When my mind is void of any food creativity, I fall back on food that I grew up with. Food that doesn’t require me to think much or work much. Food that I can throw in a pot and be assured of delicious endings. And when it comes to simple comfort, soups top my list. One of my favorite part about Bohra cuisine is the soups. Unlike the general Indian cuisine, Bohras make a lot of soups. They are often served along side rice dishes, to sip on while one eats the rice. Khurdi or white soup is made with rich mutton stock and then flavored with whole spices. Milk is added to the soup to give it some body and creaminess. Milk also gives it the characteristically white color, which isn’t really all that white. The deep and intense flavors are rounded off with lots of fresh mint to add freshness.
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Khurdi – White Stock Soup
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
A hearty and rich mutton soup served in winters with a lot of mint!
Ingredients
- 250 - 400 g mutton on bone*, cut into medium size pieces
- 1 1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 2 green chilies, finely chopped
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 3 cups (720 ml) water
- 2-3 tbsp whole wheat flour **
- 1 1/2 cup (360 ml) milk
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 cinnamon stick, 3 inch
- 4-5 cloves
- 7-8 black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice
- Handful of mint
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil the mutton with the water, ginger garlic paste and green chilies in a pressure cooker for 20 minutes or until tender. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, boil the meat in regular pot until meat is tender.
- Strain the stock and keep the meat aside. In a deep bottom pan, add oil and whole spices. Once they start to sizzle, add the flour and roast it on low flame till its light browned and add the milk. Whisk well.
- Add in the stock and meat, 8-9 leaves of mint, season with salt and pepper and let it simmer for 15 minutes, till its slightly reduced and thickened.
- Top its with lots of chopped mint and lemon juice.
- Serve hot.
Notes
- Mutton is traditional but you could easily substitute it with beef and lamb.
- You can vary the amount of meat based on preference.
- You could also use all purpose flour instead of whole wheat flour.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 280
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Bohra cuisine and where does Khurdi come from?
The article explains that Khurdi is a traditional soup from Bohra cuisine — a cooking style associated with the Dawoodi Bohra community, which the author notes is distinctive for its use of soups, unlike most general Indian cuisine. Khurdi is a white stock soup made with rich mutton bone broth, whole spices, and milk, traditionally served alongside rice dishes.
Why is milk added to this soup and what does it do?
The article explains that 1 1/2 cups of milk is added to give the soup body and creaminess, and also creates its characteristically pale colour — the “white” in white soup. The milk is whisked in with the browned flour and whole spices after the stock is strained, then simmered with the meat for 15 minutes. 
Can I use a regular pot instead of a pressure cooker?
Yes — the recipe explicitly says if you don’t have a pressure cooker, boil the mutton in a regular pot until the meat is tender. The pressure cooker version takes 20 minutes; a regular pot will take longer, typically 60–90 minutes for mutton on the bone.
Can I use a different meat instead of mutton?
The notes say mutton is traditional but beef or lamb can easily be substituted. The amount of meat can also be varied based on preference — the recipe uses 250–400 g of mutton on the bone.
Yummy recipe…thanks alot