4 Delicious Soups To Enjoy In the Chilling Winters!

So, what do you do in the coldest months of the year? If you are like most people, you might find yourself reaching for a delicious warm soup. 

Soup is a perfect way to warm up on a cold day, and it can be enjoyed in many different ways. Sometimes your soup will be served with croutons or a side salad, and other times it can be paired with a sandwich or piece of toast. This versatility is one of the reasons that soup is such a popular dish during the winter months.

The History Of Soup ⌛

Soups are one of the most popular types of food in the world. They originated in ancient times and were a way to use leftover food. Today, soups are a way to get all of the nutrients and flavors that you need in one meal. There are many types of soups, such as chicken soup. vegetable soup, miso soup and tomato basil soup. In today’s busy world, soups are a great way to get a healthy and delicious meal quickly.

The first recorded recipes for soups can be found in ancient cookbooks from the Middle East and Asia. These recipes used leftover vegetables, meats and spices to create delicious meals. In the 17th Century, French chefs began making traditional “potages” using meat and vegetables. 

This style of cooking spread throughout France and the rest of Europe and became very popular. Gradually, potages were replaced with bouillons and later with bisques. A bisque is a thick soup made from seafood or vegetables and flavored with sherry and cream. Bisques are a favorite in Europe to this day and are a popular way to serve clams.

Let’s Get Cookin’

Here are 4 delicious and super easy soups that you can quickly brew and enjoy during a chilling winter day.

1. Winter Vegetable Soup
2. Cream Of Broccoli Soup
3. Chicken & Rice Soup
4. Hot & Sour Paneer Soup

Winter Vegetable Soup 🥗

Nothing goes well with the winter chill than a bowl full of hearty vegetable soup. This version is made with potatoes, spring onions, pumpkin, and spinach; it will warm you right up. Serve it with some butter toasted pao or bread slices.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 spring onions, white and pale-green parts only, halved lengthwise, cut into 1-inch pieces, and washed well
• 3 radish and the leaves, cut on the bias into 1/2-inch-thick pieces
• 3 medium carrots, cut into cubes
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 pinches of red-pepper flakes
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 5 1/4 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 small (1 to 1 1/2 pounds) pumpkin, peeled and cut into cubes
• 2 potatoes (about 350g), cut into cubes
• 1 bunch spinach, cut into 1-inch-thick ribbons
• 1 can (400g) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint

Instructions

• Step 1

Heat oil in a large pot  over medium-high heat. Cook spring onions, radish, carrots, garlic, red-pepper flakes, and 1 teaspoon salt, stirring occasionally, until leeks are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add stock and water, and bring to a boil.

• Step 2

Add pumpkin and potatoes. Return to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in spinach and chickpeas, and return to a boil. Stir in lemon juice and herbs. 

Season with salt and pepper.

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Cream Of Broccoli Soup 🥦

This tasty soup is creamy in texture but surprisingly has very little amount of cream. The creamy texture is achieved by a mixture of butter and flour called ‘Roux’ that gives the soup its silkiness and richness!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, diced small
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 900ml chicken broth
• 450g broccoli, cut into florets, stems peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• Sea salt and ground pepper

Instructions

• Step 1
  In a medium pot, melt butter over medium. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8 minutes.

• Step 2
  Add flour and cook, stirring, until combined, 1 minute.

• Step 3
  Whisking constantly, add broth and 1 cup water and bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, 10 minutes.

• Step 4
  Add broccoli and bring to a simmer. Cook until broccoli is very tender, 20 minutes.

• Step 5
  Transfer mixture to a large bowl. In batches, fill a blender halfway with mixture and puree until smooth; to allow heat to escape, remove cap from hole in lid, cover lid with a dish towel, and hold down firmly while blending. Return soup to pot as pureed.

• Step 6
  Add cream and heat over medium until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper. Thin with broth or water, if desired.

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Chicken & Rice Soup 🍗

This soup is a very good option for those winter afternoons or when you feel too lazy to cook a full course meal.

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken
• 9 to 10 medium carrots, peeled and halved crosswise
• 5 to 6 medium turnip, peeled and halved crosswise
• 4 radish stalks, thinly sliced crosswise
• 2 large onions, halved and sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
• Salt
• 1 1/2 cups Basmati Rice
• 6 spring onions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced

Instructions

• Step 1
  In a large soup pot, combine chicken, carrots, turnip, radish, onions, bay leaves, garlic, peppercorns, and 1 teaspoon salt. Add water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium. Simmer partly covered, occasionally skimming and discarding fat from the surface, about 1 hour.

• Step 2
  With a slotted spoon or tongs, remove chicken, carrots, and turnip from the pot; set aside. Pour remaining contents of pot through a fine-mesh sieve into another large pot; discard solids, and bring broth to a boil. Add rice and white part of spring onions. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer, uncovered, until rice is tender, about 20 minutes.

• Step 3
  Meanwhile, remove chicken from bones, and shred into bite-size pieces (discard any fatty or discolored parts). Cut carrots and turnips into bite-size pieces. When rice is cooked, return chicken, carrots, and turnips to broth in a pot; add green part of spring onions. Season generously with 5 to 6 teaspoons of salt.

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Hot & Sour Paneer Soup 🍲

A tangy yet spicy flavour where egg is stirred at the end to get those tasty egg ribbons. However it’s totally up to you to add or skip the egg. Make sure to drain fresh paneer thoroughly before adding it to the soup so it will soak up the flavor of the broth.

Ingredients

• 800ml chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 8 ounces fresh mushrooms (about 4 cups), stemmed, caps thinly sliced
• 3 to 4 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 200g Fresh Paneer, cut into 1/4-inch cubes, drained
• 2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
• 3 spring onions, thinly sliced

Instructions

• Step 1
  In a large  pot, combine broth, soy sauce, crushed red pepper, and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add mushrooms; reduce heat, and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes.

• Step 2
  In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons of vinegar and cornstarch. Add to pot; simmer, stirring, until soup is thickened, about 1 minute.

• Step 3
  Add egg through a slotted spoon, and stir to form ribbons. Stir in paneer. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 1 minute. Put ginger in a small sieve, and squeeze to release juice into soup (discard solids). Taste; add remaining tablespoon vinegar, if desired. Serve sprinkled with spring onions.

Do Let Us Know!

As winters approach, we’re absolutely sure you’ll love these soups and enjoy sipping them on a cold winter day! Try out these recipes and do tell us in the comments about your favorite soup recipe!