Soups – Underrated and Comfort Meal for all Seasons

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First, I would like to go out and say the most controversial line, “Soups and broths are for all seasons.” There, I said it.

I don’t understand why people give you a weird side look when you enjoy soup on summer days as well. Soup and broth have always been my desi remedy to all problems – just like tea.

Feeling under the weather – let’s make broth
Feeling queasy? Soup for dinner.
Life hasn’t been fun lately? Nothing a hearty bowl of soup can’t fix!

Yeah, I am that kind of mother. And the recipe of broth I have been passed down has that kind of magic.

My grandmother was the queen of broth. She would make broth even when we decided to have corn soup or hot and sour soup. She always said the key to good soup is good broth as the soup base.

Broth Vs Soup

Broth is the flavourful liquid one can have any day, made with key ingredients of chicken, meat, vegetables, or a combination. Ideally, to get the best nutrition, the bones of chicken or meat are used in preparing the broth.

Adding some vegetables, herbs, and spices, can turn out to be a delicious and potent drink. For vegetarians, the drink can be made using various vegetables, herbs, and spices.

Whereas, soup has a thicker consistency and richer flavour. Usually made from pre-made stock or broth, you can add noodles, chopped vegetables, and cornstarch to give it a richer flavour and texture.

Traditional Broth

Yakhni is an important herbal fix for many ailments in a desi household. Slow-cooked using meat from chicken or mutton, using various herbs and vegetables.

I am sharing my grandmother’s golden recipe for traditional broth. I use it all the time when anyone in the house feels under the weather.

How to Make Traditional Broth

You would need chicken with bones.
Crank up the oven, sprinkle some oil and pepper on the chicken, and let the chicken be in the oven for roughly 20 minutes at 400°C.
Next, in a big pot, add two onions, ginger slices, a few garlic cloves, small cabbage, one carrot, capsicum, roasted chicken pieces, black peppercorns, one green chilli, 2 button chillies, 2 slices of lemon, one bunch of coriander and mint leaves.
Let it simmer on slow heat for three to four hours. Strain to drink and store for later.

Vegetable Broth for Gut Health

Most of the recipe is eyeballing the contents.

In a big pot, fill it with water, add 3-4 onions, 3 carrots, a few mushrooms, a teaspoon of turmeric powder, a few slices of ginger, 8-10 garlic cloves, 3-4 oregano leaves, 3 bay leaves, a small bunch of cilantro, 2 dried red chilli, 10 peppercorns, 2 lemon slices, and salt.
On a slow flame, let all the contents simmer for 3 hours.
Strain and drink the broth. You can also freeze the broth in a jar for later use.

Turkish Lentil Soup - Mercimek Çorbası

Quick, hearty, and delicious – these are the words that would describe this soup. The soup is known as Mercimek Çorbası in Turkey. Here is what you need to make the soup:

Medium carrot – chopped
Large onion – chopped
Medium potato – chopped
Red Lentils – one cup
Butter or oil – 3 tablespoons
Garlic cloves – 2, minced
Tomato puree – 1 teaspoon
Paprika – 1 teaspoon
Cumin powder – 1 teaspoon
Vegetable broth – 6 cups
Pepper & Salt – to taste
Fresh parsley, mint leaves, and lemon for garnish

How to Make Turkish Lentil Soup

In a pot, heat butter/olive oil on medium heat
Sauté the garlic and add onions. Fry until the onions become transparent.
Next, add carrots and potatoes to fry for a few minutes with onions.
After a couple of minutes of frying, add paprika, tomato puree, and cumin powder. Mix until combined and then add 5 cups of broth and washed lentil. Cover the pot and let the contents simmer on low heat for half an hour.
Using a hand blender, blend until a smooth consistency is achieved. If you find it thick, add the remaining broth and blend. Add seasoning as required. Give it a quick boil for another five minutes and it's ready to serve.
Serve it with bread, mint leaves, parsley, and lemon.

Potato and Leek Soup

Another creamy, delicious, and comfort food. It is nutrition-packed as well as tummy filler. A heart bowl of potato and leek soup with garlic bread is an ideal dinner idea. Here is what you would need to make it:

3 large leeks
2 lbs potatoes (preferably russet) - diced
4 cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion – diced
1 cup cream
Salt and pepper – to taste
Lemon, parsley, and chives for garnish

How to Make Potato and Leek Soup

In a big pot, fry onion in butter. When onions are translucent, toss leeks to sauté.
Now add diced potatoes and vegetable broth to the pot. Put the lid and let the contents simmer for half an hour on low flame.
Using a blender, carefully blend all contents into a fine texture. Add cream, pepper, and salt.
Give it one last boil before eating. Garnish with lemon, chives, and parsley.

Tomato Soup

The key to good tomato soup is ripe tomatoes. I kind of went around this key problem and found a solution. Here is what you need for this delicious tomato soup:

To Roast Tomatoes:

Tomatoes – 1 kg
Paprika –
Garlic cloves – 6
Smoked paprika – 1 teaspoon
Black pepper powder – ¼ teaspoon
Olive oil – 2 tablespoons

For Soup:

Olive oil – 1 tablespoon
Garlic cloves – 2, minced
Cream – ½ cup
Onion – one large, diced
Vegetable broth – 4 cups

How to Make Tomato Soup:

Start with roasting the tomatoes. In a baking tray, drizzle olive oil on half-cut tomatoes.
Sprinkle smoked paprika, salt, and pepper on tomatoes. Put the tomatoes and garlic cloves in the preheated oven and bake for half an hour or so at 220°C. You need a char formation on tomatoes. That’s when you stop baking.
In a large pot, sauté garlic and onions on medium heat.
Add charred tomatoes and vegetable broth to the pot.
If you have a stick blender, then blend to get some consistency. If you are using a food processor then add blend the tomatoes before adding them to the pot.
When the contents of the pot start simmering bring it to low heat and add the cream. Stir to combine.

The soup goes well with garlic bread or bread. I have the recipe for cheesy garlic knots that I always make to go with my soups. When making the knots, double the quantities to make two batches, because they go out super-fast.

Takeaway

Soups and broth are my love language. For the sick child or husband, this is my quick solution to a queasy stomach and bad flu. And trust me on this one, my vegetable broth and traditional yakhni are healing concoctions.

There is always a jar of these in my freezer. Whenever someone feels uneasy, take them out and make a soup out of it, or just reheat to drink straight from a mug – they do their work, always!