“Nachani Beet Carrot Soup” … a healthy nutritious millet based soup, which is a complete dinner in itself … Yummilicious …
** Once upon a time soups meant that with tomatoes, veggies or maybe sweet corn that's it. However times have changed and so have our cuisine preferences, we have learned to prepare and enjoy them in plenty of varieties that of which the combinations never seem to end. By now everybody knows the health benefits of nachani/ ragi/ finger millet, yeah, it’s loaded with calcium which is not only necessary for growing children but for older people too, to maintain good bones.
** Thanks to Namrata my dear friend who gave me this beautiful mug you see in picture in which the soup is served. I was indeed eager to click some soup in it from the time I set my eyes on them. I have included so many posts using different types of millet be it preparation of dosa, roti, or pulav. Nachani is my favorite millet and somehow the more dishes I try out the more choices are still there to be shared. Do try it out and enjoy with your family and friends and lead a healthy lifestyle.
** Here is my simple recipe for “Nachani Beet Carrot Soup” … my style …
** Peel off the skin of one large sized beetroot and 2 medium sized carrots and cut them into ½ inch sized cubes. Wash and cut into small pieces about ½ cup of fresh spring onions along with the bulb portion. Also peel off skin and chop 2-3 fresh garlic (losun) and grate a small piece of ginger (adrak/ alle') and keep all ready.
** Wash the beet and carrot pieces and put them into a vessel along with 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Let them cook on high heat for 2-3 mins after which cook them until 80% done on medium heat. Meanwhile mix 3-4 tblsp of nachani (ragi/ finger millet) flour with 1 cup of water to a smooth paste and keep ready.
** Heat 2 tblsp of fresh homemade butter (loni) (you can use store bought too) on medium heat and add in the garlic, ginger and spring onions and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the cooked veggies along with the water and mix well. Lower the heat to minimum and add in the nachani paste and mix well avoiding formation of lumps.
** Check out and add in more water if necessary as the nachani begins to thicken immediately. Keep stirring to avoid it being stuck to the bottom. Add salt (namak/ meeta), coarsely powdered black pepper (miri) to taste and mix well. When you see bubbles on surface remove from fire and keep it aside.
** Note : The soup thickens a lot when allowed to rest so serve it immediately and if need to serve it later you can either keep it slightly thinner in texture or add on hot water and mix well just before serving too. The thickness of the soup is individual choice, so you may serve it accordingly, I kept it medium consistency.
** “Nachani Beet Carrot Soup” is done and ready to be served. Serve it steaming hot with any accompaniment of your choice or just as it is. This is nutrition packed soup that you must include into your diet. Initially there may be hesitance in accepting the taste of nachani, however with time you will love to relish it.
** You can top the soup with some croutons or grated cheese to lure children into drinking the soup as they may not like the dark color much. The color will turn reddish tinge dark in color when beetroot is used otherwise it will remain dark brown in color. You can use any veggies of your choice or that which is available too.
** To name a few Green Peas, French Beans, Corn Kernels, Capsicum all taste great when added on to this soup. If spring onions are not available, you can just add in one large sized chopped onion too. When serving the soup you can add in a dollop of butter or grated cheese especially for children who will love it very much.
** There are many more healthy and delicious soups in the blog, which you can browse through the common link shared below, do try them out and enjoy a healthy lifestyle … If you have any query do drop in a mail or a comment and I will get back as soon as possible, till then take care and God Bless …..
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Thanks.