Carrot, Cardamom & Tomato Soup

This is a hearty soup which is made all the more tastier or exotic by the addition of cardamom.I normally use cardamom along with cloves or cinnamon and only in sweets it is the sole hero or heroine as you like it).While browsing I saw several carrot and cardamom soup recipes and decided to make a simple carrot and cardamom soup.

Ingredients:
Veg oil: 1/2 -1 tbsp

Onion: 1 small chopped
Cardamom pods : 4+/-

Carrots: 1.5 cup chopped
Tomato: 2 medium or 1/4 cup chopped
Ginger: 1/2 inch piece

Salt
Pepper:a pinch

Water :1 cup + as needed

Preparation:

Chop the onions finely.Scrape and chop fresh ginger to small pieces or grate/paste the ginger.Blanch whole tomatoes,peel them and chop them to obtain almost 1/4 cup.Peel and chop the carrots into bite sized pieces to obtain 1.5 cups or more.Lightly crush the cardamom pods and then peel the pods and use the black seeds.I used 4 big pods of cardamom as I liked the taste,but add as per your taste.If you are not used to the spice start with 1/2 tsp or less.

Heat oil in a pan,add crushed cardamom and onions.Saute this till the onions are transparent and the cardamom sizzles and flavours the oil.Add chopped carrots,ginger and tomatoes.Mix well adding a little salt and pinch of pepper.Saute for a few minutes till they start to cook and the raw smell disappears.Add water to cook the veggies and bring to boil.Reduce to a simmer and let it cook covered for about 15-20 minutes or until the carrots are well cooked.Let it cool .

Strain the mix and keep aside the leftover liquid and put the veggies in a blender.Blend to obtain a thick puree.Add leftover liquid or water to this puree-as much as you like- to obtain the consistency of a soup.I like my soup a bit thick,but still had to add a considerable quantity of liquid to it.Also on keeping it thickens.Serve preferably warm by reheating it or at room temperature garnishing with fresh coriander leaves.

Instead of water you can use stock or coconut milk which also increase the flavour.I loved the combo of carrot ,tomato and cardamom.The simple soup gets exotic with the use of cardamom.I added just a pinch of pepper and just a small piece of ginger.These are completely optional but if added they enhance the taste.The tasty exotic soup is on way to CWS:Cardamom at Priya's.

Mango Milkshake

Mango and milk is a simple and hit combination.A glass of chilled mango milkshake is perfect for the roaring summering.There are several ways of making a mango milkshake and you must have seen several different versions for healthy and tasty ones.This is my simple way of preparing a hearty milkshake with mangoes,milk,sugar and cardamom.

Ingredients:
Mangoes: 2 mangoes or chopped 1 cup+
Milk: 1/2 cup+
Chilled water: 1/2 cup
Cashew nuts : handful chopped
Cardamom: 1/4 tsp + or atleast 1-2 pods
Sugar:a little adjust with the sweetness of mangoes

Preparation:

Blend all the ingredients together to obtain a creamy shake.Add more milk/water or even crushed icecubes and adjust the thickness and serve chilled.Alphonso mangoes give the best milkshake though any juicy mango will do.Add sugar or any other sweetner accordingly.

You can adjust the quantity of ingredients and the above mentioned are almost guestimates.You can make it more healthy by adding 1-2 tbsp of flax seeds or sunflower seeds or such.This is my first entry to CWS:Cardamom by Priya. This also goes to Srivalli's ThandaMela .