Thursday, March 26, 2009

Cucumber-Almond Soup

As a kid, I hated eating cucumber and did not touch them for several years. I felt they had no flavor or anything to offer to my sophisticated palette :P But then, as we grow, we become wise(r) :D and grow in size physically, literally and mentally. And sometimes, the rate of your physical growth demands you eat cucumbers. Only cucumbers, at that ;) That is how I started eating cucumber and have grown to like the fruit (?)

So the dieting mind of mine was elated to see a different version of the regular Raita in Suganya's blog - Tasty Palettes. It seemed rich, what with almonds and I decided that this was what I wanted to try from Sug's blog. Its a different thing that I've made the Gnocchi, the mushroom pizza and all kinds of other stuff from her blog. But if anything helped me keep track of my diet, it was this cucumber soup :) I made a couple of changes to it, though. I added some red onions and coriander or cilantro to just jazz it up! And boy, do I regret not eating cucumber all these years or what!



This one goes out to the Tried and Tasted- Tasty Palettes event hosted by Curry Leaf this time around. The event was started by Zlamushka of Zlamushka's Spicy Kitchen. Thank you Sug, for this simple recipe. It made my day on a really hot, boring afternoon! I made some sweet potato crisps to go with it and it looked so pretty, that I decided to showcase that too.

Since this time, AFAM is exploring the potential of cucumber, this dish is also participating in the AFAM - Cucumber event held at Neha's Tasty Recipes and conceptualized by Maheshwari of 'Beyond the Usual' fame! Almonds...hmm..I saw a nutty event somewhere. Hmm..here! This one makes its way to you too, JZ!

Take it away, ladies. It was worth it :) And I swear, I didn't think of all these events when I made this. I made this purely because the cucumbers were rotting, and it was hot and I was just way too bored to cook. I hope my pictures have done justice to Suganya's fantastic pictures!

P.S - I'm a linker par excellence no?

47 comments:

amna said...

i make cucumber raita whenever i make pulao or mixed rice of any kind. adding almonds is new to me though :)

nice pic ;)

Cham said...

There is no doubt about linking! The soup is creamy and rich !

Varsha Vipins said...

The soup looks fab ...!!!

Anonymous said...

I like the picture! Never have seen almonds in a soup before.

Anonymous said...

naicee recipe... I once bought cucumbers and forgot to use them... they went bad... and Goddd... rotten cucumbers take the prize for having the most horrible smell... swore off cucumbers after that... but this recipe makes me want to buy again :)

Priya Sriram said...

Absolute justice A&N! Looks really wonderful! Will surely give it a try :)

Vibaas said...

MMMMM This looks yummy. I had this in my to-do list too.

The pic looks very nice and tempting :)

Unknown said...

I need to start using cucumber in more ways than just chopping it up in salads. thanks for the ideas!

Archana said...

Nice idea - my cucumbers are always used in boring raitas - this is really good !

Sanghi said...

I love cucumber salad and this is different. Will surely try out..:)

Neha said...

Looks yummy.....I make this cucumber raita with pulav sometimes, though with ALMONDS, something new..

Donna-FFW said...

I always end up with cucumbers such as yours. This would be a perfect use! I have got to try it, its so original!

Unknown said...

The soup looks wonderful.Hearty Thanks for the chilly and summery entry.Cheers

Anonymous said...

This is one pretty looking bowl! good job. i cannot imagine someone not liking cucumbers:-)

FH said...

We are all looking for events to send to every time we post something and we always manage to find a few, don't we? great entry and good looking tasty soup. Happy Ugadi! :)

Sia said...

i love cucumber so much that i miss the ones u get in India! what u get here is is bland with thick skin :(

and what a gorgeous soup. cucumber and almonds in one pot? brillient!

wishing u and ur loved ones a very happy Ugadi :)

Cakelaw said...

Definitely sounds like an interesting soup - the almonds sound like a great addition.

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

That's one of my favorite summer soups! Yours looks really good and so beautiful!

Cheers,

Rosa

Usha said...

Loved this soup, looks fantastic !

Elyse said...

I adore raita! What a perfect submission. And I just love your additions, especially of the red onion to add a nice bite. Mmm, this soup is so delicious!

Anonymous said...

the cucumber soup looks good, A & N. Great entries!! Thanks for sending it to the almonds event.

Bianca said...

I love cucumbers, but it took me awhile to realize that too. Never hated them, but didn't love 'em either...until I had a fresh, in-season locally grown cucumber. Makes a huge difference!

Indian Khana said...

Hmm same here ...I not much fan of cucumber either...but the soups looks delicious....

Deepa Hari said...

Beautiful soup...very inviting.

veggievixen said...

i love making cold vegetable soups! i have never encountered this combination before, but i bet it's tasty!

Sharmi said...

I have never tasted a cucumber soup! looks yum!

Elle said...

Diet fare that is gourmet...and gorgeous! Love that you found all the different events to link to, also. Pretty crafty.
The photo is absolutley lovely!

Deepthi Shankar said...

Ever since I remember, I have always loved cucumber .. adding almonds is soo totally new .. nice pic too

AnuSriram said...

Thats a gr8 click! Soup looks lovely!

NKP said...

Looks so refreshing! I have never had a cucumber soup before.

Shama Nagarajan said...

yummy delicious soup

Anonymous said...

Yum Yum to this soup, which I've been living on for days since one of my wisdom teeth aches (time for a visit to the scary dentist!) I'm going to have to get someone to make this for me since I can't get into the kitchen!

That said, of course my hours are wonky..I'm still healing from my knee surgery and home until I can get to outpatient therapy. In other words..loads of time on my hands and no work ! LOL

Anonymous said...

cucumbers and almonds? what a fascinating combo! can't wait to try it!

Suganya said...

Love your twists on the recipe. If you are trying to eat cucumber, then Nupur's Cucumber pancakes is a must try. I ahve made it countless number of times. Love it.

miss v said...

definitely something new for me... i like!

A_and_N said...

Thanks a ton, everyone! And Happy Ugadi to all of you too :)

Sug: That is tomorrow's breakfast! :) Thanks for the tip.

Priyanka Agrawal said...

hi dear this looks amazing!

Mahimaa's kitchen said...

addition of almonds shud make the soup rich and tasty.. looks very nice.

The Caked Crusader said...

I love cucumber and almond but have never seen them together before. I'm fascinated by your lovely dish!

Lindsay (Happy Herbivore) said...

ive only ever had cucumber-dill soup... but this looks outstanding!

delhibelle said...

Terrific..how did i miss this one? Bookmarked now!

Sarah said...

I love cucumber! I'll have to try this.

KonkaniBlogger said...

Fabulous looking soup! I had bookmarked this too from Suganya's, but never got to making it. Loved ur picture too.

Valarmathi Sanjeev said...

Picture looks tempting.Looks fantastic.

Manju said...

cucumber raita is something that i always make, but a soup is something new to me, especially with almonds in it..looks great though!

A_and_N said...

Thanks again!

Katrina said...

So pleasing to the eyes and definitely pleasing to taste. Love it!