lemon coriander soup with step by step photos. lemon coriander soup is a clear vegetable soup flavored with lemon and coriander leaves. lemon adds to the tangy taste and coriander leaves give subtle citrus notes in this vegetable soup. a bowl of lemon and coriander soup can make all that cough blues go away from you in heavy monsoons or in a cold biting weather. the soup is warming, nutritious and loaded with vitamin C. another south indian variation of a spicy lemon based soup which i have shared is this lemon rasam recipe.
how is lemon coriander soup made?
a simple lemon coriander soup is made by cooking some herbs or vegetables and then adding them to a vegetable stock. later lemon and coriander leaves are added. my recipe is different as i have not used any store brought vegetable stock. i have cooked veggies and in the process of cooking veggies the stock is made. so for this recipe, you do need to buy any vegetable stock. there is no monosodium glutamate (msg or ajinomoto) added in this soup recipe. so the taste won’t be like restaurant ones, but you get clean and healthy flavors in this homely lemon coriander soup.
which vegetables to add in lemon coriander soup
vegetables give a lot of depth and flavor in this soup. add them for some crunch and to make the soup more flavorful and nutritious. you can add a myriad of vegetables in this soup but add in small quantities. i usually add some carrot, white button mushrooms and cabbage in the soup. in this recipe post though i have used mushrooms and carrots. mushrooms give a nice texture and bite in this otherwise plain soup.
from the veggie list, you can add corn, sweet corn, cauliflower, cabbage, carrot, bok choy, mushrooms, bell pepper (capsicum), snap peas, green peas and spring onions (scallions).
herbs & spices added in lemon coriander soup
apart from garlic and ginger, green chilli, coriander leaves and lemongrass make up for the aromatic elements in this soup. now if you do not have lemongrass, you can consider skipping it. green chilli can also be skipped. coriander leaves are a must as it is, after all coriander and lemon soup. freshly crushed black pepper gives the soup some warm, spicy, woody flavor.
preparation to make lemon coriander soup
1. rinse and then chop 2 small spring onion whites (scallions). rinse, peel and finely chop or grate 1 small carrot. rinse and chop 4 to 5 white button mushrooms. also, rinse and finely chop 1 green chilli, coriander leaves, ginger and garlic. chop the lemongrass stalk and keep aside.
cooking vegetables for lemon and coriander soup
2. in a pan or pot, heat 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil or any neutral flavoured oil.
3. keep flame to a low or medium-low. when the oil becomes hot, add 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger, 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic and chopped green chilli.
4. sauté ginger, garlic, green chilli for a few seconds on medium-low flame till the raw aroma of ginger and garlic goes away. do not brown them.
5. add ¼ cup chopped spring onion whites.
6. stir and saute for a minute on medium-low to medium flame.
7. add the chopped vegetables – ¼ to ⅓ cup finely chopped carrots and 1 to 1.25 cups chopped mushrooms. you can add 1.5 to 1.75 cups of chopped mix vegetables like cabbage, spinach, corn, baby corn, broccoli, carrots, snap peas, bok choy, green peas, cauliflower and mushrooms.
8. mix very well.
9. stir fry on a medium flame for about 3 minutes. if not using mushrooms then stir fry for less time. mushrooms leave water and thus the vegetable mixture does not stick to the pan while stir frying.
10. add 4 cups of water. instead of water, you can even use homemade vegetable stock or a sodium free vegetable stalk.
11. add 1 lemongrass stalk (chopped). you can even add slightly crushed and chopped lemongrass bulb instead.
12. add salt as required.
13. add freshly crushed black pepper as per taste. stir.
14. cover and let the soup mixture simmer on medium-low to medium flame.
making lemon coriander soup
15. simmer till the vegetables are cooked. it took me 10 minutes for the carrots and mushrooms to cook. depending on the type of vegetables used and how smaller they are chopped, it may take less or more time. keep a check when the vegetables are cooking.
16. add ⅓ cup coriander leaves once the vegetables are cooked.
17. next, add 2 tablespoons lemon juice. stir and switch off the flame. 2 tablespoons of lemon juice gives a good sour taste in the soup. if you want a less tangy or sour taste, then add ½ to 1 tablespoon lemon juice. so add lemon juice according to your taste.
18. lastly, add 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped spring onion greens (scallions) or chives.
19. mix and serve hot lemon coriander soup in soup bowls or soup mugs. while serving you can garnish with some more spring onion greens and lemon slices. some crushed black pepper can also be sprinkled on top of lemon coriander soup. do note to remove the lemongrass stalk before serving.
tips to make lemon coriander soup
- to slightly thicken the soup you can add cornflour paste (corn starch slurry).
- for an umami taste, a bit of soy sauce can be added to the soup.
