5 Winter Soup Recipes to Get Cozy With

As winter rolls around, there’s a cheerful atmosphere all around as everyone pulls on their sweaters and huddle in blankets, warming their fingers around warm cups of a steaming beverage. There is a certain kind of feeling that anything with warmth brings with it in this season, and a bowl of warm soup is no exception. Soups make for a quick, filling, and often very healthy meal all on its own, packed with nutrients and vitamins.

Here are our top 5 winter soup recipes for you to try:

1. Rasam

A hot bowl of delicious South Indian rasam is already irresistible, and what makes this traditional Indian lentil soup more enticing is the number of health benefits it offers. Packed with fibre, rasam is packed with vitamins and minerals, aids digestion, and is rich in anti-oxidants. While there are many variations of the classic South Indian rasam recipe, here is our favourite version.

Prep time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons toor daal
• 2 tablespoons moong daal
• 1 tablespoon chana daal
• 1 tablespoon masoor daal
• ½ a teaspoon haldi powder
• 1 ½ teaspoon rasam powder
• ¼ teaspoon hing
• 1 tamarind
• Salt
• ¼ cup coriander leaves washed and chopped
• 2 tablespoons pure ghee
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 2 whole red chillies, dried
• 1 sprig of curry leaves
• 2 tablespoons of peanuts

Step 1: Boil the daals together in a cooking pot with 2 cup of water, mixed with the haldi/turmeric powder. Cook the ingredients until they are soft. In ¼ of a litre of warm water, soak the tamarind, remove the paste, and then filter it with a strainer and keep aside.

Step 2: Heat a cooking pot and boil the paste of tamarind in some water with the powdered rasam, hing, salt, and coriander leaves. Do so till you can smell the aroma arising. Next, mash the pulp of daal, and put it into the water in the cooking pot. Add some more water if it’s required. Let it simmer till a froth begins to form.

Step 3: Turn the heat off and keep it aside. Heat up the ghee and then temper it with mustard seeds, curry leaves, and red chillies. You can fry peanuts and add them to the soup for some added flavour.

And it’s as easy as that! Serve this South Indian soup of rasam hot, with rice or any other dish to make it a full, wholesome meal. This recipe will serve 4.

2. Mushroom soup

Rich, creamy, and heartwarming, mushroom soup is a classic winter soup. It is known for warming people up quickly, and because of its thickness, it is a great appetizer if you’re thinking of keeping dinner light.

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

• 500 grams of mushrooms
• 1 ⅓ cups of fresh cream
• 3 ½ cloves of garlic
• ½ a cup of flour
• 80 grams of butter
• 4 ¼ cups of chicken stock
• Salt and black pepper as required for taste

Step 1: Wash the mushrooms thoroughly, and chop them up, but not too finely. Crush the garlic cloves, and place them in a saucepan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot enough, add the butter with the garlic, and allow it to melt. Once the butter has melted, add the crushed garlic and chopped mushrooms, and saute the same for about 5 minutes.

Step 2: Add the flour in the pan and stir it into the mixture well. Add the chicken stock, and then the seasonings for taste. Stir a little, and then cover with a lid. Allow this to cook for 10 minutes over a low flame.

Step 3: Transfer this mixture into a blender, and blend until it reaches a rich and creamy consistency. Transfer this into bowls, and mix in some fresh cream.

There you have it! Quick, easy, and creamy! This recipe will serve 6 and can be served with some garlic bread or cheesy bread for added flavour and warmth.

3. Hot and sour soup

If you’re suffering from a cold or sore throat, what better remedy than some hot and sour soup? This winter vegetable soup is super effective in alleviating symptoms and can even cure those sniffles.

Prep time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup of grated carrots
• ¾ cup of sliced mushrooms
• ¼ cup of shredded cabbage
• ¼ cup of onions finely chopped
• ¼ cup of french beans finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon of garlic finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon of ginger finely chopped
• 4-5 teaspoons of corn starch dissolved in 2 tablespoons of water
• ¾ teaspoon of black pepper or green chilli sauce
• Soy sauce
• Rice vinegar
• 2 ½ cups of water or vegetable stock
• Coriander leaves finely chopped

Step 1: Add 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok or kadhai , and slowly add the chopped garlic, ginger, and onion. Saute this over a medium flame for a couple of minutes, and then add the french beans, and continue to stir. Next, add the mushrooms into the mixture until the mushrooms start to brown at the edges. Finally, add the remaining vegetables and stir fry the mix over a high flame.

