Soups and winters go hand in hand, as a cooking legend, Julia Child had once remarked, “What a marvellous resource soup is for the thrifty cook - it solves the ham-bone and lamb-bone problems, the everlasting Thanksgiving turkey, the extra vegetables.” What is more, soups are anything but boring in the current culinary culture where restaurants occupy a venerated space. Today every Delhi foodie’s soup bucket list is incomplete without broths inspired by global cuisines. Giving the international flavours stiff competition are local Indian varieties that score high with seasonal ingredients and traditional cooking techniques. So slurp your way to warmth and well being this winter.
Since the weather calls for rustic, comforting and hearty dishes, Ciclo Café is serving up assorted soups to soothe the soul. Take your pick from a range of flavourful options such as Pumpkin Chowder, Tomato and Potato Soup as well as Cauliflower and Mascarpone Soup, to drive away winter chills. What is more, these soups are big on bold flavours and add notes of spice and fromage in equal measure. The broths make generous use of vegetables such as leeks, celery, tomatoes, potatoes and cauliflowers so that your bowl of soup is brimming with rich and refined flavours.
When the body craves something warmer, Burma Burma is here to lend a helping hand. If you are ready to swap your regulation soup with something adventurous, this is the place to drop by. Both off-kilter and nutrient-rich, the restaurant’s Samuza Hincho or Samosa Soup tickles all the right boxes. If you order the Samuza Hincho, you will be served a samosa in a tangy soup, with a jumble of winter vegetables like cabbage, carrot and capsicum. More surprise awaits you in the form of Mone Kyar Yoe Hin where pickled mustard greens are married with lotus stem to yield a palate-tickling soup. Winter appetites can be adequately whetted with the Mon Lao Hincho or White Radish Soup, where the season’s classic white radish is simmered into a soup that is enlivened with swift jabs of tamarind extract and red chilli.
Price: Samuza Hincho:Rs 250 for a complete bowl, plus taxes
If you are a resident of the health food space, then there is a reason to cheer this winter. The Persian pop up with chef-partner Anaida Parvaneh has a soup that scores high on both nutrition and taste. Available at the Khan Market and Noida outlets of the restaurant from November 15 to December 31, The Persian pop up has the comforting Anaida’s Soop-e-Jadooi, where pearl barley, mixed sprouts, turnip, mushroom, corn and roasted vermicelli are all tumbled into a fragrant Coriander Chicken Soup.
Price: Anaida’s Soop-e-Jadooi: Rs 165, plus taxes, for the Non-vegetarian version
The updated version of a favourite eatery in DLF Cyber City has new offerings to entice jaded taste buds. Leaning towards global cuisines and ingredients, soups at Mr. Mamagoto are brightened with offbeat condiments and accompaniments. For instance, the Dashi & Cilantro Soup is teamed with Soba Noodles and fried fish that not only add heft to a simple broth but also introduce us to new and fresh flavour pairings. Similarly, the Asian Seafood Bisque is paired with steamed prawn wontons that fuse the culinary domains of Europe and Asia perfectly.
The Indian restaurant at the Park Plaza in East Delhi offers a change of pace for soup aficionados, who are seeking traditional homegrown flavours. Both fresh and zesty, Indian ingredients have a unique way of anchoring the broth and adding layers of flavour through seasonal produce. While Makai Palak Ka Shorba celebrates the season’s bounty, a whiff of exotica is introduced by way of the Shah Bano Rasak, a saffron flavoured chicken clear soup. If you are craving hearty broths to get rid of the chills, there is a Gosht Yakhani and Tamatar Dhaniye Ka Shorba.
Susmita Saha is a Delhi-based Features Writer. She has worked as an Assistant Editor at India Today and The Telegraph and writes on arts and culture, films, travel, food, architecture, design and various other lifestyle subjects. She has seriously itchy feet and plans to tick the world off her bucket list, one burger at a time.
