Although I love soups all throughout the year, it is this time of the year that is the best to slurrp on a hot bowl. Yes, I’m talking about the winter season. A hot bowl of chicken sweet corn or manchow feels like a warm hug on a chilly winter night. Tucked away in my blanket and watching one of the Christmas movies, if there’s anything I’m looking forward to, it’s soup for dinner. Moreover, my mother and I make a great team when it comes to prepping soups. I finely chop the vegetables while she cooks the broth in the pot.
With a side of garlic bread, soup sticks and some croutons, soups make for a perfect meal, especially during winters. Did you know that the history of soups dates back to some 20,000 years B.C.? Surprisingly, reminisces of soup can be found through ancient Chinese pottery utensils. The idea of soup was to feed a large number of people with limited resources. A broth of meat and vegetables was prepared along with water and people drank it to satiate their hunger. Since a soup did not require a lavish setup or plethora of ingredients, it was a convenient way for the poor to satiate their appetites.
Be it a hot and light bowl or a thick and creamy one, perfecting the soup is an art. You need to balance the proportion of all the ingredients as well as ensure that none of them get overcooked. In order to master the art of making soup, here are some tips and tricks that you can keep in mind.
1. Choose The Right Kind Of Vegetables
While a soup can be made with anything and everything, from mushrooms to tomatoes and potatoes, there are certain ingredients that lend the soup a tantalizing aroma and taste. Onion, garlic, celery and carrots are some of them. Using them in your soup will enhance the overall flavour.
2. Chop Them Right
Again, for the vegetables, make sure that you finely chop them, depending on the vegetable you are using. Often times, people chop carrots, onions, beans etc. but throw away the leafy vegetables as is. That shouldn’t be the case because they are hard to eat that way. Smaller, bite-sized pieces work better in a bowl of soup.
3. Noodles Should Go In The End
If you are planning for a noodle soup, the noodles shouldn’t be boiled separately as they would break easily when added to the soup. You want your noodles to be soft yet not mushy. For this, add them towards the end while the soup is being prepared. This will ensure that they don’t turn soggy.
4. Creamy Soups Shouldn’t Have Curdling
In a hurry, we might simply add cream or milk directly out of the fridge into the pot of soup. This is going to make your soup curdle, which you do not want. In order to prevent that, warm your milk or cream slightly before adding to the soup. You can turn off the heat and perform this step too.
Finally, when your soup is ready, you can garnish it with some herbs, a dash of curd and whatever you like.
