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Sunday Open Thread | January: National Soup Month

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January is National Soup Month!

Soup (soop) n. A liquid food prepared from meat, fish, or vegetable stock combined with various other ingredients and often containing solid pieces.

The earliest of soups can be dated back to Greece in 6000 B.C. Greeks were known to sell soup as “fast food” on the street using lentils, beans and peas as the chief ingredients. In contrast, the first introduction of soup recipes in an American cookbook was not up until 1742! Commercial canned soups became popular with Campbell Soup Company’s chemist, Dr. John T. Dorrance’s invention of condensed soup in 1897. According to Wikipedia, today, Campbell’s tomato, cream of mushroom, and chicken noodle soup are three of the most popular soups in America.

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Did you know January is National Soup Month? To comfort you during long, cold winter days and to cozy up your evenings, January is one of the best choices to be National Soup Month!  Whether you are sick, or looking for a quick and easy appetizer, a hot bowl of soup makes a great comfort food in winter time.

Soups have evolved into many different shapes and forms over the years. If one is looking for a hearty soup, that is high in calorific content and serve as a filling meal then cream soups such as chowders and bisques rank at the top of the list. Broth-based soups such as consommés will typically be low in calories because of the high water content. These are great for a person suffering from flu or as a winter evening appetizer. Soups can be made nutritious by adding beans and vegetables, such as chili and gazpacho to serve as great sources of fiber and protein. One should be careful when consuming canned and condensed soups, as they typically contain large amounts of sodium to enhance the flavor.

Give the recipe below a try and see how homemade yogurt and corn soup – a simple, hearty, tasty and nourishing soup leaves you cozy and in a wintery mood such that you will want to let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…

Yogurt and Corn Soup

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups                               water

2 cups                                   fresh corn cut from the cob

4 ½ teaspoons                   curry powder

1 ½ teaspoons                   salt

1 ½ teaspoons                   butter

1                                              bay leaf

1 large                                   onion (chopped)

6 cloves                                garlic (chopped)

1 large                                   potato (peeled and chopped)

2 large                                   tomatoes (cut into eighths)

5 cups                                   chicken stock (fat removed)

1 ½ cups                               yogurt

Recipe:

  1. Put water, corn, ½ teaspoon curry powder and ½ teaspoon salt in cooker.
  2. Close cooker. Bring to full pressure on high heat. Reduce heat and cook for 5 minutes.
  3. Remove cooker from heat. Allow to cool naturally.
  4. Open cooker. Drain and reserve corn.
  5. Melt butter in rinsed cooker. Add bay leaf, onion and garlic. Stir fry till onion is transparent. Add potato, remaining curry powder, salt, tomatoes and stock. Stir.
  6. Close cooker. Bring to full pressure on high heat. Reduce heat and cook for 3 minutes.
  7. Remove cooker from heat. Allow to cool naturally.
  8. Open cooker. Discard bay leaf. Mix the soup smooth in a blender or mash it through sieve.
  9. Return soup to cooker. Add corn.
  10. Place cooker on high heat and bring to boil, stirring occasionally.
  11. Remove cooker from heat. Add yogurt. Stir. Serve hot!

What’s your favorite soup recipe? :) Share away!

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Kanika is an engineer by profession, currently pursuing a Bachelors in Islamic Sciences from Arees Institute (studying under Shaykh Isam Rajab, hafidahullah) and conducts online seminars for sisters at http://habibihalaqas.org . She is also a professional makeup artist and looks forward to increasing Muslim sisters' self esteem through her new venture: http://beautyglamsham.com . She also has a diploma in Indian Cooking and offers classes in Indian Cuisine in Chicago and Toronto - http://learnindiancooking.com . She is happily married and currently resides in Chicago with her lovely husband.

22 Comments

22 Comments

  1. Amad

    January 23, 2011 at 8:08 AM

    Can I not like soup?
    My kids love it though.

    Reply

    • Ameera Khan

      January 23, 2011 at 11:06 AM

      How can anyone not like soup? :)

      Reply

      • Kanika Aggarwal

        January 24, 2011 at 12:51 PM

        Ameera Khan: How can anyone not like soup?

        my thoughts exactly! =)

        Reply

    • Amatullah

      January 23, 2011 at 11:16 AM

      I agree, not into soup. But I love my aunt’s lentil soup.

      Reply

      • Kanika Aggarwal

        January 24, 2011 at 12:53 PM

        Amatullah: I agree, not into soup. But I love my aunt’s lentil soup.

