Name: Lemon Coriander Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: ½ cup Coriander Leaves, leaves and stems, finely chopped; 2 tbsp Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed; 1 tbsp Garlic, finely minced; 1 tsp Ginger, finely minced; 1 Green Chili Pepper, finely chopped; 2 tbsp Cabbage, finely chopped; 2 tbsp Carrot, finely chopped; 3 cup Water, or vegetable stock for deeper flavor; 1 tbsp Corn Flour, mixed with water for slurry; ½ tsp Ground Black Pepper; ¾ tsp Salt, to taste; 1 tsp Cooking Oil

20 mintotal

Prep 10 min · Cook 10 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Easy
Spice: Mild

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Method

Heat the oil in a pot over a medium flame. Add the minced garlic, ginger, and green chilli. Sauté for a few seconds until fragrant.
Add the finely chopped cabbage and carrots. Sauté for 1 minute.
1 min
Pour in the water (or vegetable stock). Add the chopped coriander stems (reserve the leaves for later). Bring to a boil.
Add the salt and black pepper. Let it simmer for 3-4 minutes to infuse the coriander flavor into the broth.
3–4 min
Gradually add the cornflour slurry while stirring continuously. Boil for 2 minutes until the soup thickens slightly.
2 min
Turn off the heat. Add the chopped coriander leaves and the fresh lemon juice. Mix well.
Serve immediately while hot.

How to tell it's done

The soup is light, clear, and vividly citrusy, with a slight velvety body from the cornflour.

Nutrition

Per serving, from 2 servings.

53kcal

Where the calories come from

Protein0.7 g5%
Carbohydrate8 g57%
Fat2.4 g38%

Sugars: 1.1 g
Saturated fat: 0.4 g
Fibre: 0.8 g
Sodium: 889 mg
Potassium: 106 mg
Calcium: 55 mg
Iron: 0.3 mg

Estimated by calculation from the ingredient list, using USDA FoodData Central. Not a laboratory analysis.

Getting it right

Tip

Never boil the soup after adding lemon juice; it turns bitter and loses its vitamin C. The coriander stems are what give it depth.

What to serve it with

A sharp, refreshing soup, good as a light starter.

Common mistakes

The soup tastes dull despite all the coriander.: Add the leaves and the lemon off the heat, at the very end. Both are volatile — simmered, coriander turns grassy and lemon turns bitter, and the whole point of this soup is the fresh hit at the finish.
It turns gluey.: Mix the cornflour with cold water before it goes in, and use it sparingly. This is meant to be a clear broth with a slight body, not a thickened one; a heavy hand gives it a slippery texture.

Substitutions

Vegetable or chicken stock in place of water gives a rounder broth, as the steps suggest. Arrowroot or potato starch replaces the cornflour one for one. Lime works instead of lemon. Coriander itself has no substitute here — it is the dish, and parsley makes a different soup entirely.

Storing and reheating

Best fresh. It keeps two days in the fridge, though the coriander darkens and the lemon fades — add both again on reheating. It does not freeze well, as the cornflour breaks down.

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Ingredients