Recipes: Four Millet Soup, Indian Broth

Two nourishing recipes from Chef G Ravi Kiran.

The Indian Broth is a wholesome, clear, soup concocted from merely spices and vegetable stock.

The Four Millet Soup or the Chiru Dhanyalu Java features some very healthy grains and is ideal for weight loss.

Indian Broth

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 500 ml vegetable stock (please see the note below)
• 20 ml ginger, chopped
• 15 gm garlic, roasted
• 3-4 cloves
• Small stick of cinnamon
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 5 gm black pepper
• 5 gm basil
• 1 tbsp dhania or coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp ajwain or carom seeds
• 1 tbsp jeera or cumin seeds
• Salt to taste
  
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Method

• Heat the stock in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat.
  Add the chopped ginger, roasted garlic, cloves, cinnamon.
  Add the black pepper, ajwain, coriander seeds, cumin seeds.
  Boil on low heat for 10-15 minutes.
  Add the basil, lemon juice and let it boil for 5 more minutes.
  Add salt.
  Take off heat, strain and serve hot.

Note: Liquid broth is available in some gourmet food stores. Or substitute the vegetable broth by combining 1 vegetable soup cube or 1 vegetable broth/bouillon cube or 1 tsp vegetable broth/bouillon powder with 2 cups boiling water.

Or substitute the vegetable broth by combining 1 chicken soup cube or 1 chicken broth/bouillon cube or 1 tsp chicken broth/bouillon powder with 2 cups boiling water.

Or make vegetable broth from scratch by boiling 4-5 cups water with 1-2 large roughly chopped carrots, 3 stalks roughly chopped celery with leaves, 2 medium onions chopped in chunks, 5-6 whole black peppercorns, 2 tsp salt, 4 tbsp chopped parsley with stems, 2 laung or cloves, 5 pods garlic, 2 tej patta or bay leaves till vegetables are tender and the water is steeped with the flavour of the vegetables and spices.
Strain and use 2 cups for the recipe.
Meat lovers might like to add 1 whole chicken along with the vegetables and spicse while making the broth.

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Four Millet Soup or Chiru Dhanyalu Java

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 50 gm ragi or finger millet
• 50 gm jonnalu or great millet
• 50 gm koralu or brown top millet
• 50 gm gantlu or pearl millet
• 50 ml ghee
• 30 gm cashew nuts
• Salt to taste
• 2 cups water
• Chopped fresh green dhania or coriander or cilantro, for garnish
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Method

• Roast the millets in a heavy-bottomed frying pan over low heat for 10-15 minutes.
  Take off heat, cool and grind to a fine powder in a blender/mixer.
• Boil the water and salt in a large saucepan over medium heat.
  Once the water begins to boil, lower heat and add the ground millets.
  Mix well so there are no lumps.
• In another small heavy-bottomed frying pan, carefully roast the cashews in the ghee over low heat until golden brown; they can burn very easily.
• Immediately add the cashews to the millet-water mixture and cook for 10 minutes.
  Serve the hot soup with lemon wedges and garnished with fresh dhania.

Note: Those who like a little more spice in their soup may consider adding 2 bay leaves or tej patta, frac12; inch cinnamon, 3 black peppercorns, 2 pods garlic mashed, 1 chopped onion.

For a vegan equivalent, replace the ghee with extra virgin olive oil.

Meat lovers may replace the water with chicken broth (see recipe above) and/or add 250 gm shredded boiled chicken while making the soup.

G Ravi Kiran is the sous chef at The Bheemili Resort, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

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