Indian
VeganKadu sweet & sour soup
Ash gourd sweet and sour soup
Ash gourd broth with a crunchy vegetable topping
A light, sweet-and-sour soup made from ash gourd (kadu) stock, thickened with cornflour and seasoned with tomato and chilli sauces, vinegar and black pepper. Lightly fried carrot, cauliflower and spring onion go on top for crunch. Serve it with hot buns. Bottle gourd works just as well as ash gourd.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Serves
- 5
- Per serving
- 95 kcal
Ingredients
For the soup
- 3 ⅓ lb ash gourdor bottle gourd
- 1.3 litres water5 cups
- 5 tsp cornflour
- 2 tbsp tomato sauce (ketchup)
- 1 tbsp chilli sauce
- 3 tsp vinegar
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp salt
For the topping
- 1 tsp oil
- 1 oz carrots¼ cup, finely chopped
- ⅞ oz cauliflower¼ cup, finely chopped
- 1 ¾ oz spring onions½ cup, finely chopped
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Peel 3 ⅓ lb ash gourd, scoop out the seeds and cut the flesh into pieces.
Step 2: Pressure cook the pieces with 1.3 litres water for 3 whistles (about 10 minutes), until very soft. Let the pressure drop, then strain to get a clear ash gourd stock.
10 minStep 3: Always mix cornflour to a thin paste in cold water first, or it goes lumpy: stir 5 tsp cornflour into 3 tbsp cold water. (If you have no cornflour, plain flour thickens soup the same way.)
Step 4: Bring the stock to the boil, stir in the cornflour paste and boil, stirring, until the soup thickens.
3 minStep 5: Add 2 tbsp tomato sauce (ketchup), 1 tbsp chilli sauce, 3 tsp vinegar, ½ tsp ground black pepper, 4 tbsp sugar and 2 tsp salt and cook for 5 minutes.
5 minStep 6: Heat 1 tsp oil in a small pan and lightly fry 1 oz carrots, ⅞ oz cauliflower and 1 ¾ oz spring onions for 1–2 minutes, so they stay crunchy.
2 minStep 7: Just before serving, stir the topping into the soup. Serve with hot buns.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 95 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 21 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kadu sweet & sour soup take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 5 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of cornflour?
- Arrowroot or potato starch, same amount.
- What can I use instead of vinegar?
- Lemon juice, same amount.
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