A deliciously refreshing soup that is full of goodness. It is also extremely tasty served chilled, in which case you may like to thin the consistency a little more with extra stock, yogurt or milk, as you wish.

Ingredients:
2 tbsps ghee; 2 onions, chopped coarsely
250 gm potato, chopped coarsely
2 garlic cloves; 1 inch piece ginger, chopped
1 tsp ground coriander; 1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp plain flour; 900 ml vegetable stock
500 gm frozen peas; 2-3 tbsps chopped fresh mint 150 ml thick yogurt; 1/2 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
300 ml milk; A little extra yogurt to serve
Mint sprigs to garnish

Procedure:
Heat the ghee in a saucepan, add the onions and potato and cook gently for 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin and flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring.
Add the stock, peas and mint and bring to the boil, stirring.
Reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Puree the soup, in batches, in a blender or food processor, or press through a sieve. Return the mixture to the pan and season with salt and pepper to taste. Blend the yogurt with the cornflour and stir into the soup.
Add the milk and bring almost to the boil, stirring all the time. Cook very gently for 2 minutes. Serve hot, with a swirl of extra yogurt, and garnish with mint sprigs.

Lamb and Mint Meatballs

Mint blends especially well with lamb. It has a cool, fresh character, which is the perfect accompaniment.

Ingredients
500 gm minced lamb
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp mint paste or mint sauce
1 egg, beaten
Oil for shallow frying
Salt and pepper
Mint leaves to garnish

Piquant dip:
50 gm demerara sugar
2 tsp cornflour
3 tbsps water
4 tbsps jelly
3 tbsps Worcestershire
sauce

Procedure:
Put the lamb in a bowl and add the garlic and the mint. Season well with salt and pepper and bind the mixture with the egg. With floured hands, roll into walnut-sized balls.
Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the meatballs in batches and fry for about 10 minutes until they are golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm.
To make the dip, put the sugar, cornflour and water in a small pan and blend in the jelly and Worcestershire sauce. Bring slowly to a boil and cook, stirring until smooth.
Spear the meatballs and mint leaves on cocktail sticks and serve warm, with the dip.