        What is it about soups that you dont like, Amatullah? :)

        Reply

    • Amad

      January 23, 2011 at 12:49 PM

      I don’t mind soop… for about 5 sips/bites (what is it??) . Then I want to move on to the real stuff!

      Reply

      • HadithCheck

        January 24, 2011 at 12:21 AM

        5 sips/bites (what is it??)

        haha, it is more of a mutant really, not a (liquid) drink nor a (solid) food, but something in between. I’m not a soup person either.

        A side note for soup lovers, one should not eat it (or any other food in general) while it is still hot and has steam coming out of it, let it cool a bit because then it would have more barakah (blessings) in it as the Prophet peace be upon him said.

        It is reported that when Asmaa’ (radiallahu anha) used to cook Tharid (a type of Arabic dish), she would then cover it for a while until the steam subsides, then she would say: “I have heard from the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam that by doing this (i.e. letting it cool down) it has greater barakah (blessing).” [Silsilah Sahiha]

        That is not to say that food which is eaten while it is still hot does not have any barakah in it at all, but if it cools down a bit before eating it, then it would have greater barakah in it!

        As an additional note, the narrations which state that hot food has no barakah are not authentic. So hot food might have some barakah, but letting the food cool down has greater barakah.

        As a final note, letting the food cool down before you eat it is not something obligatory, so although it would be better and it would have greater barakah to let the food cool down, but if you like eating your soup while it is still very hot, just make sure you don’t burn your tongue!

        Reply

        • Kanika Aggarwal

          January 24, 2011 at 12:48 PM

          @HadithCheck

          awesome information, jazzak Allah khair! much appreciated :)

          Reply

      • Kanika Aggarwal

        January 24, 2011 at 12:50 PM

        My husband is the same, soups are a hassle for him b/c it takes too much “effort”. You should try soups that are thicker like chowders or even lentil soups, they are easier to eat and filling at the same time!

        Reply

  2. Ameera Khan

    January 23, 2011 at 11:09 AM

    I had soup today, Alhumdulillah, complete with fish crackers on the side. My mother made everyone’s favorite chicken corn soup. Seeing this post made me realize what a cute coincidence this turned out to be, Kanika, because even though we’d talked about this earlier on Facebook, I’d forgotten about it while actually having soup! :)

    Yumm, I want to try this soup after I’m free with studies and able to experiment in the kitchen as long as I want! Insha’Allah. :D

    Reply

    • Kanika Aggarwal

      January 24, 2011 at 12:47 PM

      I love chicken corn soup, amazing combination mashaAllah! haha Happy soup month and lemme know how it goes with the recipe I posted =)

      Reply

  4. Hafsa

    January 24, 2011 at 9:26 AM

    I love soup! =) InshaAllah should try this out.

    Reply

    • Kanika Aggarwal

      January 24, 2011 at 12:46 PM

      thats great Hafsa! whats your favorite type of soup?

      Reply

      • Hafsa

        January 24, 2011 at 2:25 PM

        Oh, I like the spicy, not-so-healthy ones. :D Trusty old hot and sour! :)

        Reply

        • Kanika Aggarwal

          January 24, 2011 at 4:18 PM

          spicy tomato soup works as an option that is spicy & healthy :D

          Reply

  5. kaschif

    January 24, 2011 at 1:32 PM

    salaam,

    here is a recipe, get instant soup mix from Awami Bazaar on devon, add water, boil it, … yum :)

    Reply

    • Kanika Aggarwal

      January 24, 2011 at 10:56 PM

      wassalam, instant soups are a blessing…lol alhumdulillah. hmm I gotta check out this awami bazaar place.

      Reply

  6. Anum Ali

    January 24, 2011 at 3:49 PM

    Kanika, you got me thinking of soup! Even though soup isn’t really a part of my routine diet but I’m definitely a soup person. My favorites are the simple Chicken Corn with hints of egg whites, Thai soup with the rice bits floating in it and made in chicken broth, Mulligatawny – a Daal like soup, Cream of chicken soup, Cream of Tomato! Delicious! I remember I was once in Singapore and there was a food festival. My Dad tricked me into having a Shark Fin Soup! I thought it was chicken because there was nothing “fishy” about it. I was rather nauseated when I found out the reality!

    Reply

    • Kanika Aggarwal

      January 24, 2011 at 9:36 PM

      mmm I like your list of favorites mashaAllah! but shark fin soup – lets just say its not from the food of my people ;)

      Reply

  7. Shamsiya

    January 24, 2011 at 5:07 PM

    oh im so gona try it!!
    neva tried a soup with curd in it!!
    did make chicken corn soup though – n its way easy! so this week im trying it out!
    jazak Allah khair for posting!!

    Reply

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