The past month has been quite chaotic. From both hubby and I being sick, to appliances breaking down, bad news from home and several doctor’s visits. You might have noticed that Spicie Foodie has inadvertently taken a back seat to real life happenings.
I wanted to write a better post than these few mumblings, but here we are Tuesday afternoon (in Europe) and I promised you a recipe. I hope to get back on track with better articles, more recipes, photo tutorials and much more in the coming days and weeks. Until then I leave you with this recipe for a light Indian spiced broth or soup.
The recipe came together as a result of using up leftover ingredients in my refrigerator and pantry. The soup is spicy, savory, warm, and it will tickle your taste buds. If you are feeling under the weather every steamy sip will liven you up and hopefully make you feel a bit better. You’ll noticed that I used a coarse grade dried turmeric root, feel free to substitute it with either fresh root, or dried ground turmeric powder. Additionally if fresh peas are not available use frozen instead. Okay, here’s the recipe.
- 4 cups or 1 liter chicken or vegetable broth, preferably homemade*
- 1 large or 2 small carrots, peeled and sliced into coins
- 2 green onions, roughly chopped
- fresh or frozen peas to taste
- 2 thinly sliced green chiles, or adjust to taste**
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- small thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- 1 tsp dried coarse turmeric or ½ tsp dried ground turmeric, or small fresh piece
- 1 tsp whole coriander seed
- 1 tsp whole cumin seed
- ¼ tsp whole mustard seed
- 2 dried curry leaves or 1 bay leaf
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- vegetable oil
- fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves
- In a large pot heat a enough oil to lightly coat the pot. Add the carrots and saute until they begin to soften, or about 3 minutes. Next add the chiles, onions, garlic, and ginger and cook for another 3 minutes. Add all of the spices and stir until they release their scent or about 2 minutes. Next add the peas and broth, stir well, cover and simmer until vegetables have soften. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Top with fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves right before serving.
- If you'd like feel free to add shredded boiled chicken to the soup. Or you may substitute the vegetables used here with your favorite ones.
Simple, spicy, warming and very satisfying. Turmeric is the main spiced used and it’s what gives the soup the yellow hue. I wrote an article on the great benefits of this golden spice, Colourful Vegan Turmeric Rice, make sure you read it to see why it’s so good for our bodies.
Enjoy the soup everyone!!
P.S.
Dried turmeric can be bought here
P.P.S
In need of a little more spice today? Check out January’s YBR Feature winner Paaka Shaale’s Tortilla Chips with Red Salsa recipe.
A wonderful soup! So healthy and flavorful.
Chers,
Rosa
Thank you Rosa!
What beautiful colors in this healthy soup. You always make me want to get off the computer and into the kitchen!
That’s so sweet and you totally made my day Victoria!:)
Great use of leftover, Nancy. The soup looks really appetizing.
Thank you Angie!
That is a beautiful soup with great flavors Nancy! Hope you are feeling better :)
Thank you Alyssa!
This looks like just the kind of soup I crave when I’m feeling under the weather. :) I hope life is less hectic for you soon–sending positive thoughts your way!
Thank you so much Kiersten!xx
I’m sorry you have been having such a rough time lately. I do hope things are settling down for you now. This does sound a perfect tonic soup. As a cancer health educationist I am very fond of turmeric (especially paired with black pepper and touch of oil for better absorbent).A beautiful recipe for anyone needing a bit of comfort and warmth.
Hi Kellie! Thank you and I’m glad to hear you approve of my use of turmeric. It is one of my favorite spices and one underused by many.
Beautiful soup! We love turmeric and I was happy to find FRESH turmeric in the root form at this oriental market. I hope all is well with you and your family. I had to put blogging aside as well for a month or two. Life happens and we are here for you! Sending you hugs and prayers, my friend!
Hi Laura,
The one an only time I found it fresh I did a happy dance in the store. Lol:) Thanks so much sweetie! I hope things are going well with you and looking forward to catching up on your blog.
I love turmeric! What a vibrant, healthy soup!
Me too Laura. Thank you!
That looks like a great soup for you while under the weather. I love using turmeric for its colour and healthy properties. I even pop a little into custard to brighten it up.
Thanks Suzanne and it is perfect for that. The colour is so beautiful that it’s hard resisting adding it to other foods. In fact it is used to give many packaged foods it’s yellow colour. :)
Turmeric not only gives a dish a wonderful flavor and aroma but it gives it a beautiful-vibrant color. Gorgeous shot as always, Nancy.
