Curried Vegetable Chowder

Chowder is a class of soups and stews that's creamy. The soups are are heavily thickened with either milk or cream (or both). 

The vegetable chowder that I make is adapted from Mollie Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook. It's one of my all time favorite cookbooks. This chowder is a low-fat version with plenty of vegetables, and of course, Indian spices. Usually, most vegetarian chowders have mushroom in them. But we are not a fan of mushrooms, so this chowder doesn't contain any.

Ingredients:

1. 2 tablespoons olive oil
2. 2 medium-sized onions, finely chopped
3. 6 cloves of garlic, minced
4. 1 teaspoon crushed oregano / omam seeds
5. 1 potato, diced
6. 3 celery stalks, diced
7. 3 carrots, diced
8. 3 heads of broccoli (the florets)
9. 1 small head of cauliflower (the florets)
10. 2 zucchinis, diced
11. 2 cups corn kernels
12. 2 teaspoon kitchen-king masala / curry powder (optional)
13. 2 teaspoons chopped chives
14. 2 teaspoons Italian basil, gently cut
15. 2 teaspoons salt
16. 2.5 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
17. 3 cups water
18. 4 cups low-fat milk

Preparation:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large sauce-pan or dutch oven. Add the crushed oregano to the oil. Saute the onions until they turn translucent. Add half the garlic and saute 30 seconds. 
2. Add the potato, celery, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower, along with salt. Stir together on medium heat for 5-10 minutes.
3. Add zucchini and corn, sprinkle the freshly ground black pepper and curry powder/masala powder, and saute for another 10 minutes on medium heat. 
4. Add the water, cover and cook for about 15 minutes. Check if all the vegetables are cooked. If not, cook until they are done.
5. Separately heat the low-fat milk until it just boils. 
6. Add the heated milk to the cooked vegetables. Stir well. Add the remaining garlic and the basil and let everything simmer on low-heat for 10 minutes.

Before serving, sprinkle the chives as a garnish.