Indian Vegetarian Recipes
Vegetable Soup | Healthy Veg Clear Soup (2 Ways)
https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/clear-veg-soup-recipe/
- Clear Vegetable Soup – Simple to prepare and Gluten-Free
- Mixed Veggie Soup with Moong Sprouts – Low Fat and with Soy Sauce
Both the recipes are light, nutritious and taste good too. You can make either of them depending upon the ingredients you have. Both the recipes are with step by step photos and can be scaled easily. You can easily double or triple the ingredients.
About Clear Vegetable Soup
This is a very simple recipe to make a clear soup. This vegetable soup is light, healthy and nutritious. The recipe is also gluten-free and vegan.
I have not used any veg stock to prepare the soup. I usually keep the seasonings in the veg clear soup to a minimal, so that the taste and flavors of the mixed veggies do not get subdued in the recipe. There is no strongly flavored spice element in this soup.
Just a bit of ginger, garlic, black pepper and nutmeg is added for that hint of warmth and spice. You can even add a bit of soy sauce to get an umami flavor in this vegetable soup.
Vegetable Soup Variations
- You can use veggies of your choice or any spare veggie that you have in the fridge.
- Usually, I make this clear veg soup with cabbage or Chinese cabbage or bok choy, carrots, beans, sweet corn and mushrooms. In this recipe, I have used veggies that were there in the kitchen.
- You can even add some tofu cubes.
- Some celery can also be added.
- You can add herbs and spices as per your choice.
- Some soy sauce or red chilli sauce can also be added.
Serve the veg soup as a starter or just have it plain in a bowl or mug.
How to make clear vegetable soup (vegan)
1. In a pan or pot, take 1 tablespoon oil. You can use olive oil or sesame oil or sunflower oil. You can also use butter. Add ½ teaspoon finely chopped garlic and ¾ teaspoon finely chopped ginger.
2. Saute till the raw aroma of both ginger and garlic goes away. Saute for some seconds, but do not brown them.
3. Then add ¼ cup chopped spring onions. You can also add chopped onions instead of spring onions. Saute till translucent. You can also add ½ teaspoon chopped celery in this step.
4. Now add ½ cup finely chopped cabbage, ⅓ cup finely chopped carrots, ¼ to ⅓ cup finely chopped capsicum and ¼ cup finely chopped french beans.
5. Saute for 1 to 2 minutes.
6. Then add 3 cups water.
7. Season with ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder or add as per taste.
8. Season with salt as required.
9. Grate about a pinch of nutmeg in the soup.
10. Stir very well.
11. Cover the pan and simmer the veg soup on a low to medium flame till the veggies are almost done. Some crunch in the veggies tastes good. So do not cook the veggies completely. If using mushrooms or potatoes or cauliflower then you will have to cook the veggies till they are done. Basically, it depends on the type of veggies you will add in this veg clear soup recipe.
12. Garnish the soup with some chopped spring onion greens and Serve clear vegetable soup hot.
This recipe post is from the archives (Dec 2016) and has been republished and updated on 11 June 2020.
Vegetable Soup
This is an easy and tasty recipe to make a veg clear soup. This vegetable soup is light, healthy and nutritious.
(1 CUP = 250 ML)
preparation
- Finely chop ½ teaspoon garlic and ¾ teaspoon ginger. Keep them aside.
- Also finely chop the vegetables you are going to use in the soup. I have used spring onions, cabbage, carrots, capsicum and french beans. You can use around 1.5 cups of finely chopped veggies of your choice.
making vegetable soup
- In a pan or pot, take 1 tablespoon oil. You can use olive oil or sesame oil or sunflower oil. You can also use butter. Add ½ teaspoon finely chopped garlic (lahsun) and ¾ teaspoon finely chopped ginger (adrak).
- Saute till the raw aroma of both ginger and garlic goes away. Saute for some seconds, but do not brown them.
- Then add ¼ cup chopped spring onions. You can also add chopped onions instead of spring onions. Saute till translucent. You can also add ½ teaspoon chopped celery in this step.
