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Chicken Lettuce Soup

✇From The Corner Table
By: Rapti Bhaumick

A comforting one-pot chicken and lettuce soup made with leftovers, fresh greens and simple ingredients. Perfect for busy weeknight dinners.

Part two of the Lettuce Series, as I’ve dubbed it, involved throwing a bunch of ingredients into a large pot and ending up with a soup that made life feel a whole lot better. Chicken Lettuce Soup wasn’t a planned recipe, but it’s the kind that, once you’ve tasted it, you realise needs to be shared with the world. Or at least the little corner of the world this blog reaches.

The best thing about this soup? The mothership liked it. And trust me when I say that her approving of something containing both chicken (she’s steadily developing a dislike for meat) and lettuce (see part one of the Lettuce Series) felt like a major life achievement.

Note: I used leftover smoked chicken, but any cooked chicken works just as well

For those joining this rodeo late, check out the Lettuce Sourdough-wich recipe to understand the concept of reverse parenting. And if soups are your thing, the Masala Chicken Soup and Pumpkin Carrot & Spring Onion Soup might offer a little inspiration.

Chicken Lettuce Soup in a mug | Copyright Image | From The Corner Table
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Chicken Lettuce Soup

A comforting one-pot chicken and lettuce soup made with leftovers, fresh greens and simple ingredients.

Ingredients

  • 250 grams Smoked chicken
  • 200 grams Lettuce
  • 1 large Carrot
  • 1 cup Cooked noodles/spaghetti
  • 1 large Onion
  • 1/2 inch Ginger (grated)
  • 6 cloves Garlic
  • 3 tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 3 Chicken stock cubes
  • Salt (as required)
  • Black pepper powder (as required)
  • 1 litre Water

Instructions

  • Peel and mince the onion and garlic cloves.
  • Peel and cut the carrot into cubes
  • In a large pot, heat olive oil.
  • Add onion, garlic, ginger and sauté till the onion is slightly translucent.
  • Throw in the carrots.
  • Pour in the water, add the chicken stock cubes, cover and simmer for 7-10 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure there are no stock cube lumps.
  • Cube or shred the cooked chicken and add to the simmering pot of soup.
  • Wash the lettuce well, tear and add to the soup.
  • Add the cooked noodles/spaghetti if using.
  • Check the seasoning and add salt and/or pepper if required.
  • Adjust the consistency of the soup with water if required.
  • Simmer for another 7-10 minutes.
  • Serve hot with bread of choice.
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Yellow Moong Dal with Vegetables

✇From The Corner Table
By: Rapti Bhaumick

A comforting Bengali-style roasted yellow moong dal cooked with vegetables and whole spices. A wholesome everyday meal best served with steamed rice.

There is a quiet joy in dishes that ask for very little and yet deliver so much comfort. The reasons could be many: they’re fuss-free to cook, they soothe both the palate and the soul, or, in the case of Yellow Moong Dal with Vegetables—a personal favourite—they’re tied to childhood memories and special occasions.

This Bengali favourite relies on minimal spices and aromatics, allowing the roasted yellow moong dal to remain the star of the dish. A handful of vegetables adds sweetness, texture and a nutritional boost, turning it into a wholesome meal that’s equally at home alongside steaming rice and a simple bhaaja. For the uninitiated, a bhaaja is the Bengali word for a fried dish. With this dal, it could be a lightly fried begun (brinjal) bhaaja, aaloo (potato) bhaaja or even kumdo (pumpkin) bhaaja.

Better still, it comes together fairly quickly, especially in a pressure cooker, which is how we almost always make it at home.

Yellow Moong Dal with Veggies | copyright image | From The Corner Table
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Yellow Moong Dal with Vegetables

Golden, sweet yellow moong dal is roasted, tempered in whole spices and cooked with a handful of vegetables for a dish that soothes and satiates.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup Yellow moong dal
  • ½ cup Green peas
  • ½ cup Potato cubed/diced
  • ½ cup Carrot cubed/diced
  • 1 Green chilli
  • 1 tablespoon Ghee
  • ½ inch Ginger crushed
  • ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
  • 2-3 Cloves
  • 2-3 Cardamom pods
  • ½ stick Cinnamon
  • 1 Bay leaf
  • Salt to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon Sugar
  • ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
  • Red chilli powder as required
  • 4 cups Water

Instructions

  • Peel and cube/dice the carrots and potato and set aside.
  • Slit the green chilli lengthwise, crush the ginger and keep ready.
  • In a kadhai/pan, dry roast the yellow moong dal until fragrant. Stir constantly to avoid the dal from burning. This will take approximately 5 minutes.
  • Pour the roasted yellow moong dal into a bowl and set aside to cool.
  • In a pressure cooker, heat ghee.
  • Add cumin seeds, cloves, cardamom pods, cinnamon and bay leaf. Stir fry till fragrant.
  • Add the crushed ginger, green chilli, potato and carrot.
  • Stir fry for 2-3 minutes, until the potatoes are slightly brown at the edges.
  • Add the yellow moong dal and green peas into the cooker. If you are a cleanliness maniac like me, wash the roasted yellow moong dal before you dump it into the cooker.
  • Add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder if using it and salt.
  • Pour in 3 cups of water and stir well.
  • Close the pressure cooker and let the dal cook for up to three whistles.
  • Gradually release the cooker’s steam.
  • Open and stir the dal gently to avoid breaking the cooked vegetables.
  • Check the seasoning and the consistency – a thicker dal pairs well with breads like roti, paratha, luchi or naan. A slightly soupy dal is best for rice.
  • To adjust the consistency, add warm water and gently stir the dal.
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