Potent Potato Soup

KRI October 2018 Recipe of the Month

Taken from From Vegetables, With Love: Recipes and Tales from a Yogi’s Kitchen
(Revised and Expanded New Edition) by Siri-Ved Kaur Khalsa

This is my version of “chicken soup” and the yogi’s go-to recipe for fighting off a cold or flu. Feel free to add other vegetables as desired such as chopped mustard greens, chard, celery, cauliflower, and peas. I suggest you cut the lemon in wedges so those who prefer may easily avoid or remove them from their soup bowl. Otherwise, cut the lemon half into thin slices; this is a more palatable size to bite into. The cooked lemon peel is quite a tasty surprise.

Yield: 1 generous serving

Ingredients:

• 2 quarts water
• 2 pounds potatoes, cut in large bite-size pieces (any variety will do)
• ½ cup ghee or oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• ¼ cup minced fresh ginger (or more to taste)
• 10 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ lemon, deseeded and cut into 2 or 3 wedges
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon cardamom seeds (seeds from 6-8 pods)
• 1 teaspoon crushed red chilies
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 quarts water
• Tamari soy sauce to taste

How to make:

Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed soup pot over a medium-high flame. Add onions, garlic, and ginger and sauté until browned (8-10 minutes), stirring often. Now add lemon and spices and sauté for another 3-5 minutes, adding small amounts of water if necessary to prevent scorching. Add 2 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Add potatoes, return to a boil, and simmer until potatoes are very well done (20-30 minutes). Add tamari soy sauce to taste.