- Now add ½ cup finely chopped cabbage, ⅓ cup finely chopped carrots, ¼ to ⅓ cup finely chopped capsicum and ¼ cup finely chopped french beans.
- Saute for 1 to 2 minutes. then add 3 cups water.
- Season with ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder or add as per taste.
- Season with salt as required. Grate about a pinch of nutmeg in the soup.
- Stir very well. Cover the pan and simmer the clear soup on a low to medium flame till the veggies are almost done.
- Some crunch in the veggies taste good. So do not cook the veggies completely.
- If using mushrooms or potatoes or cauliflower then you will have to cook the veggies till they are done. Basically it depends on the type of veggies you will add in the soup.
- Garnish with some chopped spring onion greens and serve vegetable soup hot.
- This veg soup recipe can be easily doubled.
- You can add vegetables of your choice.
Nutrition Facts
Vegetable Soup
Amount Per Serving
Calories 60 Calories from Fat 36
% Daily Value*
Fat 4g6%
Sodium 27mg1%
Potassium 129mg4%
Carbohydrates 4g1%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Vitamin A 2570IU51%
Vitamin C 17.8mg22%
Calcium 26mg3%
Iron 0.2mg1%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
About Mixed Vegetable Soup with Sprouts
This is also a light, tasty and nutritious soup made with mixed vegetables and mung sprouts that is excellent in winters or monsoons. It is low fat and vegan soup recipe.
This easy mix veg soup recipe is the way I make Tibetan thukpa minus the noodles. So when noodles are not there, I prepare this light, warm and nutritious soup.
I have added moong sprouts in the soup and they do give a good taste and texture in the soup. Though if you don’t have moong sprouts, you can just skip them. You can also add tofu in the soup.
This soup is also a good way to use leftover veggies from the kitchen. Just add whatever veggies you have and you get a hearty bowl of soup. The flavor and taste of the mixed veg soup will depend on the vegetables you add. So you can also add veggies of your choice.
I personally prefer to add veggies like carrots, cabbage, french beans, broccoli, onions and mushrooms.
Serve the veggie soup steaming hot plain or accompanied with noodles. Sometimes I even steam some rice to go along with the soup.
How to make Mixed Vegetable Soup
1. First chop all the veggies – I added carrots, french beans, red cabbage, button mushrooms and red bell pepper. About 1.5 to 2 cups chopped mix vegetables.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add ¼ cup chopped onions and 1 tsp chopped garlic.
3. saute till the onions are translucent.
4. Then add the chopped mix veggies.
5. Stir well.
6. Saute on a medium flame for 4 to 5 minutes.
7. Add ⅓ cup moong sprouts and stir well. Saute for 2 minutes.
8. Add 3 cups of water.
9. Add 2 tsp soy sauce. You can add more if you prefer.
10. Then add salt as required.
11. Add ½ tsp black pepper or as per taste.
12. Stir well. Cover the pan and simmer the soup for 10 to 11 minutes on a low to medium flame.
13. Then check the seasonings and add more salt or black pepper if required.
14. Serve the vegan mix veg soup plain or accompanied by some boiled noodles or steamed rice.
Mixed Vegetable Soup
A light and nutritious soup made with mixed vegetables and mung sprouts.
(1 CUP = 250 ML)
preparation
- Rinse and shred the cabbage.
- Rinse, wipe and then slice the mushrooms. Chop the bell pepper.
- Rinse and finely chop the french beans. Also finely chop the onions & garlic
making mixed vegetable soup
- Heat oil in a pan. Add onions and garlic. Saute till the onions are translucent.
- Then add the chopped mix veggies. Stir well. Saute on a medium flame for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the moong sprouts and stir well. Saute for 2 minutes.
- Add water and stir. Then add soy sauce, black pepper and salt. Stir again.
- Cover the pan and simmer the soup for 10 to 11 minutes on a low to medium flame.
- Then check the seasonings and add more salt or black pepper if required.
- Serve the nutritious mixed vegetable soup plain or accompanied by some boiled noodles or steamed rice.
