Spicy Lemony Coriander Soup

This was is inspired from the spicy Chicken soup served at Ming's restaurant in Edison, NJ. I simply adore the food there and it is also one of my family's favorite food haunts... Even my 2 year old knows about this place - but then he is foodie too. My daughter loves this soup there, or at least she claims she does. She loves the aroma and flavor, but is so spicy that she can not eat more than 2 spoons. My husband loves it so much that sometimes he order 2 cups - one veg and one non-veg.


Here is my version of their vegetarian soup... Try it - it is super easy and it will fill your house with the wonderful smell...

This bowl of soup is made specially for Neha who is hosting SWC-Soups and let me post even a non-vegetarian soup from my earlier posts.


Ingredients

For the stock


2 to 3 whole lemon grass stalks washed and cut into 2 inches long (this is not edible - but has such a nice fragrance once boiled)
1 to 2 chillies whole ( use one if kids want to try it)
1/2 tea spoon of salt
2 bunches of coriander leaves washed (don't take the stalk off)

Other ingredients
1/2 cup carrots washed and sliced
1 cup white mushroom washed and sliced
1/2 cup white onions sliced
1/4 cup of green spring onions chopped finely
1/4 cup of coriander leaves washed and chopped finely


2 green chillies washed and cut thinly (skip if serving to kids)
1 teaspoon Oil
salt to taste
1 whole lemon


How to

Bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Add the coriander leaves, lemon grass and salt and let it simmer until it becomes 1/2 in volume.
Strain and keep the stock aside, discarding the lemon grass and chillies and the coriander leaves.

You can make the stock and keep it aside for a day or 2 too. This process takes about 20-30 min. Once you have the stock ready and the vegetables cut (use cut ones from the grocery store if you like), the rest of the soup takes less than 5 minutes.

In a large pan, put a little oil.
Add white onions, saute for a bit.
Add cut green chillies to make it spicy. (Optional for kids)
Add the mushroom and carrots and a little salt for the vegetables to cook through.
Add the stalk and let it boil for a minute before adding the spring onions and coriander leaves.
Add lemon juice and server hot.


How did it fare

I made this twice. The 1st time, both my husband and I loved it. It seemed perfect. But my poor daughter had to have 2 sips (like in the restaurant) and stop - it was way too spicy for her. Today when my daughter is feeling under the weather, she asked for it again. So I made it just as I mention above and skipped the chillies. Once the soup was done, I split and boiled 1/2 of the soup with green chillies for us. It seemed to make everyone happy....