In winter, we turn to delicious and heart-warming soups to feed the family. Soups are a great way to get kids to eat vegetables as these can be disguised by pureeing the soup using a stick blender.
Soups are so easy to make
Making a delicious warming soup is not difficult at all. And you can use various methods depending on the time you have available.
Soup is traditionally made on the stove in a large pot. You just throw in your vegetables, add some stock and let the soup simmer until everything is tender and the flavours have developed.
Or, if you have a slow cooker, you can put it on in the morning and your soup will be ready for serving to the family for dinner.
Those who have not discovered the convenience of the instant pot for making soup should give it a try. This is just a pressure cooker that allows you to make a hearty and healthy soup in under ten minutes. Pressure cooking also enhances the flavours so you’ll be delighted at how tasty your soup will be.
Use up the ingredients you have on hand
Making soup also allows you to use up the ingredients that you have on hand before you have to throw them out. All those vegetables that are taking up space in your crisper can be thrown into a soup.
You can also add other ingredients from your pantry such as pasta, rice, noodles, chickpeas or lentils to thicken up the soup and make it extra hearty.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with different flavour combinations. You can always puree the soup and add some coconut cream to make it extra delicious.
Take your tastebuds around the world
Most countries around the world have their own signature soup so why not treat your tastebuds to the exotic flavours that you might only experience when on a trip overseas.
In Vietnam, the signature soup is Pho. This consists of rice noodles and beef with some added greens such as bok choy. To change it up, you could use chicken instead.
Thailand has a signature soup called Tom Yum that you might like to try. It’s quite spicy when made to a traditional recipe but you can tone it down so it’s suitable for kids as well.
The secret ingredient to a traditional Tom Yum is lemongrass which gives it its distinctive flavour. Added ingredients include prawns, mushrooms and other vegetables. For authenticity, use a good quality shrimp stock available in most Asian supermarkets and a Thai chilli paste.
Of course, everyone would be familiar with French Onion Soup which, you guessed it, is France’s signature soup. This is quite a low-budget soup because it only uses onions, beef stock and butter. The butter is necessary to caramelise the onions. Traditionally, this is served with a slice of thick crusty bread with melted cheese on top.
In Italy, you’ll find one of the heartiest soups that you’re ever likely to eat ‒ minestrone. This interesting concoction uses a variety of vegetables, beans and pasta. Throw in a tin of diced tomatoes and some meat of your choice and your family will be asking for more.
Other favourites around the world include:
- Lohikeitto (Salmon soup) from Finland
- Gumbo, which is African inspired
- Miso from Japan
- Dutch split pea soup (Snert) from the Netherlands
- Sundubu Jjigae from Korea
- Pozole from Mexico
- Mulligatawny soup from India
- Corn or clam chowder from the USA
- Borscht from Eastern Europe
- Cock-a-leekie from Scotland
- Gazpacho from Spain
- Laksa from Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore
Don’t forget other favourites such as pumpkin soup which is so easy to make. Try coconut cream and a dash of chilli powder in this rather than normal cream for a truly delicious twist.
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