- Adding moong sprouts is optional.
Nutrition Facts
Mixed Vegetable Soup
Amount Per Serving
Calories 81 Calories from Fat 36
% Daily Value*
Fat 4g6%
Sodium 1036mg45%
Potassium 258mg7%
Carbohydrates 8g3%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 3740IU75%
Vitamin C 34.1mg41%
Calcium 27mg3%
Iron 0.6mg3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Indian Vegetarian Recipes
Paneer Tikka Masala
Paneer Tikka Masala is a popular Indian curry where cubes of paneer (Indian cottage cheese), onions and peppers are marinated with yogurt and spices, grilled and then tossed in a creamy tomato based curry. This dish goes extremely well with butter naan or paratha or basmati rice.
About This Recipe
You know the most famous Indian food in the world? It is Chicken Tikka Masala, at least that’s what I think. You talk to anyone in the UK or USA and even if they don’t know much about Indian food they definitely know about chicken tikka masala. I think the dish is synonyms with Indian food in the west. The vegetarian version of it is of course Paneer Tikka Masala which is also quite popular and you would find it on the menu of most Indian restaurants.
Growing up in India, I had never heard of paneer tikka masala. Sure, we had paneer tikka but adding it to a curry was unknown, at least to me. I remember watching a MasterChef India episode some 10 years back which had chef Vikas Khanna and chef Kunal Kapoor talking about the origin of this dish. They also shared a recipe and so this recipe is inspired from their version.
They of course shared the recipe for chicken tikka masala but I changed it to paneer tikka masala and also made few changes depending on my preferences and availability. This recipe uses curry powder which is a common spice mix in the west (again this spice mix doesn’t even exist in India) and it makes sense since this dish originated in the UK. There are stories of how a chef added cream sauce to chicken tikka to please the taste buds of British people and that’s where it originated from.
There are 2 parts to this recipe- the tikka part where paneer, onions and peppers are marinated with yogurt and spices and then grilled. You can cook the tikka in tandoor, oven or in your pan. The other part of the recipe is the curry which is a smooth curry made with onions, tomatoes, cream and butter. The grilled tikka is added to the curry and then served as a main course with side of bread.
This Paneer Tikka Masala
- is super creamy, smooth.
- goes well with naan, paratha.
- makes a comforting meal.
- leftovers are great as well!
Ingredients
There are 2 parts to this recipe- the paneer tikka and the curry.
Paneer Tikka
Paneer: you can use either homemade or store bought paneer but whatever paneer you use, it should be firm and be able to hold it’s shape. You can find paneer at Indian grocery stores or make it at home.
Yogurt: for the marinade, it is best to use thick yogurt. Either use Greek yogurt or if using regular yogurt, use store bought yogurt which tends to be thicker than homemade yogurt. If using homemade yogurt, strain it using a muslin cloth for at least 3 to 4 hours to get rid of all the excess water.
Spices: the marinade uses coriander powder, garam masala, two types of chili powder, ginger-garlic and lime juice. You can also use fresh herbs like cilantro, mint.
The Masala/Curry
Curry base: the base is made with onions, tomatoes, ginger and garlic which is quite a staple for most creamy Indian curries. I like using white onion for that sweet, subtle flavor.
Spices: this paneer tikka masala recipe uses curry powder which is a mix of spices and is popular in the western world. It’s not so much popular in India actually, in fact I didn’t even know it existed until I moved out of India. If you don’t have it, you can use a blend of coriander, cumin, turmeric and ginger.
Flavor enhancers: to make the curry creamy, we finish the recipe with butter, cream and cilantro!
Step by Step Instructions
1- We will start by making the paneer tikka. To a large bowl, add yogurt (1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon), make sure the yogurt is thick (if using regular homemade yogurt, drain the yogurt for 3 to 4 hours before using in the recipe). To that add the following:
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- juice of 1/2 lime
2- Using a spatula or whisk, mix until all the ingredients are well combined.
