Nourishing Lauki Bottle Gourd SoupVeg

1

Thoroughly wash the bottle gourd, cabbage, tomato, ginger, celery stalk, and coriander stalks.

2

Peel the bottle gourd and chop it into large, uniform chunks.

3

Chop the cabbage, tomato, and ginger into smaller pieces.

4

Roughly chop the celery stalk and the coriander stalks.

1

Place all the chopped vegetables into a pressure cooker.

2

Add two cups of water to the cooker.

3

Secure the lid and pressure cook the mixture for to 4 whistles.

4

If you do not have a pressure cooker, you can alternatively boil the vegetables in a pot of water for 15 to 20 minutes until soft.

5

Once cooked, allow the pressure cooker to cool down completely before opening the lid.

1

Transfer the cooked vegetables into a blender. It is best to avoid adding all the hot liquid at once to prevent splashing.

2

Blend the mixture until you achieve a smooth puree.

3

Pass the puree through a strainer to remove any remaining tomato seeds or vegetable skins.

4

If necessary, add the reserved cooking water back into the strained pulp and blend again briefly to extract maximum flavor.

1

Pour the strained soup mixture into a pot and place it back on the heat.

2

Bring the soup to a gentle boil.

3

Season with salt to taste and a generous pinch of cumin seed powder.

4

Stir in half a teaspoon of ghee (or butter) and continue mixing until it has melted completely.

5

Turn off the heat and serve the soup warm in a bowl. You may garnish with fresh coriander leaves or a sprinkle of red chilli powder if desired.