Monsoon Soup Recipes: 7 Warming Indian Soups for Rainy Evenings

Prep time: 5 min | Cook time: 15 min | Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 inch ginger
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp butter or ghee
• Fresh coriander for garnish

Method:

1. Heat butter in a pan. Add cumin seeds and let them splutter.
2. Add onion, garlic, and ginger. Saute for 2 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes, turmeric, salt, and 1 cup water. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Let it cool until just warm. Blend until smooth in a mixer, or in small batches in a portable blender.
5. Return to heat. Add pepper. Simmer for 2 minutes.
6. Garnish with coriander. Serve hot.

Nutrition note: Raw ripe tomatoes have about 27 mg of vitamin C per 100 g (IFCT 2017, D076). They also have lycopene, the red colour. Cooking lowers the vitamin C a little. You may read that pepper boosts turmeric by 2000%. That number comes from a 1998 study where people took 2 g of pure curcumin with 20 mg of piperine, the active part of pepper. A pinch of each in soup is far less. So the effect in food is not known.

Prep time: 5 min | Cook time: 20 min | Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup masoor dal (red lentils), washed
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp garam masala
• Juice of half a lemon
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp ghee

Method:

1. Pressure cook masoor dal with tomato, turmeric, and 2 cups water for 3 whistles.
2. In a separate pan, heat ghee. Add cumin seeds, garlic, and onion. Saute until golden.
3. Add cooked dal to the pan. Mix well. Add garam masala and salt.
4. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add lemon juice.
5. Blend partially for a creamy texture, or serve as is.

Nutrition note: Masoor dal provides plant-based protein and iron. Raw masoor dal has 24.4 g of protein and 7.1 mg of iron per 100 g (IFCT 2017, B013). Lemon adds Vitamin C, which helps iron absorption.

Prep time: 5 min | Cook time: 15 min | Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:

• 1 lemon-sized ball of tamarind, soaked in 1 cup water
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tsp rasam powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper, crushed
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• A pinch of asafoetida (hing)
• Curry leaves, mustard seeds for tempering
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp ghee

Method:

1. Extract tamarind juice and discard the pulp.
2. Boil tamarind water with tomatoes, rasam powder, turmeric, salt, and 1 cup water.
3. Add crushed garlic and pepper. Simmer for 8-10 minutes until frothy.
4. Temper with ghee, mustard seeds, curry leaves, and hing.
5. Serve piping hot. Drink it as soup or pour over rice.

Nutrition note: Rasam is South India's old home remedy for a cold. A hot drink really can help you feel better. In a study at Cardiff University, 30 people with a cold or flu had a hot drink. It quickly eased their runny nose, cough, sore throat, and chills. It did not change how much air moved through the nose when measured. Garlic is not a proven cure. A Cochrane review found too little evidence that garlic prevents or treats colds.

Prep time: 10 min | Cook time: 10 min | Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup carrot, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup cabbage, shredded
• 1/4 cup mushroom, sliced (optional)
• 2 tbsp sweet corn
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tsp chili sauce
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp cornstarch mixed in 3 tbsp water
• Salt to taste
• 3 cups vegetable stock or water
• A few drops of sesame oil, to serve (optional)

Method:

1. Boil the vegetable stock. Add all chopped vegetables.
2. Cook for 5 minutes until vegetables are tender.
3. Add soy sauce, vinegar, chili sauce, pepper, and salt.
4. Slowly pour in the cornstarch slurry while stirring. Cook for 2 minutes until thick.
5. Serve hot with a dash of sesame oil on top.

Nutrition note: The warm broth soothes a sore throat. Watch the salt, though. One tablespoon of soy sauce has about 880 mg of sodium (USDA FDC ID 174277). Split over 2 bowls, that is about 440 mg each. That is about a fifth of the WHO daily limit of 2,000 mg, before you add any salt. So taste the soup before you salt it.

Prep time: 5 min | Cook time: 10 min | Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sweet corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 cups water or milk
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp cornstarch in 2 tbsp water (for thickness)

Method:

1. Boil corn kernels in water for 5 minutes. Blend half the corn smooth. Keep the other half whole.
2. Heat butter in a pan. Add the blended corn, whole kernels, pepper, and salt.
3. Add cornstarch slurry. Stir for 2 minutes until thick.
4. Serve hot. Add a dash of cream for extra richness (optional).

Nutrition note: Tender sweet corn has 3.3 g of fibre and 4.2 g of protein per 100 g (IFCT 2017, A008). Made with milk, the soup gets more protein too. It is mild and easy on the stomach.

Prep time: 5 min | Cook time: 15 min | Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 200g button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme or oregano
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat butter. Saute onion and garlic for 2 minutes.
2. Add mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes until they release water and turn golden.
3. Add water and milk. Simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Blend smooth. Return to heat. Add pepper, herbs, and salt.
5. Serve with toasted bread.

Safety note: Only use store-bought button mushrooms in monsoon. Never pick wild mushrooms. Read our guide on foods to avoid in monsoon.

Nutrition note: Button mushrooms give some protein and selenium, about 9.3 µg per 100 g raw (USDA FDC ID 169251). Their vitamin D varies a lot. IFCT 2017 measured 20.5 µg in one sample (J001), while USDA lists 0.2 µg. So do not count on mushrooms for vitamin D.

Prep time: 5 min (plus 30 min soaking) | Cook time: 15 min | Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup green moong dal, soaked for 30 minutes
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1/2 inch ginger, grated
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• A pinch of asafoetida
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp ghee
• Fresh coriander

Method:

1. Pressure cook moong dal with tomato, turmeric, and 2 cups water for 2 whistles.
2. Mash lightly or blend for a smooth soup.
3. Temper with ghee, cumin, ginger, and hing.
4. Pour tempering over the soup. Add salt.
5. Garnish with coriander. Serve warm.

Nutrition note: Whole green moong has 22.5 g of protein and 17 g of fibre per 100 g raw (IFCT 2017, B011). Ayurveda recommends moong during Varsha Ritu (monsoon season) for balancing Vata dosha. That is tradition. Modern studies have not tested it well.