Lemon Coriander Soup With Vegetables

Look at that lemon!

I found the most fragrant of lemons at my vegetable vendor’s, recently. You know, those big lemons that are zested and used in desserts on cookery shows? They look imported – American? Italian? My vendor has no idea. I bought one to try out, and then I had to go back and pick up a few more, because they were so very aromatic and juicy! These lemons are a far cry from the dried-up, wrapped-in-plastic imported ones that we frequently come across in the supermarkets of Bangalore. They provided me with the perfect foil to prepare Lemon Coriander Soup, something I had always wanted to do.

I absolutely adore Lemon Coriander Soup, the citrus-y tang, the fragrance of coriander, the almost clear texture. I’m a sucker for anything with citrus in it, and this soup has my heart. It is my first preference of soup while we are eating out. I never ventured to make it at home, though. So, I was thrilled when I came across this recipe for Lemon Coriander Soup with vegetables on Sasmita’s blog First Timer Cook. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect – it is soup season in Bangalore now, and I had all the ingredients for it ready, gorgeous lemons included. I made the soup over the weekend, with some little variations to the original recipe, and was it lovely or what?! It turned out to be utterly delicious, beautifully scented with lemon and coriander, just like the ones we have at restaurants. It was so very simple to prepare too!

This post is brought to you in association with the Recipe Swap group that I am part of, on Facebook. Every alternate month, the members of this group pair up, and cook from each other’s blogs. I was paired with Sasmita for this month’s challenge, and was asked to prepare any recipe from her blog. While Sasmita’s blog has loads of traditional Oriya recipes and several beautiful bakes, this Lemon Coriander Soup was the obvious choice for me!

Here’s how I made the Lemon Coriander Soup with vegetables. Do try it out too, and share your feedback.

Ingredients (serves 4-5):

1. 4 cups + 2 tablespoons water
2. 2 handfuls fresh coriander leaves, with stalks
3. 1 green chilli
4. 4-5 strands of lemongrass
5. 1 teaspoon oil
6. A 2-inch piece of carrot
7. 4 garlic cloves
8. 1 big piece of babycorn or 1 tablespoon sweet corn kernels
9. A small piece of cabbage
10. Salt to taste
11. 1/4 teaspoon black pepper powder or to taste (optional)
12. 1/2 tablespoon cornflour
13. Juice of 1 lemon or to taste
14. 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh coriander or as needed, for garnishing

Method:

1. Chop up the 2 handfuls of coriander leaves, along with their stalks, roughly. Chop the green chilli and the lemongrass stalks roughly too.

2. Take the 4 cups of water in a heavy-bottomed pan, and place it on high flame. Add in the roughly chopped coriander leaves and stalks, green chilli and lemongrass strands. Let the water come to a boil, then turn the flame down to medium. Allow to cook on medium flame for 4-5 minutes. Switch off gas. This will form the stock for the Lemon Coriander Soup.

3. Now, we will prepare the vegetables needed for the soup. Peel the garlic cloves and carrot, and chop finely. Chop the babycorn and cabbage finely.

4. Take the cornflour in a small cup. Add in the 2 tablespoons of water. Make a slurry, without any lumps.

5. Strain the stock we prepared earlier, using a colander. Discard the chilli, coriander and lemongrass. Reserve the stock.

6. Heat the oil in a pan. Add in the finely chopped garlic, carrot, babycorn or sweetcorn kernels and cabbage. Drizzle some salt. Saute on medium flame till the veggies are cooked through but are not overly mushy. They should retain a bit of a crunch. Sprinkle a little water over the veggies if they get too dry.

7. When the vegetables are cooked, pour the strained stock into the pan. Add in salt to taste, black pepper powder (if using), and the cornflour slurry we prepared earlier. Mix well. Cook on medium flame till the soup thickens a little, about 2 minutes.

8. Taste and adjust salt and seasonings. Add more water if required. Switch off gas.

9. Mix in the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander. Serve the Lemon Coriander Soup immediately.

Notes:

1. You may skip the vegetables, if you so prefer. In that case, just prepare the coriander-chilli-lemongrass stock, add the cornflour slurry, allow to thicken, then switch off gas and add lemon juice and finely chopped fresh coriander.

2. Use a neutral oil like olive oil or refined oil to make the Lemon Coriander Soup.

3. If you feel the heat from the green chilli is enough, you can skip the black pepper powder entirely.

4. Wheat flour can be used to thicken the soup, instead of corn flour. However, I have used corn flour here to retain the clear texture of the soup.

Did you like this recipe? Do tell me, in your comments!

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