Mixed Vegetable Soup with Spinach

Cabbage, chopped ¼ medium
Carrot, chopped 1 medium
Cauliflower, grated 4-5 small florets
French beans, chopped 6-8
Potato, boiled and chopped 1 medium
Spinach, shredded 1 small bunch
Butter 1 tablespoon
Onion, chopped 1 medium
Refined flour (maida) 2 teaspoons
Vegetable stock or water 2 cups
Salt to taste
White pepper powder to taste
Cream 2 cups

Heat butter in a pan, add onion and sauté for two minutes over medium heat.Add cabbage, carrot, cauliflower and French beans. Stir and cook on high heat for three to four minutes.Sprinkle refined flour and cook for two minutes, stirring continuously over medium heat or till flour starts giving a cooked aroma. Stir in the vegetable stock (or water) and salt. Stir and bring to a boil. Add potato and white pepper powder and cook till the vegetables are cooked.Add spinach and simmer for three to four minutes. If the mixture is too thick you can add a little more vegetable stock and adjust the consistency.Add cream and switch off the heat. Serve hot.
tip: You can add whole wheat flour (atta) instead of refined flour (maida). You can add skimmed milk instead of vegetable stock and then there is no need to add any cream.

Lemon Pepper Soup

Lemon juice 1½ tablespoons
Black pepper powder ½ teaspoon
Olive oil 1 teaspoon
Green capsicum, seeded and chopped ½ medium
French beans, finely chopped
Carrot, chopped ¾ medium
Cabbage, chopped ¼ small
Salt to taste
White pepper powder ¼ teaspoon
Vegetable stock 3-4 cups
Beans sprouts ½ cup



Heat oil in a pan, add green capsicum, French beans, carrot and cabbage and stir. Add salt, white pepper power and black pepper power and stir.Add vegetable stock and bring it to a boil. Add lemon juice and bean sprouts. Let it come to a boil and simmer for three to four minutes.Serve piping hot.

Saffron and seafood soup

Fish fillet, 1 inch cubes 200 grams
Prawns 12 small
Saffron 15-20 strands
Spring onions with greens 2
Fresh button mushrooms 7-8
Oil 2 tablespoons
Fish stock or water 3 cups
Snowpeas, cut into
1 inch pieces 10
Salt to taste
White pepper powder ½ teaspoon
Lemon juice 1 tablespoon


Quarter the spring onion bulbs and roughly chop the greens.Quarter the fresh button mushrooms.Shell and devein eight prawns. Keep remaining aside for garnish.Heat oil in a pan. Add spring onions and sauté. Add mushrooms and continue to sauté.Add fish pieces along with fish stock or water and prawns.
In another pan heat water. Add prawns for garnish with shell and blanch them. Strain and keep aside.Add snowpeas, salt and white pepper powder to the soup. Stir and cook till done.Add lemon juice and saffron strands. Serve immediately with blanched whole prawns.

Pista Burfi

1 cup (100 grams) pistachios
1/2 cup (50 grams) sugar
1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
a few drops of green food colouring (optional)


Soak the pistachios in warm water for about 30 minutes.Drain all the water, peel the pistachios and blend them to a fine paste in a food processor. Keep aside.Dissolve the sugar in 1/2 cup of water and prepare a syrup of one string consistency.Add the pista paste, cardamom powder and green colour and cook over a slow flame, stirring continuously till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan (approx. 5 to 7 minutes).
Transfer to a plate and cool slightly. Keep aside.

Anjeer Burfi

6 nos. (50 grams) anjeer (dried figs)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder

Puree the figs till they are broken down into very small pieces. This should measure about 1/3 cup.In a pan, combine the sugar with 2 tablespoons of water and prepare a sugar syrup of 1 string consistency.Add the figs and cardamom powder and cook for 4 to 5 minutes over a slow flame, stirring continuously.Remove from the fire and transfer to another plate. Cool completely.