Recipe Tikka Masparagus Soup (Asparagus Tikka Masala Soup)

[The Late Night Gourmet]

Sometimes, experimentation in the kitchen leads to disaster. Other times, you can end up with something wonderful that you didn’t expect.

This started out as an asparagus soup. I decided to add some Indian seasonings to it rather than making it the way I usually do. That evolved into full-blown tikka masala seasoning, but it was still green, because it was still basically an asparagus soup. Then, I added tomatoes and yogurt, and this is what resulted.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon ginger, freshly grated
4 garlic cloves, freshly grated
1 serrano pepper, diced
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 tablespoon turmeric
2 tablespoons fenugreek leaves
1 cup fat free greek yogurt
4 pounds asparagus
6 cups vegetable stock (I made my own stock from the asparagus stems)
4 large tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon salt

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large pot on medium. Add garlic, ginger, and pepper and saute for a minute, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Add turmeric, garam masala, and fenugreek leaves and stir constantly for another minute.
2. Cut woody ends from asparagus. Save to make a stock, or discard. Cut asparagus into chunks, and add to the pot, stirring to coat. Heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Dice tomatoes, and add to the pot, stirring to coat. Heat for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add stock. Lower heat to a simmer and cover, Heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add salt to taste. Add yogurt. Puree soup in a blender, working in batches as needed. Serve with a garnish of cilantro.

 

[Morning Glory]

How well does the asparagus flavour stand up to the curry spice? Asparagus is such a subtle delicate flavour... could you still taste it?

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

How well does the asparagus flavour stand up to the curry spice? Asparagus is such a subtle delicate flavour... could you still taste it?

Not much...if I had gone milder with the spice (not likely with me!) then it would have been a different story. But, the asparagus - through sheer volume - thickens it into a proper soup, so it's not a sauce like a traditional tikka (though it tastes like one).