Silky Spinach Shorba with Mint

Shorba is the soft, everyday soup of North India, the sort of thing that gets made when someone needs something warm and gentle without much fuss. This one is a smooth spinach version that leans on mint and green chillies for lift, and it finishes with a little ghee and garlic poured over the top. It is the kind of soup you make when the fridge has a bag of spinach that needs using up.

A quick word on spinach, since it is the star here. Spinach is one of those leafy greens that shrinks dramatically when heated, which is why four cups of raw leaves cook down to a modest amount of puree. It is also a green that tends to dull in colour if it is overcooked, so the short three to four minute boil in this recipe is doing you a favour. Get the spinach off the heat, let it cool a little, and the colour stays bright in the blender. If you want an extra-vivid bowl, blend the mint and chillies with the spinach while it is still just warm, not steaming.

A tip from my own kitchen: when you add the milk, keep the heat moderate and do not let it roil hard. Milk that boils too aggressively can separate, and nobody wants a grainy soup. Stir the lemon juice in after the milk has come to the boil, not before. The lemon brightens the whole pot, and a little sharpness goes a long way against the richness of the milk.

For leftovers, the soup keeps well in a sealed container in the fridge for a day or two. It will thicken as it sits, so loosen it with a splash of warm water when you reheat it gently. I would not freeze it, because the milk can turn grainy when thawed. Make the garlic tempering fresh each time you serve, since it only takes a minute and it is the bit that makes the bowl smell wonderful.

To make this a proper meal, serve it with something that has a bit of heft. A bowl of soft dal khichdi on the side turns it into a comforting plate, and it sits nicely next to the Tangy Toor Dal and Rice Khichdi if you want a full, slow supper. For something with a bit of crunch, a warm flatbread alongside works well too. The Soft Onion Flatbreads with Flaxseeds are good for tearing into the soup. And if you are cooking a bigger spread, the Bengali Spinach with Mustard and Garlic makes a lovely green companion on the table.