Delicious Cold and Flu Soup
Cold and Flu Soup is one that featured in our house on rainy days or days when someone, most often my father, had a cold. It’s a South Indian soup -peppery and hot, sour and nourishing and clears the head. It can be strained and enjoyed in a mug or served as is over a bowl of hot basmati rice.
Ingredients
Serves 4 People
4-5 T tamarind pulp soaked in 2 cups warm water
1 T whole black peppercorns
1 T cumin seeds
1 T black mustard seeds
1 head garlic, peeled
1/2 medium onion, sliced thinly
2 T vegetable oil
4 dried red chillies
1 t turmeric
1 medium tomato, skinned and chopped
1 cup water salt, to taste
15-20 g fresh coriander, washed, de-stalked and chopped roughly
Method
In a heavy mortar, crush the pepper, mustard seeds, garlic and cumin seeds with a little salt, until the spices are fairly fine but not a powder and the garlic forms a paste.
On medium heat in a pot, fry the onions until translucent.
Add the crushed spices, garlic and red chillis. Fry for a minute, stirring. Add the turmeric and stir for 10 seconds. Add the tomato and the tamarind juice (strain out any pips).
Bring to the boil and lower heat to medium. Cook for 15 minutes.
Add half a cup water (or more if the soup is too strong). Season with salt and serve with fresh coriander.
Serve over basmati rice, or strain and serve in mugs. The soup improves in flavour the next day. Couldn’t be easier, too.
