This is for you folks who say “I love tandoori chicken, butter chicken, and chicken tikka masala”. This soup takes the same flavors of tandoori chicken and turns it into a delicious vegetarian soup

Tandoori Spice Blend

First off let me mention that if you love tandoori chicken did you know that you can stop by any Indian grocery store and pick up a readymade tandoori spice mix? This spice mix has all the aromatic spices that give tandoori chicken that amazing fragrance and flavor.

The beauty of tandoori spice blend

The beauty of tandoori spice blend is that it has all the spices that make a traditional chicken tikka masala taste so good – cumin, coriander, turmeric, fennel, cloves, cinnamon, celery seed, chili powder, and so many more aromatic spices. Just grab a packet and don’t even bother making your own blend. Just a teaspoon of this spice blend goes a long way in flavoring your foods. The back of the package even has recipes.

Now on to this recipe

I’ve always admired a good chicken tikka masala and loved how it smells and looks so delicious. But being vegetarian I never ventured to try it. Until one day a friend suggested that I just pick up the spice mix and try it with paneer or any vegetable I want. Well, I did exactly that! I got a wonderful aromatic tandoori spice blend from the Indian store and decided to experiment with a recipe or two. First dish I made is this vegetarian tandoori soup.

Tandoori Vegetable Soup

I used the tandoori spice blend to make a the soup with lots of vegetables and to give the dish that same creamy look as a traditional tandoori chicken, I added in half/half. Guess what? I got nods of approval from the family – who do love a good chicken tikka masala!

Easy recipe with delicious results

The recipe is really easy. Fry up a generous amount of onions and garlic. Then flavor it with tandoor masala spice blend. Add in the veggies, broth and cook until tender. Then mix in half and half for a creamy tandoori vegetable soup. That’s it! A tandoori soup that’s aromatic, healthy and delicious. On a chilly evening, an aromatic tandoori soup will surely satisfy. Give it a try!

Tandoori Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato peeled and cut into small chunks
2 carrots peeled and cut into small pieces
Butternut squash – as much as you want
1 bunch of kale ribs removed and finely cut
1 onion chopped
6 garlic cloves minced
1 can navy beans or cannelini beans or pinto beans drained and rinsed
Olive oil
1 tbsp tandoori spice blend
1 tsp turmeric
Salt
Fresh cilantro
Half/half – 1/2 cup – optional or use coconut milk
5 cups vegetable broth or water

Directions:

In a large pot warm 2 tbsp olive oil. Add the onions and garlic and shallow fry until onions are tender. Add the tandoori spice and turmeric and mix into the onions. Next add all the vegetables. Add 2 tsp salt plus 1 cup water or broth. Cook the veggies until tender.

Now add the remainder 4 cups more broth or water, can of navy beans and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and add the half/half. Stir in. Turn the stove off. Add fresh cilantro and mix in. Tandoori vegetable soup is ready.

Serve warm with a side of naan to dip into the soup!

Happy Sunday Soup Day!