creamy bottle gourd soup

here comes a creamy and yummy bottle gourd soup. courtesy my spanish friend S. so this one’s a spanish recipe for making gourd soup. usually in spain they make this soup with zucchini/courgettes. but my friend one day made this soup with bottle gourd and the result was an amazing, thick, rich, creamy and nutritious bottle gourd soup.

she shared the recipe with me and i made the soup recipe a couple of times. i want to share this as most of us do not like bottle gourd and that includes me too. this recipe will change that for folks who do not like bottle gourd as it has done for me. i love bottle gourd in this form. its also excellent for children and old people as bottle gourd has a lot of health benefits. bottle gourd is also known as lauki, ghiya, dudhi in india.

the soup can be served with bread, rice or as a starter. you could even have it as a brunch or a light night meal. also you could make the same recipe with zucchini/courgettes.

so lets begin with the creamy bottle gourd soup

step by step recipe again…..

rinse the bottle gourd in enough water and peel it…. and what do you do with the peels…. you could make a fab coconut chutney with the peels and there you have a bottle gourd peels chutney. chop the bottle gourd and put it in a pan.

now chop the onions and garlic and also add these to the same pan….

add water to the veggies.

just enough water covering the chopped gourd, onions and garlic.

put it on fire, cover the pan and steam the bottle gourd for 15-20 mins till they become soft.

in spain they don’t do it like i have done. they first saute the onions, garlic in olive oil. then add the bottle gourd and then add the water and let the veggies cook. i was too lazy this day, so i put everything in one pan for the veggies to cook. after 15-20 mins you see your bottle gourd will soften and look great like in the pic below.

now let the veggies and stock cool. in a blender or food processor blend the veggies. but keep the stock aside.

in another pan now heat the olive oil. add the pureed bottle gourd, onions and garlic.

flavor it with the dry herbs and black pepper. also add salt.

add the stock to get the consistency you want and simmer for 5-6 mins. before you switch off the fire add the cream cheese. in spain they add add some cream and some cheese instead of cream cheese.

give the soup a swirl and serve the bottle gourd soup hot with bread. you could also serve it with bread croutons.

slurp… slurp… slurp… enjoy the soup.

creamy bottle gourd soup recipe details below:

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creamy bottle gourd soup

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 5 soup bowls

Serving Size: 5-6

ingredients

• 1 long bottle gourd
• 2 onions or 4-5 scallions
• 4-5 garlic
• 2 tsp mixed herbs
• 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
• 3-4 tbsp cream cheese
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• salt to taste

method:

1. rinse the bottle gourd in enough water and peel it.
2. chop the bottle gourd and put it in a pan.
3. chop the onions and garlic and also add it to the same pan.
4. add enough water just about covering the chopped gourd, onions and garlic.
5. cover the pan and steam the veggies for 15-20 mins.
6. now let the veggies and stock cool. in a blender or food processor blend the veggies. but keep the stock aside.
7. in another pan now heat the olive oil. add the pureed bottle gourd, onion, garlic.
8. flavor it with the dry herbs and black pepper and salt.
9. add the stock to get the consistency you want and simmer for 5-6 mins.
10. before you switch off the fire add the cream cheese. instead of cream cheese you could add some cream and also some cheese.
11. give the soup a swirl and serve the soup hot with bread.

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