Celery is one of those vegetables you mostly add to dishes which have other vegetables or if you are like me, dip them in a creamy dip/sauce or add them to salads for added crunch. We love celery as it is a low-calorie, high-fiber juicy vegetable with an amazing crunch and which I believe actually consumes more calories to digest than consumed!! Now, isn’t that fascinating? Munch on one soon or try out this simple celery soup!
I had a half-used bunch of celery in my fridge which had too much hard fiber in them for consumption in salads so was languishing on the shelves, waiting to be probably thrown off some day! Soups are one of my favorites to rustle up in a jiffy and it struck me that I could make a soup out of that and maybe not be part of the wasteful society that we are in right now! Most of the soups that I normally make use minimal ingredients so why not do something similar with this one?! So, I headed on to the kitchen to make this super easy one!
Not to take away from the green color of celery in this soup, I chose to use green onions/scallions (the thick whitish-greenish part) instead of the regular onions and my favorite spice cumin with ginger to aromatize the soup! I love using pressure cookers to lessen my time in the kitchen (and save precious energy too!!) and this one was no exception. Just saute the onions and celery along with the spices in some butter (if vegan, use only oil) and then pressure cook until soft. Puree the mixture and give it a boil after seasoning. Sprinkle some chopped green onions or celery leaves (I love these, although nowadays, all the bunches of celery come without any leaves!!) as garnish. My last trip to the grocers was my lucky one as I was able to find one bunch with a few leaves still on them!
Once the soup was ready, one sip and it amazed me that something so mundane and not so liked by many could be transformed to such a delightful light soup! So, if you do come across celery at your grocers, do try this easy, healthy and quick pressure cooker soup and enjoy it a as perfect starter soup or a complete meal with some crusty bread on the side!
How to make celery soup:
In a large pressure cooker/pan, melt butter along with oil. Add the onions, cumin and ginger with slit green chilies and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until softened but not browned, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the chopped celery and cook, stirring, until just starting to soften, about 3 minutes.
Stir in 1 cup of water, close the pressure cooker and cook on high for 1 to 2 whistles.
Once the pressure has dropped, strain the mixture into a saucepan. Remove the slit green chilies and pieces of ginger and blend the rest to a fine puree.
Transfer the pureed onion-celery mixture to the strained celery broth, add 2 cups of water and season with salt to taste; mix well. Add a pinch of sugar, if needed, to balance the flavors. Bring to a boil on high heat and then simmer on medium low for about 5 to 7 minutes.
Sprinkle black pepper powder; mix well and remove from heat. Garnish with chopped green onions and serve hot with a dash of lemon juice or a drizzle of olive oil.
Enjoy as a starter/appetizer or make a full meal of it with some crusty bread or toast on the side! Happy Cooking!! Check out these other similar light soups today: Carrot and Coriander Soup Beetroot Soup Sweet Corn Vegetable Soup
If you like my posts and recipes, do not forget to Pin, Share, comment in the box below or like my Facebook page Cook Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 25 minutes
1 tablespoon butter 1 teaspoon oil ½ tsp cumin seeds/jeera 1-inch piece ginger, chopped into large pieces 2 to 3 green chillies/jalapenos, slit ½ cup green onions (white portion), chopped 2 cups chopped celery Salt to taste Black Pepper powder Celery leaves and chopped green onions for garnishing
Instructions Notes Love the strong flavors of ginger and chilies, let them stay in the soup while blending! Adjust spices and consistency according to taste and preference. By Vanitha Bhat Sharing this with: #RecipeoftheWeek |
