Broccoli is such a superfood. It is laden with Vitamin K & C and is a good source of folic acid, fiber and potassium. I have become fond of this veggie in recent years now that I have a steady supply coming in from Mom’s kitchen garden. I love the fresh green florets off the plants, they give me crazy ideas to try. With so many broccolis from mum, it has made way into all my food like Poha, Upma, Sambhar and what not. So funny, isn’t it.

I make multiple variations of Broccoli soup like my super green Broccoli Spinach and almond soup, Mix vegetable soup but today I made this simple classic –  my easy peasy and warming Broccoli & Almond soup.

This soup takes so little time to prepare and is super creamy, healthy and filling. I soaked the almonds for 4 hours or so and didn’t blanch them. But you can totally blanch the almonds in hot water and remove their skins.

Broccoli_Almond_soup
Broccoli Almond Soup

PREPARATION TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 20 minutes
SERVINGS: 2
DIFFICULTY SCALE: Low

INGREDIENTS: 

  1. Broccoli – 1 large flower
  2. Garlic greens – 5-7, optional
  3. Milk – 1.5 cup
  4. Almonds – 8
  5. Red chili flakes – 1 teaspoon
  6. Dried herbs – 1 tablespoon, optional
  7. Butter – 1 tablespoon
  8. Hot water – 1 cup
  9. Salt – to taste

UTENSILS/EQUIPMENT:

  1. Kadhai/wok
  2. Colander
  3. Blender

RECIPE:

  1. Soak the almonds for a few hours and remove their peel. Alternatively, blanch the almonds in hot water and remove their skin.
Peel_off_the_almonds
Peel off the almonds

2. Dice the broccoli flower into small bite-size pieces and wash the florets under running water. Dry them off in a colander to remove excess water.
3. Take a wok or kadhai and add a tablespoon of butter to it.
4. After the butter has melted, add the broccoli florets to it. Also, add some salt and a cup of hot water to allow it to cook quickly.

Adding_Broccoli_florets
Add the Broccoli florets

5. Cover it with a lid and leave it for 5-7 minutes on medium-high heat.
6. Check the florets after some time and see if they are cooked properly. Chop some garlic greens and add them to the wok and allow them to cook for a minute.
7. In a blender, add the peeled almonds and some remaining water from the wok and make a fine puree.
8. Now take the cooked broccoli with the remaining broth and puree it as well.
9. Now add 1.5 cups of milk and allow it to come to a boil. Add the almond puree and mix well.
10. Now add the broccoli puree and mix everything and allow the soup to boil nicely.
11. Add some hot water to adjust the consistency if the soup is too thick.
12. Sprinkle some red chili flakes and dried herbs and serve hot.

I added some sauteed carrots on top too. 🙂

ALTERNATIVES:

  1. You could omit garlic greens or add garlic pods instead.
  2. You can replace butter with olive oil or any other vegetable oil.
  3. You could replace red chili flakes with black pepper as well.
  4. If you are a cheese fan, you can totally add some cheese on top.