TIPS TO MAKE A YUMMY BOWL OF SOUP

■ Know the ingredients, cooking time Overcooking can cause cloudy flavour and texture. Shekhar adds, “Boiling can cause meat and vegetables to overcook. Gently simmering not only cooks the ingredients until they are tender, but also allows the flavours from herbs and spices to infuse the liquid, and the meat and vegetables absorb some of that seasoned liquid.”

■ Seasoning too early You’ll find that the broth becomes overly salty. Shekhar says, “Flavours become more concentrated when we cook the soup longer. Depending on how salty the stock was to start with, an early salting with a heavy hand could leave you with a super-salty soup.”

■ Consistency or texture Thick soups with the consistency close to heavy cream and thin soups with the same consistency of the liquid as a consommé is the ideal result. Any mix and match or irregularity like a lumpy or thin cream soup will not taste good; it needs to be consistent with its properties.

■ Cooking temperatures Pathak adds, “It is very important to keep in mind that the soup is simmered and not boiled until you are at the finishing stage. It needs to be finished with eggs or a starch slurry, in which case you should add dairy products like milk and cream afterwards to prevent it from curdling.”

■ Quantity and size of additional ingredients The complimenting ingredients should be in perfect balance with the liquid. Pathak adds, “Large chunks of vegetables in a consommé will not match the texture profile of the soup and ruin the experience.”