Chunky Low Fat Cream of Mushroom Soup

My husband was out on a week long tour to Germany and even before he landed, he texted me that he wants to go on a diet whole of this week. While I was already observing a low calorie diet during his absence, his request did not sound too daunting to me. On one day, I served him black pea salad with Quinoa, and on the other, garlic pinwheels made with wheatgerm and served with a carrot soup. Today, I served him this yummy chunky thick Cream of Mushroom soup with some juicy Chicken Escalopes. The twist in the story however is that the cream of mushroom soup is actually without any cream. Here is the recipe and find out how!

                                    

Ingredients

2 cups button mushroom, finely chopped

1 big onion chopped

2-3 cloves garlic finely chopped

3 cups milk (you can use either full cream or skimmed)

2 tsp plain flour

1 tsp butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Direction

Dry roast the plain flour till aromatic in a small pan and keep it aside. Take care not to burn the flour. Let it cool.

In another deep bottomed vessel, heat the butter and add the garlic. When it starts browning, add the onions and fry till translucent. Now add the mushrooms and stir. Keep it covered on a medium flame till the mushroom changes color and is cooked through. Now remove the cover and dry up the moisture from the mushrooms. Add a few drops of milk to the roasted flour and make a smooth lumpfree paste. Add this paste to the mushrooms and stir well ensuring no lumps remain. Now add the milk and bring it to a boil while stirring constantly. Add salt and pepper and continue cooking on a medium flame till slightly reduced. Now take it off the flame and let it cool. When just warm, using a hand blender, pulse a few times to blend a few mushroom chunks for the creamy texture. Make sure you do not overdo it and still have a chunky consistency. We do not want a pasty smooth soup.  The mushroom chunks are what makes this soup special.

Put the soup back on flame and adjust the seasoning. Bring it to a boil and bring it off the flame. Serve hot!