Indian style cauliflower soup

I can live with just soups all day long and that's the case with S too. At this time of the year, there is abundant of vegetables to play with. Sweet potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, parsnips - anything goes well in a soup. For me, cooking is like watching a movie, it should have some coherence. I look for a logical flow of ingredients and at the end, there should be a harmony of flavor even in simple dishes. Even though my husband and I come from the same part of the world and have grown up eating similar dishes but our taste buds are so different. I love my spices, love the bold flavors in food and I love my vegetables. He on the other hand is meat-oholic, vegetable-phobic, loves anything fried. After few discussions on what for dinner, we settled in for a hearty soup made with cauliflower and I promised to serve that with a cheesy toast to soothe his craving for something fried (atleast something close to that).

Cauliflower soup recipe was inspired from the South Beach book and I tweaked it a little to suit my Indian palate. Being the spice goddess, I added little ginger, little garlic, little chili and little coriander powder. 

INDIAN STYLE CAULIFLOWER SOUP

Ingredients

1 small bunch cauliflower - cut into small florets (washed clean)

1/2" inch ginger - minced

1 garlic clove - minced

1 small onions - chopped

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 teaspoon coriander powder

1 cup fat-free sour cream

1/2 cup cilantro - chopped

3 cups low sodium chicken stock or water

Salt to taste

Pinch of garam masala for garnish

Olive oil to saute

Method

1. In a large sauce, heat olive oil. Once hot enough, add the garlic and ginger. Saute for 30-45 seconds.

2. Throw in the onions and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add the chili and coriander powder and cook till the raw smell disappears, approximately 1-2 minutes. Add the cauliflower and mix well.

3. Pour the chicken stock and bring it to a boil. Cook for 20 minutes. Turn off the flame and blend them in a food processor to a smooth paste. Add the sour cream and coriander. Mix well. Add little water, if you find the consistency too thick.

4. Garnish with garam masala and serve hot with cheesy toast.

Tips:

1. This soup is an ideal South beach food.

2. Eat the soup without any carbohydrates like bread or crackers for phase 1.

3. For those in phase 2 or phase 3, enjoy with whole wheat (zero sugar) crackers (2-4 numbers) or 1 whole wheat toast with low fat cheese.

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