I’ve been getting a bounty of cucumbers in my CSA box lately.

Madhur Jaffrey brought this Cold Cucumber Soup recipe back with her from a trip to the Maldives, after tasting this soup at the Cocoa Island resort on the South Male Atoll, just southwest of India. She recalls “sitting in an airy pavilion, the calm blue sea on two sides of me, balmy breezes blowing past, sipping the soup a tablespoon at a time, and thinking, ‘This is what heaven must be like.'”

Although this soup appears simple, apparently the original recipe was quite complicated to make. In fact, Madhur Jaffrey spent two years simplifying this Cold Cucumber Soup recipe for the home cook, trying to retain its essence while cutting down on all the steps used at the restaurant. The chef who created this soup, Stana Johnson, combined South Indian seasonings and the notion of cucumber raita, an Indian yogurt relish, in this light cooling summer soup.

When I first read through this Cold Cucumber Soup recipe, I was intrigued by the idea of creating a soup base by toasting urad dal and spices, and then allowing this spice mix along with curry leaves to infuse the chicken broth. I have eaten dal as a dish, but not as a flavoring. Toasting the urad dal with mustard seeds adds an unexpected flavor dimension, and the chilies give this Cold Cucumber Soup a kick.

Today was 90 degrees out, so this Cold Cucumber Soup was perfect. In fact, I had it for lunch and dinner. 

Cold Cucumber Soup

Adapted from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey. Toasting the urad dal with the mustard seeds and chilies adds a nice flavor dimension. Fresh curry leaves are well worth seeking out, and can be found at your local Indian grocery store. I used non-fat yogurt to keep this summer soup on the lighter side. You can substitute vegetable broth if you’d like.

Don’t Let This Light Colored Soup Fool You – It Is Super Flavorful And Has A Kick.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons urad dal (or yellow split peas)
• 1 tablespoon whole brown or yellow mustard seeds
• 2 dried hot red chilies
• 15 fresh curry leaves, or 6 basil leaves, torn up
• 4 cups chicken stock
• Cucumber, enough to get 3 cups after peeling and blending, plus some finely diced cucumber for garnishing
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 2 cups plain yogurt
• 8 cherry tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch dice, for garnishing’

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add dal; as soon as dal takes on a hint of color, add mustard seeds and chilies. As soon as the mustard seeds pop, throw in the curry leaves and quickly pour in the chicken stock. 
2. Bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium low and simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes or until the stock is reduced to 3 cups. 
3. Set aside for 3 hours or overnight, allowing the stock to chill and get infused with the seasonings. Strain.
4. Peel and roughly dice the cucumber. Put in a blender along with 1/2 cup of the strained broth. Blend finely.
5. Put salt and yogurt in a large bowl and whisk lightly so you have a smooth mixture. 
6. Slowly whisk in the remaining chicken stock and cucumber mixture. Taste for salt and then refrigerate until ready to serve.
7. To serve, stir the soup well (it tends to separate), and ladle into soup bowls.
8. Sprinkle the diced cucumbers and diced tomatoes over the top and serve.

Serves 6-8.

Please stop by and take a look at what the rest of the group made this week in celebration of Madhur Jaffrey: