The food for all seasons, a powerhouse of nutrition, full of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, fibre, and antioxidants, soups are wonderful for not only your body but also for your mind. Homemade soup is a quick fix for a warm and hearty meal. Just a few vegetables, even leftover ones, leftover meat, a few spices, and herbs (if available), are all you need to get for making soup at home. Preparing homemade soup allows you to be creative with your cooking skills. You are at liberty to add your favourite ingredients and create your own homemade soup recipe.
Homemade Soup Recipes
Here are 4 easy recipes for homemade soups that you’d love:
1. Homemade Chicken Soup
The homemade chicken soup needs shredded or small bits of chicken, any diced vegetables like carrot, beans, and spring onion. Put in ginger and garlic chopped to tiny bits or thinly sliced. Small, whole onions (sambar onions) may be added directly or grated onion too may be used – as per your wish. Pour water, add salt to taste, and allow the mixture to simmer. If you have your chicken bones, you may also put them to boil and use the stock for your soup instead of water. This adds to the taste. Once cooked, add some butter and mix well. Your clear homemade chicken soup is ready.
2. Homemade Vegetable Soup
For this soup, you will need olive oil, chopped cabbage, chopped celery, tomato puree (or paste), minced garlic, chopped onion, finely ground fennel seed, and black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes (optional), diced tomatoes, peas (fresh or thawed frozen), chopped potato, apple cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice (optional) and salt.
Heat the oil in a stockpot in medium heat, add the onions, carrot, celery and diced tomatoes, stir and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes until the onions turn translucent and the vegetables have softened. Add garlic, fennel, black pepper, salt, and red pepper flakes. Stir and cook for about a minute. Add the tomato puree (or paste), potatoes, cabbage and water. Increase the heat, partially cover the pot and bring the mix to a boil. Thereafter, fully cover and allow the mixture to simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes and other vegetables are tender. Add the peas and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the oven, add fresh lemon juice or vinegar, and stir it well. Then add more salt and ground pepper to taste and you have your homemade vegetable soup ready! In season, substitute the celery with spinach if you wish.
3. Homemade Dill Chicken Soup
This requires olive oil, chopped carrots, coarsely chopped onion, minced garlic, uncooked whole wheat orzo pasta, shredded chicken, chicken broth (preferred), fresh or thawed frozen peas, chopped fresh spinach, chopped fresh dill or dill weed, lemon juice, coarsely ground pepper (though optional, but dash of pepper improves the digestion).
Firstly, heat oil in medium heat in your stockpot. Sauté the onion, garlic, and carrots for about 5 minutes until they are tender. Stir in the orzo and chicken. Add the broth or water, add salt to taste and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, then simmer, and keep it uncovered for 5 minutes. Stir in peas, spinach and dill and then return to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer, keep it uncovered for 3 to 4 minutes until orzo is tender. Stir in lemon juice to taste. If desired, top each serving with coarsely ground pepper.
4. Homemade Tomato Soup
Boil washed, whole tomatoes for about 2 to 3 minutes in a pressure cooker, keeping the weight off. Once they are softened, take them out, cut them to pieces and make a puree/juice of them in a juicer and keep them aside. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add flour and stir to form a smooth paste. Gradually add tomato juice and water while stirring constantly and then bring to a boil. You may add some thinly sliced garlic and ginger paste if you desire. Cook and stir for about 2 minutes, until thickened. Add sugar and salt. If desired, sprinkle with parsley.
Tips for Making Your Homemade Soup Taste Better
1. Chop your ingredients into bite-sized pieces.
2. Calculate cooking time based on the ingredients that you have put in. Size your ingredients so that they all cook well together.
3. Add a small quantity of mashed potato to the stock to make it thicker and add to its taste.
4. A small admixture of cornflour (or just flour as a substitute) and milk added to a clear broth topped with some fresh cream makes your homemade soup appear white, creamy, and thick.
5. Adding cornflour and egg-white to the clear broth renders the look, feel, and taste of a desi Chinese soup.
6. Try adding noodles to your soup. It adds texture and taste. Add uncooked noodles only when all other ingredients are cooked and let the noodles cook until tender. Your soup is hearty and with an extra chew factor to it.
Conclusion
Soups are simple to prepare, comforting, easy to digest, good for health, and help you lose weight while filling you up when you are hungry and keep you satiated. A bowl of soup has chock-full of nutrients and the vitamins and minerals in it are preserved. It is a great way to stay hydrated and full. Having homemade soup would indeed be a worthwhile choice.