Agreed and thank you Ray!:)
It sounds like a really simple soup, but adding all the spices I can imagine it becomes so flavorful.
Hi Medeja,
It is an extremely simple soup. But you’re right all the flavour comes from the spices. Thanks:)
Your soup looks so comforting!
It was very much so:)
We’re currently under the weather over here, and this soup looks like just the thing we need to perk back up! Such gorgeous shots, too!
Hi Ashley,
I hope you feel better soon. This soup might make you feel better. Thanks:)
What a healthy and beautiful soup. Hope all is well and life settles down for you soon. Take care my friend. :)
Thank you sweetie! I hope all is well with you too :)
I make homemade chicken soup often and love this version – will definitely be trying soon!
Enjoy it Katherine! I think it would be a lovely twist to traditional chicken soup. :)
This soup is so beautiful, very simple and yet has many flavors-) Have a good day dear Nancy!
Thanks Yelena, and it is exactly as you said. You too have a great day!
I don’t think you could make a healthier soup. The veggies, chicken and healing spices – it’s like medicine in a bowl, but tastes a million times better! What a gorgeous and delicious soup!
Hi MJ! I’ll take a bowl of soup over medicine anytime. Thanks;)
This soup looks amazing, and I love your photography! Beautiful site :)
Thank you Talaia!
Ever since I started blogging I’ve learned new ways to use turmeric. This is one spice that I don’t know what to use besides adding a little bit to my curry. Now I can put in this great looking soup! Flavor and colors bring us energy!
It is a great spice Nami, and one that can be added to so much. Thank you and I hope you give it a try soon.
This recipe looks perfect. I have aching joints and am incorporating more turmeric, garlic cumin , black pepper, and ginger into my diet. Sometimes I sprinkle turmeric powder into salad dressings, rice, and whatever I can think of to get more into my and my family’s bodies. This is one recipe I will make this week. I will try it vegetarian and with leftover chicken. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Thanks! Turmeric, garlic, and ginger are suppose to be great for arthritis not to mention all the other health benefits. Glad to hear you are using turmeric in such delicious ways. Enjoy the soup!:)
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Thank you so much Barbara!:)
Hello! What a wonderful soup! thank you so much! I have one question regarding the whole seed spices. Should I be putting them in whole or grinding them beforehand? I was having some crunchiness in the soup and I’m thinking I may have missed a step. Thanks again!
Hi Ariel,
Thank you and glad to hear you enjoyed the soup. You didn’t miss a step, I leave the spices whole. I then to simmer my soup long enough for them to soften, but you don’t need to do that. Grinding the spices is a fantastic idea! Enjoy:)
Awesome soup! I have used this recipe twice now as a base and then tweek it to suit my family’s tastes. They love it. Thank you and happy new year.
Hi Michelle,
Thank you and I’m glad that you have been making my soup recipe. Keep on enjoying it! Happy New YeAr.
Thank you for sharing this delicious soup – it certainly made my husband feel better straight away! I added more vegetables and chicken pieces and maybe next time I’ll add some more turmeric. I love strong flavours and this soup was full of flavour. Will be making this a lot over the Winter months for sure :)
Hello :-) I just made this soup as we’ve both been poorly with colds / chest infection. It’s amazing! I added extra fresh turmeric, garlic and ginger and a few extra veg and the thought of it is healing in itself. Thanks for a terrific recipe! :-)
Hi Mandy! I hope you feel better very soon — you’ve loaded up the soup with extra healing ingredients. Thank you! :)
Delicious! Love how simple this soup was. Made a few additions that really made this soup pop-
Added fresh parsley and **fresh lemon juice!** towards the end, ladle over rice and fresh greens. Soba noodles or quinoa would work well too.
Thanks so much Angela! I love your additions, they sound amazing and will have to try them out next time.
Every other day I make a pot of soup using leftovers. Ive always said it doesnt matter what you put in the soup as long as it tastes good. So far it’s working!
Today, using fresh chicken bouillion I thought a change would be nice and spicy(cause its getting colder) would be a welcome change.
All these flavours are soooooo good together and this is wonderful. Thank you Nancy for taking time getting us this keeper recipe.
This soup has become a staple in our family. My kids and husband absolutely love it. Recently, I’ve adapted it for my InstantPot with fresh chicken and uncooked rice–so simple! I’ll occasionally add fenugreek to change it up a bit, but usually make it exactly as presented.
Thank you Diana, so happy to hear you’re enjoying the soup and added your personal touches.