Bottle Gourd & Cauliflower Soup
Trying to shed some pounds? Then low-carb vegetables like bottle gourd and cauliflower should become your favorites. Try this soup and you will be amazed how creamy and filling a low calorie soup can be.
Ingredients
- 1-2 tablespoons Butter
- 2 cups Coarsely Chopped Onions
- 2 teaspoons Grated Ginger
- 4 cups Grated Bottle Gourd
- 2 cups Grated Cauliflower
- 4 -5 cups Vegetable Broth or Water, as needed
- 1 cup Milk (optional)
- As needed Salt and Pepper To taste
Spice Powder Variation:
- 2 teaspoons Coriander Seeds
- ½ teaspoon Cumin
- 1 Dried Red Chili
Instructions
- In a big sauce pan or pot, heat the butter until it melts.
- Add the chopped onions and a pinch of salt and fry for a couple of minutes until the onions are tender.
- Now add the ginger, grated bottle gourd, cauliflower, 4 cups of broth/water or just enough to cover the vegetables, salt and pepper (or spice powder). Stir it well together.
- Cook this on medium heat for about 20 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the stove and puree it into a smooth, creamy mixture using an immersion blender. Add the milk and blend it well once again.
- Bring the pot back to the stove and let the soup simmer in low-medium heat for another 5 minutes. Add some more water if necessary and season it with salt and pepper to suit your tastes. Serve it warm.
Notes
- If you are not able to find bottle gourd, you can substitute zucchini, yellow squash, butternut squash, pumpkin or ash gourd in this recipe. Zucchini and yellow squash can be used without peeling.
- As mentioned earlier cauliflower can be replaced by potatoes as well.
- You can also add crushed garlic along with the ginger.
- For a vegan version, use olive oil instead of butter and any unsweetened non-dairy milk of your choice. For more of a coconutty flavor you could also try coconut oil and light coconut milk instead of butter and dairy milk.
Taste & Texture
- This cauliflower soup was rich and creamy. I think the soup would have been creamy even without the addition of milk because of the texture of mashed cauliflower. The soup also tends to be a little sweet, so do season it enough with pepper. I reserved some of the soup for my kids before adding some more pepper. Both of them loved this soup very much, especially my 15 month old.
- I especially like this soup with freshly prepared spiced powder instead of ground pepper. So do give it a try. I got the idea from the curried cauliflower soup I usually prepare.
