Serves: 4
Total Calories: 271

1 teaspoon dry-roasted and coarsely ground black pepper (see instructions)
__Dry-Roasting Spices ..........Click the Edit tab and select this entry to learn more.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 cup finely chopped onion
8 to 10 quarter-size slices peeled fresh ginger
1 pound carrot, unpeeled coarsely chopped
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems
5 to 6 cups water
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 cup light cream or plain yogurt (any kind), whisked until smooth
1 to 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1. Prepare the black pepper. Then, heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the bay leaves and cumin seeds, stirring frequently they should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil. Quickly add the onion and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and cook another minute.

2. Add the carrots and cilantro and cook, stirring, until the carrots are golden, about 7 minutes. Add 5 cups water and the salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and simmer until the carrots are soft, about 10 minutes.

3. Let cool, remove the bay leaves, then purée the carrots with all the juices in a blender until smooth. Return to the pan and boil until the soup is reduced by about one quarter (For a thinner soup, add the remaining 1 cup water and boil again.) Mix in the cream or yogurt and bring to a quick boil. Transfer to a serving bowl, mix in the lemon juice, garnish with black pepper, and. serve.

VARIATION: Instead of the carrots, make this soup with orange-flesh yams, white-flesh sweet potatoes, or any of the summer or winter squashes.

From "1,000 Indian Recipes." Copyright 2002 by Neelam Batra. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 4
Total Calories: 271
Calories from Fat: 240

More Recipes from the 1000 Indian Recipes Cookbook:
* Soups
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Carrot-Ginger Soup
Cashew Corn Soup in Chicken Broth
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Chicken Soup with Cream-Style Corn and Green Chili Peppers
Chicken Soup with Ginger and Coconut Milk
Chickpea Soup with Chicken Broth
Chilled Chickpea Soup
Chilled Potato Soup
Chilled Roasted Vegetable Soup
Chunky South Indian Tomato Soup
Classic South Indian Ginger Soup
Creamy Almond-Poppy Seed Soup
Creamy Tomato Soup
Curried Green Pea Soup
Fast Black Bean Soup, Indian Style
Fragrant Yogurt Soup
Goan Caldo-Verde Soup with Cauliflower
Goan Shrimp Soup
Mulligatawny Soup
Mysore Coconut Soup
Puréed Mushroom Soup with Yogurt
Puréed Pumpkin Soup
Puréed Spinach Soup
Quick Black Chickpea Soup with Cumin Seeds
Quick Lentil, Barley and Vegetable Soup
Quick Puréed Root Vegetable Soup
Quick Sindhi Split Pigeon Pea Soup with Tamarind
South Indian Buttermilk Soup
South Indian Lemon Soup with Mung Beans
South Indian Tamarind Soup
Spicy Chicken Broth
Spicy Lamb Broth
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Spinach Yogurt Soup
Tomato Soup with Fresh Curry Leaves
Tomato Soup with Sautéed Vegetables
Tomato Soup with Yellow Mung Beans
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