Aromatic Lemon Coriander Soup

This past week the temperatures in Mumbai went from a scorching 39°C to a cool 28°C overnight. While I enjoyed the relief of cooler weather, I promptly caught a cold and had a sore throat over the Diwali weekend. I suspect the change in weather along with the smoke from all the fireworks did me in.

When I have a cold, I tend to gravitate towards assorted rasams. However, there is only so much Miriyala Charu (Pepper Rasam) or Nimmakaya Charu (Lemon Rasam) that one can drink. So then I started moving onto soups. And that is when I remembered the Lemon Coriander Soup.

What I love about this soup is that it gets done in a jiffy and is absolutely delicious. As a bonus, it is also superbly aromatic!

Time: 20 Minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1. Fresh coriander – 1 Packed Cup
2. Lemon Juice – 3 tbsp
3. Kaffir Lime Leaves – 4
4. Lemon Grass – 2
5. Pepper Powder – 1/3 tsp
6. Corn Flour – 2 tbsp
7. Water – 5 Cups
8. Salt to Taste

Method

1. Chop the coriander into fine pieces.
2. Dissolve the corn flour in about 1/4 cup water. Set aside.
3. Boil the water.
4. When the water starts to boil:
   1. Turn off the flame.
   2. Add the lemon grass (as is), kaffir lime leaves, and pepper powder.
5. Cover and let the flavours steep into the water for 5 to 7 minutes.
6. Remove the lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves from the water and discard them.
7. Bring the water to a simmer.
8. Add the dissolved cornflour and let the water thicken.
9. When the water is thick, turn off the heat.
10. Add the chopped coriander, lemon juice, and salt.
11. Serve hot.

Tips

• Remember that this soup is very light, so you need larger than usual portions.
• If you have vegetable stock at home, use that instead of plain water.
• If you don’t get kaffir lime leaves, don’t worry. The lemongrass is enough.