Spicy, subtle and tart: Yogurt soup is a winter warmer
Today’s soup is a hot-and-sour concoction that combines yogurt with curry spices —— including oil-popped black mustard seeds that taste a little bit like buttery popcorn.
It’s inspired by a soupy, fragrant yogurt dish called kadhi, which is common in Indian cuisine as part of a meal.
To make kadhi properly, you need hard-to-find ingredients like fresh curry leaves, besan flour (which is made from ground beans) and fenugreek.
I’ve simplified the dish so that it’s easy for anyone to try. I added some apple and winter vegetables to the brew to make it a onedish meal that’s perfect for a blustery winter day.
The result is a tasty soup that sticks to the ribs and offers subtle, spicy and slightly tart flavour. The yogurt gives you lots of protein and calcium, while the vegetables supply vitamins and fibre.
This is very easy to make. You don’t even have to peel the vegetables! The only thing to remember for a successful soup is: Don’t let the mixture boil after the yogurt is stirred in, or it will curdle. If that happens, it will still be perfectly edible, but it won’t look as appetizing.
I found this soup to be a great meal by itself, but you could also put a dollop of freshly cooked rice into the bowl and serve a fruit salad afterwards for a more substantial lunch or supper.
Spicy Yogurt Soup with Apple and Winter Vegetables
1 butternut squash, scrubbed 2 carrots, scrubbed
1 apple (preferably a tart apple like Empire or McIntosh) 750 ml (3 cups) vegetable or chicken broth
30 ml (2 tablespoons) vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 large piece of ginger, peeled (about the size of your thumb) 5 ml (1 teaspoon) black mustard seeds
5 ml (1 teaspoon) Thai green curry paste (or your favourite curry paste)
250 to 375 ml (one to one-and-ahalf cups) plain yogurt
Salt
Cut the squash in half. Scrape out seeds and discard them. Peel the squash if you like, but it isn’t necessary. Cut into chunks.
Scrub carrots and cut off tops and bottoms. Cut into pieces. Rinse the apple and cut into chunks.
Put carrot, squash and apple into a saucepan. Add the broth and cover. Boil until tender, about 15 minutes.
While vegetables and apple are cooking, warm the vegetable oil in a frying pan. Put in the onion and ginger, and cover. Cook on medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until onions are transparent and caramel-coloured at the edges. Take onions out with a slotted spoon, leaving as much oil in the pan as you can. Put onions in with the squash and carrots. Remove the ginger and discard.
Put the mustard seeds in the remaining oil in the pan, and heat on medium-high. Seeds should pop like popcorn. Once most of them have popped, add the curry paste and stir, blending the paste with the hot oil. Cook a few minutes, then scrape the mixture into the pot with the vegetables.
Remove the soup pot from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Using an immersion blender if you have one (or you could use a traditional blender or even a sieve), purée the liquid and vegetables. Add a little water if it seems too thick. Stir in the yogurt until well blended and add salt to taste.