1-in-3 Cold Soups - Cucumber Almond Soup
“Cold soup is a very tricky thing and it is the rare hostess who can carry it off. More often than not the dinner guest is left with the impression that had he only come in a little earlier he could have gotten it while it was still hot.” - Fran Lebowitz
Savory, sweet, tart or hot, soups have something to offer everyone. Cold soups especially, seem to offer relief from this heat, even if temporary. The convenience that cold soup offers is endless. Most cold soups star a single fruit or vegetable, which attribute to their simplicity. They can be made ahead, and enjoyed without breaking a sweat, literally.
With a little creativity, cold soups can be made with almost any fruit or vegetable. I usually add low-fat yogurt to give the soup body and texture, without adding ridiculous amount of calories. I also serve cold soups with a side of salad or sandwich, for a filling meal.
Lets beat the heat with not one, but three refreshing cold soups, in 1-in-3 – Cold Soups.
Cucumber Almond SoupMy inspiration for this soup is raita, an Indian condiment made with a vegetable and yogurt. This cool condiment when served with a wicked hot curry, calms the palette. To give this cool soup an ‘oomph’, I have added almonds. Lightly sweet, rich and refreshing, this made for a perfect summer lunch, paired with almond pâté.
Almonds – 15, soaked and peeled
Green chilli – 1 or 2, depending on the heat
Garlic – 1 clove
Plain yogurt – about 1 cup
Mint – ¼ cup, shredded
Salt
PepperCumin seeds – 1 tsp, toasted and crushed coarsely.
Red chilli powder – to sprinkleMethod
Take the grated cucumber in a big bowl. Grind almonds, green chilli and garlic, with ½ cup of water and add to the grated cucumber. To this, add yogurt, mint, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly adding water if the soup is thick. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Serve with a sprinkle of crushed cumin seeds and red chilli powder.
Cold cucumber-almond soup served with almond pâté.
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18 comments:
Raitas are a pleasure to consume and I admire your inspiration here. I'm not normally a big fan of cucumber, but I'm sold on this. Relief from the heat is in order.
Lovely lovely! The almond pate was in the must try list but long forgotten. You have reminded it now! Looks like this is a very hearty meal!
what a lovely idea to turn raita into a soup! coming to think of it, i almost always have leftover raita as is, unless its too salty!
Raita as inspiration for a cold soup! Awesome:-) I really liked the recipe, I usually just make cucumber raita with grated cucumber and jeera powder. Use of almonds is really healthy, and adds a great flavour. Good one..
The soup looks absolutely delicious. Perfect for summer!
Ah, that looks so refreshing!
I liked the "almond" twist to this soup, Suganya. Your picture looks tempting, as always.
I'm definitely trying this in raita next time I make it. Unfortunately, I'm not a soup lover.
The idea of cold soup sounds really inviting in this weather Suganya! Cucumber raita is one the best coolers and this soup just adds another level to it. A must try for me.
Oh yes - we enjoy cold soups often in the summer. the classic gazpacho is one of our faves - I like mine spicy. This is a lovely idea!
loved ur soup...both the recipe and the pic
I suppose we've to beat the yoghurt? Will that change anything other than give it a smooth look?
looks wonderful Sugs! Its like a raita, but with the almond touch!:) nice pic, btw:)
creative soup...nice combo...looks fresh and luved the way u presented..
Wow it looks so yummmmy !
Im surely gonna try it :)
Rgds,
Sam
Adding almonds in the place of coconut is a nice idea. Loved your soup.
Cold soups are the way to go in this time of the year!
I don't know what I want to do more with this, sip it from a spoon or massage it into my complexion. : D In either case, it's good for the skin.
Such cooling, serene photos.
Looks delicious and tempting. Your have a nice blog with great pics!
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