3- Now add 225 grams paneer (cubed into big cubes), 1 medium red onion (quartered and separated into petals) and 1 medium green pepper (cut into 1 inch cubes).
4- Mix until the paneer, onion and peppers are well coated with the marinade. You can use your hands here. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes at the least.
5- Meanwhile, let’s work the curry part of this recipe. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a pan on medium heat. Once hot, add 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds and 1-inch cinnamon stick.
6- Let the seeds sizzle and then add 1 large white onion (roughly chopped), 3 to 4 large garlic cloves, chopped and 1-inch chopped ginger.
7- Stir and cook for around 5 to 6 minutes until onions turn light golden brown in color, stir often in between.
8- Then add 3 large tomatoes (chopped) along with the following:
- 1& 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon sugar
9- Stir and cook the tomatoes for 7 to 8 minutes until soft and completely cooked. This step is important so do not rush this step.
10- Once the tomatoes are completely cooked, remove the pan from heat. Let it cool down a bit and then remove the cinnamon stick and transfer everything to a blender and blend to a fine paste. Set this aside.
11- Back to the tikka now, take the marinated paneer out of the refrigerator. Now, you can cook this in a pan or grill or in your oven. I have used a grill pan that I had. Spray the pan with oil and then add the marinated paneer, onions and bell peppers on the pan.
12- Cook until the paneer turns light golden brown in color and onions and peppers are slightly cooked, turning them few times in between for even cooking. Now it’s time to bring the curry together.
Oven instruction: arrange tikka on skewers and bake at 450 F degrees for 10 minutes and then broil for 2 to 3 minutes to get it browned (optional).
13- Now put the pan back on medium heat and add the pureed paste to it that we had prepared earlier. You can also add remaining 1/4 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder at this point if you prefer a brighter color of the curry.
14- Add 1 cup water (or more depending on how much gravy you want), and stir well. Then add remaining 1 tablespoon butter, 2 to 3 tablespoons cream and 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro. Mix and let it cook for 2 minutes.
15- Add the roasted paneer, onions and peppers into the curry.
16- Mix well and let it simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Garnish with more cilantro and serve paneer tikka masala with naan or paratha.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve paneer tikka masala with the following:
- Butter Naan: nothing like fluffy, soft homemade naan to dip into the curry.
- Jeera rice: rice seasoned with cumin seeds makes the perfect pairing.
- Roti: you can never go wrong with the classic Indian everyday bread.
- Tandoori roti: another great bread to serve the curry with.
Vegan Variation
For a vegan version of this recipe you can do the following substitutions:
- use extra-firm tofu in place of paneer.
- marinate the tofu with thick coconut milk (use the top part from the can) or vegan yogurt (plain almond milk works well).
- replace butter with vegan butter.
- replace heavy cream with coconut milk.
Tips & Notes
- I don’t add cashews or any nuts to this recipe but you can definitely add some cashews along with the onions and tomatoes to make it more creamy.
- Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) can definitely be added toward the end for that nice aroma.
- If using store bought paneer, remember to soak it in hot water for 15 to 20 minutes before using in the recipe.
- You can also strain the onion-tomato mixture after blending it, that will make the curry totally smooth. I didn’t do it to save time.
Frequently Asked Questions
No they are different. Paneer Tikka is served as an appetizer and has cubes of grilled paneer where for paneer tikka masala the grilled paneer is added to a creamy curry and served as a main dish.
Go for a mix of coriander powder, turmeric, cumin and ginger. For replacing 1 u0026 1/2 teaspoon curry powder in this recipe, I would probably use 1 teaspoon coriander powder, 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric and 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger.
They are both popular paneer recipes but the way you make them is different. For the tikka masala, we first marinate the paneer, grill it and then add to the curry. For the paneer makhani, the sauce is made with nuts, onions, tomatoes and then paneer pieces are added to it directly.
This post has been updated from the recipe archives, first published in April 2014. I have updated the recipe with better photos, videos and made slight modifications to make it better. The curry part of the recipe is same but I have added onions and peppers to the tikka part. If you wish to make it like the old recipe, just skip on the onions and peppers.
