For years I struggled with feeding broccoli to my family. I first saw this vegetable when we moved to US many years ago. Here I see people look at you as you have the most unhealthy food habits if you say you do not cook broccoli on regular basis. I was told I should care more about my kid and feed him broccoli. Anyone whose kids ate this vegetable bragged about it all the time!. Anyway, I am still not at the stage where I want to put this in every dish imaginable (I do that with some other vegetables!!), but I can safely say both the child and V do not mind this vegetable anymore.
Now coming to this soup. V and I have become huge fans of broccoli soup at the restaurant sweet tomatoes. I had picked up a big bag of frozen broccoli from Coscto few days back and I wanted to try out some soup with it. Temperatures here are going down very fast, so I am trying to include a soup in our lunch whenever I can. Â Yesterday I prepared this and we loved it. The little one especially wanted to eat the broccoli pieces from the soup. May be this way I will get into “cool mom” list!!.
Also check out my broccoli leek soup.
Ingredients:
3 cups broccoli chopped in small pieces
1/2 cup potato
1/2 cup onion
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup whole milk
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 tea spn pepper
1/2 tea spn chopped garlic
A little butter (or oil)
Salt
Method:
Heat butter (or oil) and add garlic, onion and little salt. Fry for few minutes taking care not to brown onions. When they are translucent, add potato and broccoli.
Fry for a minute and add vegetable broth. Cover and let broccoli and potatoes cook.
Take out few pieces of broccoli and chop them in small pieces. Keep aside. Take the remaining mixture in a blender and blend till smooth. Now add cheddar cheese and milk to blender and blend again. The hot mixture helps melt the cheese.
Put the mixture back to medium heat. Add the saved broccoli pieces, add pepper. Serve hot.
Serves : 4-5
Preparation time : 20mins
My husband and I love broccoli. We pick it up throughout winter when it is available for a very reasonable price in the markets here in Melbourne. We love it steamed, stir fried, or added to pasta bake dishes. Try it in fried rice or add it to pasta with cheese sauce – you’ll love it. I don’t throw out the leftover stems either – I just chop them small and make a dry dish with some potatoes and kanda lasun masala.
The first part of your post made me laugh because you are so right about how broccoli (and salads) symbolize a healthy diet here. I grew up in a rural part of Southern India and we grew up eating so many other different kinds of vegetables – lots of different squashes/pumpkins and local greens (like malabar spinach and amaranth). Anyway, broccoli has been an acquired taste for me – mostly I love it now just lightly steamed and seasoned with a lashne phanna and salt, nothing else. I have two toddlers and I definitely am not in the “cool mom” group where broccoli consumption is concerned. I love soups and will have to try this. Thanks for the recipe.
I agree with you!
How can I get in touch with you Prashanti?
I have questions about Pasalaikeerai.
Prasanthi how do you cut the pumpkins? I’m struggling to peel and cut them they are so hard! I take a potato peeler and peel them, then cube but it is difficult.
Cut the pumpkin with a sharp knife and peel with knife, much easier than peeler. We some times use the pumpkin with its peel on in gravies
What kind of knife they use in India? I feel I need to take a class on how to use one.
The pumpkin I get varies, I get some Japaenese kind, but usually I like the kind at Indian store because its easier to cut. The Japaenese ones have ultra hard shell. I can’t see how knife can be used. Its so hard and surface uneven.
The peel has lots of bumps and warty thing on it sometimes, making me not want to eat it, but after peeling it it reminds me of ridge gourd peels some fry crisp. When its raw the skin is beautiful but when ripe is dull and sometimes yuck looking.
What kind of Indian pumpkins are good? How to select a good one? I like baby kinds but I think you need to wait for them to ripen more. I will try to grow them.
Radha, my mom normally used the traditional cutter which we called addoli (check out the picture in this post). I used a big knife to cut them. I am not sure where you live, here in US, I use butternut squash which tastes a lot like pumpkin. If you have a microwave, just keep the butternut squash/pumpkin and microwave on high for 30seconds. You can easily cut it after that. I have not used Japanese pumpkin, but I have seen them on TV. They are usually baked first and then flesh is scooped out. I don’t think you can eat the ones with bump/warty things(not sure), I have seen them used for decorations.
I have seen it for the first time. I like vegetable soup and other combination. I am waiting for more tasty recipes.
SHILPA. I JUST WANT TO KNOW milk should be boiled or without boil
You can put the milk in soup and then boil the soup.
Actually here a thome we like brocoli more than cauliflower. Soup looks yumm, and i love the addition of cheese.