Serves: 3
Total Calories: 83

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 dried red chili peppers, such as chile de arbol, broken into pieces
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorn
2 cloves fresh garlic (large), chopped
4 quarter-size slices peeled fresh ginger
4 black cardamom pods, crushed lightly to break the skin
5 green cardamom pods, crushed lightly to break the skin
1 stick cinnamon (1-inch)
10 whole cloves
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon ajwain, seeds
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
5 cups water

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the red chili peppers, cumin and black peppercorns, stirring, about 30 seconds. Then add the garlic, ginger, black and green cardamom pods, cinnamon, cloves, fennel, and ajwain seeds, and stir about 1 minute.

2. Add the onion and bell pepper, reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and simmer until the broth is reduced by about half, about 1 hour. Simmer longer for a more concentrated broth.

4. Strain and discard the spices. Or pass everything through a food mill to obtain a stronger essence of flavors.

VARIATION: In step 1, along with all of the above, mix in about 1/2 cup each of any one or all of the following: fresh mint, cilantro stems, lemon leaves or lemongrass, fresh fenugreek leaves. Then add an extra cup of water in Step 3.

From "1,000 Indian Recipes." Copyright 2002 by Neelam Batra. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 3
Total Calories: 83
Calories from Fat: 40

More Recipes from the 1000 Indian Recipes Cookbook:
* Soups
Cabbage Soup with Vegetables
Carrot-Ginger Soup
Cashew Corn Soup in Chicken Broth
Chicken Soup with Chayote Squash
Chicken Soup with Cream-Style Corn and Green Chili Peppers
Chicken Soup with Ginger and Coconut Milk
Chickpea Soup with Chicken Broth
Chilled Chickpea Soup
Chilled Potato Soup
Chilled Roasted Vegetable Soup
Chunky South Indian Tomato Soup
Classic South Indian Ginger Soup
Creamy Almond-Poppy Seed Soup
Creamy Tomato Soup
Curried Green Pea Soup
Fast Black Bean Soup, Indian Style
Fragrant Yogurt Soup
Goan Caldo-Verde Soup with Cauliflower
Goan Shrimp Soup
Mulligatawny Soup
Mysore Coconut Soup
Puréed Mushroom Soup with Yogurt
Puréed Pumpkin Soup
Puréed Spinach Soup
Quick Black Chickpea Soup with Cumin Seeds
Quick Lentil, Barley and Vegetable Soup
Quick Puréed Root Vegetable Soup
Quick Sindhi Split Pigeon Pea Soup with Tamarind
South Indian Buttermilk Soup
South Indian Lemon Soup with Mung Beans
South Indian Tamarind Soup
Spicy Chicken Broth
Spicy Lamb Broth
Spicy Shrimp with Coconut Milk and Tomato
Spicy South Indian Vegetable Soup with Tamarind
Spinach Yogurt Soup
Tomato Soup with Fresh Curry Leaves
Tomato Soup with Sautéed Vegetables
Tomato Soup with Yellow Mung Beans
Traditional South Indian Split Pigeon Pea Soup
Vegetable Soup with Yogurt and Coconut
Vegetarian Broth
Yellow Mung Beans and Spinach Soup with Sizzling Cumin Oil
Yogurt Soup with Flame-Roasted Eggplant