Broccoli soup with fried garlic

The cold and wintry evenings are the perfect time for a bowl of hot soup with some warm bread to dunk into it. TH is not very fond of soups, but broccoli is a favourite and luckily my son loves broccoli too

My vegetable vendor always asks me if I want broccoli, baby corn, and mushrooms every time he gets them real fresh from the market. I seem to to be one of his regular customers for these 'English vegetables' as they are called here



Broccoli has become really popular in India over the last few years, with all the publicity of its anti-cancer properties. Its really rich in Vitamin C and dietary fibres. Apart from being high on the health quotient, it tastes really good too, especially in stir fry or in soups.

We had broccoli soup, pasta in simple tomato basil sauce and some garlic bread for dinner last night. Light, warm and really comforting. Doesn't take too much effort, give this one a try.
Ma makes mushroom soup with this recipe, I tried it with broccoli

Sayantani of A Homemaker's Diary has a giveaway at here blog sponsored by Cuponation - India’s largest coupon portal offering discounts on various products.
All you need to do to enter is send in a winter warmer recipe that needs to be either a soup or a hot beverage. Check her blog for more details. I'm sending across this hot soup !

Broccoli soup with fried garlic
(Serves 2)

What you need

1 large onion
1 medium sized broccoli
6 cloves of garlic
a pinch of red chilli flakes
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 - 3/4 cup milk
salt to taste
1/2 tsp crushed pepper

What you do with it

Chop the onion into large pieces
Cut the broccoli into florets. Keep 1-2 small florets aside and steam the rest for 3-4 mins. It should get cooked slightly, but must remain firm and not turn to mush
Chop 3 garlic cloves lengthwise and keep aside and the other three into smaller pieces
In a pan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and add the finely chopped garlic and the onion
After 2-3 mins, add the steamed broccoli, salt and pepper and saute on high heat for another 2-3 mins
Allow it to cool and then put it through a blender. Grind it to a smooth paste, adding the milk, till you get the thickness you want
Bring to a slow boil again and divide the soup into 2 bowls
In a small pan, add 1 tbsp olive oil and add the garlic chopped lengthwise, tiny florets of broccoli and the chilli flakes
Add this over the soup in both the bowls
Serve hot with some warm garlic bread