Chunky Vegetable soup [font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]200 gm fresh button mushrooms (thickly sliced) 1 medium sized potato (½ inch cubes) 200 gm bottle gourd (doodhi) (½ inch cubes) 1 tbsp olive oil 8-10 shallots (peeled and halved) 6-8 cloves garlic (peeled) 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp dried basil 6 cups vegetable stock ½ cup small shell shaped pasta (boiled) 2 medium sized tomatoes (diced) Salt to taste Pepper powder to taste Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add shallots, garlic, oregano, basil, potato and bottle gourd. Cook, stirring continuously, until vegetables are tinged with brown. Stir in vegetable stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and boil gently until potato is tender and bottle gourd lightly mashed. Add sliced mushrooms, boiled pasta and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper powder and serve immediately. Health note: The vegetables used here are excellent sources of vitamins and minerals. Garlic is also known to lower blood sugar levels.[/font]