Indian Vegetable Soup Recipe (Ready in 30 Minutes)
A nourishing Indian vegetable soup built on a ghee and cumin tadka base. One pot, 30 minutes, ready with any vegetables you have on hand.
Equipment
- Medium pot or Dutch oven
Ingredients
Vegetables
- 1 medium carrot diced small
- 1 medium potato diced small
- ½ cup green peas fresh or frozen
- ½ cup cabbage roughly chopped
- 1 medium tomato roughly chopped
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 3–4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 -inch piece ginger grated
Ghee Tadka and Spices
- 1½ tsp ghee or neutral oil for vegan
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 1 small bay leaf
- 4–5 whole black peppercorns
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp coriander powder
- ¼ tsp cumin powder
- ¼ tsp garam masala added at the end
- Salt to taste
- 4 cups water or vegetable stock
To Finish
- Fresh coriander leaves, a handful
- Juice of ½ lemon
Instructions
Prep the Vegetables
- Dice all vegetables into roughly ½-inch pieces so they cook at the same rate.
Build the Ghee Tadka Base
- Heat ghee in a medium pot over medium heat.
- Add cumin seeds and wait for them to splutter, about 20–30 seconds.
- Add the bay leaf and peppercorns and sizzle for 10 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the onion and cook for 3–4 minutes until softened and lightly golden at the edges.
- Add garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly so they do not catch.
Add Spices and Vegetables
- Add turmeric, coriander powder, and cumin powder. Stir into the onion mixture and cook for 30 seconds to toast the spices.
- Add the chopped tomato and cook for 2 minutes until it starts to break down.
- Add all remaining vegetables and stir to coat in the spiced base.
- Pour in the water or vegetable stock and season generously with salt.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer.
Simmer and Finish
- Cover and cook for 15–18 minutes until the potato and carrot are completely tender when pierced with a knife.
- Add fresh peas in the last 5 minutes; add frozen peas in the last 2 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Stir in garam masala, a squeeze of lemon juice, and fresh coriander leaves.
- Taste and adjust salt. Serve hot.
Notes
Vegan swap: replace ghee with any neutral oil (sunflower, coconut, or avocado oil).
Vegetable flexibility: French beans, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, and zucchini all work well. Use whatever is in your fridge.
To make thicker: lightly mash some of the cooked potato and carrot directly in the pot, or blend a third of the soup and stir it back in.
Instant Pot method: use sauté mode for the tadka and onion, add everything, then cook on high pressure for 5 minutes with a quick release.
Add lemon juice off the heat only — lemon added while boiling turns bitter.
Storage: store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop with a splash of water. Not recommended for freezing once potato is added.
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