What is vegetable stock?

Vegetable stock is typically a clear liquid made from boiling a variety of different vegetables and herbs in water. Generally,  the less desirable parts of the vegetables that can not be eaten are used to prepare it. Of Course, the less desirable parts are clean and edible, but are generally  thrown away while cooking the vegetable recipe. Sometimes, vegetable herbs are also added for taste and medicinal properties.

Vegetable stock is also called vegetable broth. In the market, vegetable stock is available in tin cans ready to use for soups and other recipes. It is also available in powder and cube format, but it has to be boiled in water for 10 to 15 minutes before using it.

What not to put in vegetable stock?

Please note that while making a basic vegetable stock or broth, select vegetables with neutral ,but savoury flavours. Also, avoid adding salt to it. We are going to use this vegetable stock or broth in many soup recipes. Every leftover of the vegetables or complete vegetables can not  be used for making vegetable stock or broth. Generally, vegetables like potatoes, beetroot and peas are not used for making vegetable stock or broth for obvious reasons.

Knorr and Maggie are the two brands that sell vegetable stock or broth in cube and powder format.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 fine chopped onions
• 2 chopped sweet potatoes
• 2 chopped carrots
• 2 parsnip carrat
• 1 chopped red chilly
• 1 tablespoon coriander powder
• 1 liter vegetable stock
• 425 ml milk
• 100 g yogurt
• 1 tablespoon green coriander leaf powder

• Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan.
• Add chopped onion and mix well till the onion becomes light redish in color.
• Now add the remaining vegetables and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add chill and coriander to it.
• Pour vegetable stock into it and let it boil.
• Pour milk and let it boil. If necessary, pour more vegetable stock.
• Add more veggie stock if needed.
• After 25 minutes of boiling , serve it with yogurt topping and sprinkled coriander powder.

• 3 large carrots
• 1 tbsp ginger
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 1 spoonful of pepper
• 20 gram bread
• 1 tablespoon cream
• 200 ml vegetable stock

• Peel the carrot and cut it into fine chopped pieces.
• Pour chopped carrot pieces, ginger, turmeric, pepper, bread, cream and vegetable stock in a mixer and mix it.
• Mix them until it becomes like a thin paste.
• Put it into a pot for boiling for sometime.
• Remove after 10 minutes after boiling and sever in bowls.
• You can sprinkle pepper and cream on the top as topping.
• You can also add salt as per your likeliness.

• 250 g boiled beetroot
• 100 g canned dal or lentil dal
• 1 small apple
• 1 garlic mashed up
• 1 tsp onion seed extra for serving
• 250 ml vegetable stock

• Grind the above ingredients until they are sliced thin ​​in a blender.
• The goal is to make it like a paste of the above ingredients.
• Afterwards boil the paste in the microwave or on the gas.
• Serve the mixture with sprinkled onion seeds on the top.

Creamy Mushroom Soup is a simple type of soup  with cream or milk with mushrooms added in broth or vegetable stock. This recipe is very common in North America and  it is also availed in tin can as branded products in super markets.

• 25 gram dried mushroom
• 50 gram butter
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 1 finely chopped garlic
• 400 ml mixed wild mushroom
• 850 ml vegetable stock
• 200 ml cream
• 4 slices of white bread and truffle oil

Since broccoli is a very good source of vitamins K and C and a great source of folic acid, it is good for improving digestion and metabolism. This soup also provides potassium and fiber to the body because of addition of broccoli.  People who suffer from constipation problem should consume broccoll soup because of it’s fibre content.

• 300 gram broccoli
• 3 tomatoes medium size
• 2 potatoes
• 1 inch piece of ginger
• 7-8 black pepper
• 4 pieces of clove
• 1 piece of cinnamon
• salt as per taste
• 1 or 2 tsp cream
• coriander as per taste

• Cut the broccoli into pieces and rinse thoroughly with water.
• Keep the water warm in a pot enough to sink the broccoli flowers.Please remember to rinse the broccoli flowers.
• When the water is boiling, go on adding the broccoli pieces.
• Keep this in a pot aside after 2 minutes of boiling.
• Wash the tomatoes and cut them into small pieces. Finely chop the potatoes. Also, broccoli stems and ginger into small pieces.
• In another sauce pan, heat a table spoon full of the black pepper, cream, clove  and cinnamon.
• Take a pot of boiling water and mix the above in the boiling water along with the fine pieces tomatoes, potatoes, broccoli and ginger.
• Increase the water level while boiling and open the lid after 6-7 minutes.
• Make sure tha potatoes are cooked properly and mashed up.
• Make the mixture cool and mix it in a blender.
• Server the mixture in a bowl with salt as per taste. Sprinkle the soup with coriander or cream.
• Your broccoli soup is ready.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 finely chopped onions
• 1 liter cooked pumpkin
• 700 ml veggie stock
• 150 ml double cream
• Some pumpkin seeds as needed

• Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan. 
• Then fry the onion to it. 
• Add chopped pumpkin pieces and fry and keep shuffling. 
• Now add veggie stock in it. 
• Then add salt and pepper to taste. 
• Keep boiling the above mixture until it becomes some what solid.
• When it becomes solid in form like paste stop boiling, mix with blender.
• Mix with vegetable stock and serve it with sprinkling of pumpkin seeds.

Summary