- add your choice of vegetables. you can add 1.5 to 1.75 cups of chopped mix vegetables like cabbage, corn, baby corn, broccoli, carrots, snap peas, green peas, spinach, bok choy, cauliflower and mushrooms. a mix bag of different varieties of mushrooms can also be used.
- adding lemongrass stalk is optional.
- if you have homemade vegetable stock, you can use it.
- some red chilli powder or cayenne pepper can also be added to increase the spiciness.
- add the amount of lemon juice as per your taste buds.
- you can even use a vegetarian or vegan bouillon cubes if you want. i do not use them as monosodium glutamate (msg or ajinomoto), artificial flavors, additives and preservatives are added in them.
- you can even add some more herbs like parsley or thyme.
- a small onion can be added instead of spring onions (scallions).
few more tasty soup recipes for you!
Lemon Coriander Soup
INGREDIENTS
for the soup
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil or any neutral flavoured oil
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger or 1-inch ginger
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic or 3 to 4 medium garlic cloves
- ¼ cup chopped spring onion whites or 2 small spring onions or ¼ cup finely chopped onions
- ¼ to ⅓ cup finely chopped carrots or 1 small to medium carrot
- 1 to 1.25 cups chopped mushrooms or 4 to 5 white button mushrooms
- 1 green chilli - chopped
- 1 lemongrass stalk - optional
- crushed black pepper or black pepper powder as required
- salt as required
- 4 cups water or sodium free vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice or add as per taste
- ⅓ cup chopped coriander leaves
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped spring onion greens (scallions) or chives - optional
for garnish
- 1 tablespoon coriander leaves
- 4 lemon slices - optional
- 1 tablespoon chopped spring onion greens (scallions) or chives - optional
INSTRUCTIONS
preparation
- rinse and then chop spring onions and mushrooms. peel, rinse and finely chop the carrots. rinse, peel and finely chop ginger and garlic. rinse and finely chop green chillies and coriander leaves.
cooking vegetables for soup
- heat 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil or any neutral flavored oil in a pan or pot.
- keep flame to a low or medium-low. when the oil becomes hot, add 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger, 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic and chopped green chilli.
- sauté ginger, garlic, green chilli for a few seconds on medium-low flame till the raw aroma of ginger and garlic goes away. do not brown them.
- next add ¼ cup chopped spring onion whites.
- stir and sauté spring onions for a minute on a medium-low flame to medium flame.
- add the chopped vegetables - ¼ to ⅓ cup finely chopped carrots and 1 to 1.25 cups chopped button mushrooms. you can add 1.5 to 1.75 cups of chopped mix vegetables like cabbage, corn, baby corn, broccoli, carrots, snap peas, green peas, cauliflower and mushrooms.
- mix very well.
- stir fry on a medium-low to medium flame for about 3 minutes. if not using mushrooms then stir fry for less time. mushrooms leave water and hence the vegetable mixture does not stick to the pan while stir frying.
- add 4 cups water. you can even use homemade vegetable stock or a sodium free vegetable stalk instead of water.
- add 1 lemongrass stalk (chopped). you can even use a lightly crushed and chopped lemon grass bulb.
- add freshly crushed black pepper as per taste and salt as per taste.
making lemon coriander soup
- cover and pan and simmer till the vegetables are cooked on medium-low to medium flame.
- when the veggies are cooked, add ⅓ cup coriander leaves and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. add lemon juice as per taste. 2 tablespoons of lemon juice gives a good sour taste in the soup. if you want a less tangy or sour taste, then add ½ to 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
- stir and switch off the flame.
- lastly, add chopped spring onion greens (scallions).
- mix and serve hot lemon coriander soup in soup bowls or soup mugs. while serving you can garnish with some more spring onion greens and lemon slices. some crushed black pepper can also be sprinkled on top of the soup. do note to remove the lemongrass stalk before serving.
NOTES
- you can slightly thicken the soup by adding a bit of cornflour paste (corn starch slurry).
- soy sauce can also be added.
- add your favorite vegetables in the soup.
- lemongrass stalk is optional and can be skipped.
- homemade vegetable stock can be used instead of water.
- a bit of red chilli powder or cayenne pepper can be added.
- lemon juice can be added as required.
- you can even use vegetarian or vegan bouillon cubes.
- instead of spring onions (scallions) 1 small onion can be added.
- some more herbs like parsley or thyme can be added.
I am a hardcore non-vegetarian.. n whenever i want to cook vegetarian especially for some occasion I can trust no body but you.. I follow all your recipes.. they are amazing.. taste awesome.. tried ths soup as well.. turned out superb.. thank you so much for sharing..
thank you so much abida. felt so good to read your comment. thank for the feedback and rating on lemon coriander soup too. wish you all the best. happy cooking.
Loved this , easy spicy felt like it was detoxing me.
thanks julie for review on lemon coriander soup. glad to read. happy cooking.