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Paneer Tikka Masala
Ingredients
Paneer Tikka
- 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp yogurt use thick plain whole milk yogurt which has been strained or Greek yogurt
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder for color
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder or to taste
- 1/2 lime juice of
- 225 grams paneer cut into cubes
- 1 medium red onion quartered and separated into petals
- 1 medium green pepper cut into 1-inch cubes
Curry
- 1 tablespoon oil I used avocado oil, use oil of choice
- 2 tablespoons butter divided, unsalted or salted either works
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 1 large white onion roughly chopped, around 150 grams
- 3-4 large garlic cloves chopped
- 1 inch ginger chopped
- 3 large tomatoes roughly chopped, around 400 grams
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 3/4 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder divided (for color, not hot)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 tablespoon sugar I used granulated white sugar
- 1 cup water or more as needed
- 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream 30-45 ml
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Instructions
-
We will start by making the paneer tikka. To a large bowl, add thick yogurt, make sure the yogurt is thick (if using regular homemade yogurt, drain the yogurt for 3 to 4 hours before using in the recipe or use Greek yogurt).
-
To that add ginger-garlic paste, coriander powder, garam masala, Kashmiri red chili powder, red chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt and juice of 1/2 lime.
Using a spatula or whisk, mix until all the ingredients are well combined.
-
Now add cubed paneer, onion (quartered and separated into petals) and green pepper
Mix until the paneer, onion and peppers are well coated with the marinade. You can use your hands here. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes at the least.
-
Meanwhile, let’s work the curry part of this recipe. Heat oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a pan on medium heat. Once hot, add cumin seeds and cinnamon stick.
-
Let the seeds sizzle and then add white onion (roughly chopped), chopped garlic cloves and chopped ginger. Stir and cook for around 5 to 6 minutes until onions turn light golden brown in color, stir often in between.
-
Then add the roughly chopped tomatoes along with curry powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, 3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste) and sugar. Stir and cook the tomatoes for 7 to 8 minutes until soft and completely cooked. This step is important so do not rush this step.
-
Once the tomatoes are completely cooked, remove the pan from heat. Let it cool down a bit and then remove the cinnamon stick and transfer everything to a blender and blend to a fine paste. Set this aside.
-
Back to the tikka now, take the marinated paneer out of the refrigerator. Now, you can cook this in a pan or grill or in your oven. I have used a grill pan that I had. Spray the pan with oil and then add the marinated paneer, onions and bell peppers on the pan.
Cook until the paneer turns light golden brown in color and onions and peppers are slightly cooked, turning them few times in between for even cooking. Now it’s time to bring the curry together.
Oven instruction: arrange tikka on skewers and bake at 450 F degrees for 10 minutes and then broil for 2 to 3 minutes to get it browned (optional).
-
Now put the pan back on medium heat and add the pureed paste to it that we had prepared earlier. You can also add remaining 1/4 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder at this point if you prefer a brighter color of the curry.
-
Add 1 cup water (or more depending on how much gravy you want), and stir well. Then add remaining 1 tablespoon butter, cream and chopped cilantro. Mix and let it cook for 2 minutes.
-
Add the roasted paneer, onions and peppers into the curry. Mix well and let it simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Garnish with more cilantro and serve paneer tikka masala with naan or paratha.
Video
Notes
- I don’t add cashews or any nuts to this recipe but you can definitely add some cashews along with the onions and tomatoes to make it more creamy.
- Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) can definitely be added towards the end for that nice aroma.
- If using store bought paneer, remember to soak it in hot water for 15 to 20 minutes before using in the recipe.
- You can also strain the onion-tomato mixture after blending it, that will make the curry totally smooth. I didn’t do it to save time.
- Older recipe: I have updated the recipe to make it better. The older recipe didn’t have onions and pepper added to the marinade and had a tablespoon of less butter in the curry. You can definitely use the old recipe, it’s almost same except these minor changes.
Nutrition
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