Step 2: Add water, or vegetable stock, according to your preference. Stir all the ingredients well, and after a few minutes, add the soy sauce in accordance with the quantity you prefer. Keep stirring over a medium flame, and bring the soup to a simmer.

Step 3: Add in the corn starch paste slowly, and stir as you do so. Allow the soup to thicken slowly over low heat. Once it has reached a thick consistency, add black pepper or green chilli sauce, as per your liking, as well as the rice vinegar. Stir for a few more minutes.

Et voila! Your winter vegetable soup is ready for your remedy. Garnish it with the coriander leaves, and serve in a bowl. This winter soup recipe will serve 2-3 people.

4. Kashmiri gosht yakhni shorba

Another traditional winter soup recipe hails from the beautiful land of Kashmir, which is a yogurt-based broth, cooked with mutton, saffron and a few mild spices. This rich and creamy winter soup is also very healthy and is known to boost immunity.

Prep time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup of yogurt
• 250 grams of mutton (not boneless)
• 1 tablespoon of mustard oil
• ½ teaspoon of cumin seeds
• ⅓ cup of onion finely chopped
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 5 peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds
• 4 cloves
• 3 black cardamoms
• 1 teaspoon of dry ginger powder
• 1 head of garlic
• A pinch of saffron
• Salt

Step 1: Place a pressure cooker over a flame, and leaving it open, add the oil inside, allowing it to simmer. Once the oil starts to release fumes, add the cumin seeds and mutton, increasing the heat slowly. Fry the mutton over a high flame for about 5 minutes, and then add the onions into the pan, and allow those to fry as well.

Step 2: Make a bouquet of the spices and add it to the cooker, along with salt, garlic, saffron and the dry ginger powder. Follow this with an addition of 4 cups of water, and allow it to cook with the lid on until the mutton is cooked well.

Step 3: Remove the cooker from the stove and allow the pressure to release. Once all the pressure has left the cooker, open the lid and allow the broth to cool. Fish out the garlic and squeeze its pulp into the pan. Repeat the same for the bouquet of spices as well. Once done, discard the remains. Remove the mutton next, and keep it aside.

Step 4: Add the yogurt and bring the broth to a boil with the lid open. Add the mutton pieces again, and stir them in, allowing it to cook for another 5 minutes.

You now have 3-4 bowls of a traditional, delectable Indian soup to keep you warm through all those winter nights and keep your belly full and happy. You can garnish this with fresh coriander leaves and some saffron for an aesthetic look and some added flavour.

5. Garlic lentil soup

This Indian lentil soup is chock full of ingredients that are known for their anti-inflammatory properties, as well as their nutrient-rich profiles. This winter vegetable soup is perfect for chilly weather, whether it’s to warm you up or scare away that sore throat and runny nose.

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ tablespoons garlic finely chopped
• ¾ cup tomatoes chopped
• ½ cup onions finely sliced
• ½ cup masoor daal
• 2 tablespoons of oil
• ½ teaspoon chilli powder
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• Salt

Step 1: In a pressure cooker, heat the oil, and then add in the garlic and onions. Saute this over a medium flame for a few minutes.

Step 2: Add the tomatoes and chilli powder to the pressure cooker, and allow it to cook, while stirring occasionally. Add the masoor daal and water in next, and a pinch of salt to follow. Allow this to cook with the lid on, and leave it over the flame until the cooker releases 3 whistles.

Step 3: Once the cooker has let out the whistles, take it off the heat and allow the steam to escape before you open the cooker’s lid. Allow it to cool for a while, and then add the mix to a blender , and blend until it is of the consistency of a puree.

Step 4: Transfer the puree out of the blender and into a deep, non-stick pan. Then add 2 cups of water, and cook it on medium heat for a few minutes while stirring from time to time. Add in the lemon juice after a while and mix it in well.

Your winter soup is now ready to slurp up! The amazing aroma of the soup will pull people to the kitchen. Garnish it with some pepper or coriander.

There are many other types of soups in India that make for great appetizers with your meal in the winter. Visit Wonderchef for some great kitchen appliances that will help you experiment in the kitchen with different winter recipes.