Soup series: our buttermilk and coriander soup

This soup is one we first learned to make when we were visiting Zimbabwe, many years ago, in the 80's. It is a delicious, quick and unusual soup that was a speciality of a friend of ours called Nathoo, whose heritage was part African, part Indian, and it was based around one of the local products, a fermented milk product called Lacto, which is pretty close to buttermilk or kefir, as well as on coriander., and a curry spice mix--made fresh or dried if you like(though fresh tastes much the best). Buttermilk is easy to find in the supermarket.
Very quick to whip up, fresh-tasting and irresistible, this soup is good in both the cold and warmer months.
For the spice paste: coriander seeds, two cardamon seeds, a little fresh chilli. First fry the ingredients quickly in a pan(only a few instants) then grind either in a mortar and pestle or a machine. Set aside. Chop a largish onion finely, fry, add crushed garlic, the spice mix, salt, chopped coriander leaves(reserve some for end for decoration), add a little stock of your choice--and then buttermilk--about half a cup of buttermilk to a cup of stock. Cook for only a couple of minutes, then serve, with reserved chopped coriander on top. Et voilà!

This soup is one we first learned to make when we were visiting Zimbabwe, many years ago, in the 80's. It is a delicious, quick and unusual soup that was a speciality of a friend of ours called Nathoo, whose heritage was part African, part Indian, and it was based around one of the local products, a fermented milk product called Lacto, which is pretty close to buttermilk or kefir, as well as on coriander., and a curry spice mix--made fresh or dried if you like(though fresh tastes much the best). Buttermilk is easy to find in the supermarket.
Very quick to whip up, fresh-tasting and irresistible, this soup is good in both the cold and warmer months.
For the spice paste: coriander seeds, two cardamon seeds, a little fresh chilli. First fry the ingredients quickly in a pan(only a few instants) then grind either in a mortar and pestle or a machine. Set aside. Chop a largish onion finely, fry, add crushed garlic, the spice mix, salt, chopped coriander leaves(reserve some for end for decoration), add a little stock of your choice--and then buttermilk--about half a cup of buttermilk to a cup of stock. Cook for only a couple of minutes, then serve, with reserved chopped coriander on top. Et voilà!