cardamom -1
Butter -2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1 pinch
Fresh cream -1 tbsp (optional)
Salt - to taste
Pepper powder - to taste
Curry leaves -1 strand
Coriander leaves -3 strands

Method

Cut drumsticks into small fingers. Half boil the drumsticks with turmeric powder and take pulp, mash it and keep aside.

Cut onion, tomato and green chilli into small pieces.

Heat butter in a pan; roast cinnamon, fennel seeds, cloves, pepper, cardamom, adding one by one. Roast the spices in medium flame.

After roasting all the mentioned spices, add curry leaves, onion and continue frying.

When the onion becomes transparent, add tomato. When it becomes soft, switch off the flame. This is the masala for the soup. Let it cool for few minutes.

 

Grind the masala to fine paste. Check if there is no chunks are left. If there are chunks, then add some water to it and filter it.

Add the mashed drumstick and salt to the filtered masala, and bring to boil in medium flame. Add water, if required.

When it boils with bubbles continuously, switch off the flame. Garnish with pepper powder and coriander leaves.

If you like to add freshcream, add at this stage.

Serve hot with soup sticks.

Howz this, friends? Try this and post your valuable comments. I'll meet you with another healthy and delicious recipe. Bye.