Toasted Barley, Cabbage and Curried Ginger Soup by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan
January 25, 2023
I hope you are not a ‘cabbage hater’ and have skipped right over this recipe.....I fear many will! But the cabbage in this recipe is rendered sweet by long, slow cooking and gives this soup a ‘stew-like’ texture. Cabbage and curry blend together harmoniously and with the carrots and toasted barley, it’s a perfect winter soup. And adding shredded leftover rotisserie chicken will change the dish to something substantial for your dinner table...Serve with hunks of fresh baguette and some Camembert or Brie cheese.
- Prep: 40 mins
- Cook: 1 hrs 30 mins
- Yields: 2 quarts of finished soup, 6-8 servings
Ingredients
1 cup barley
3-5 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil, divided
3⁄4 cup finely diced white, Spanish or sweet onion
3⁄4 cup finely diced celery (2-3 stalks)
3⁄4 cup small dice carrots (2-4 pieces, depending on size)
3 cups diced cabbage (about 10-12 ounces cabbage or 1⁄2 small head)
2-3 cloves peeled garlic, finely chopped
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped or grated
1 1⁄2 - 2 teaspoons curry powder
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin
1⁄2 teaspoon ground coriander (optional)
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 each 15/16-ounce canned tomatoes (I like the fire roasted, diced canned tomatoes)
4-5 cups chicken stock and/or water
1⁄2 cup heavy cream
2-3 teaspoons fresh lemon or lime juice
Optional: a few fresh mint leaves
Directions
Begin by toasting and cooking the barley. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Choose a cast iron or heavy sheet pan and spread out the barley. Toast the barley for 12-16 minutes, shaking and stirring often until the barley is a bit deeper in color and/or smells toasted. Add the barley to a saucepan and cover with 4 cups of water and a tablespoon of kosher salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook the barley for about 20 minutes, or more until it has softened. (Taste it for doneness.) Strain and set aside. (Do not rinse.)
Dice all the vegetables and set aside separately. Add 2-3 tablespoons of olive or vegetable oil to the bottom of a big soup pot and heat over medium heat. Add the diced onions, diced celery and diced carrots to the pot along with a teaspoon of kosher salt. Stir to combine. Turn heat to low and cover the pot. Cook for 10-13 minutes, stirring often, until vegetables have softened. Remove cover and add the chopped cabbage along with the chopped garlic and ginger. Add another tablespoon or two of oil if it seems dry. Add another pinch of kosher salt. Stir well to combine everything. Recover pot and cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes or until all the vegetables are completely softened. Remove the cover. Stir in the curry powder, cumin and coriander if using. Let cook for 1-2 minutes to ‘bloom’ the spices. Add the ‘liquids’: the can of tomatoes with its juices and 4 cups of chicken stock or water. Bring to a boil and quickly reduce heat to a simmer and let the soup cook for another 30-35 minutes, stirring often. Add the heavy cream and 1 1⁄2 cups of the reserved cooked, toasted barley and simmer for another 15 minutes. (Reserve the extra cooked barley for another use. I would add it to a salad or to scrambled eggs.) Taste soup and correct the seasoning to your liking. Add more water or chicken stock if it seems very thick (add just 1⁄2 cup at a time.) Add 1 or 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon or lime juice and add more salt and freshcracked
black pepper to your liking. If using, add cooked, shredded rotisserie chicken to the pot just to briefly heat through.
Serve in heated bowls and optionally garnish with a few torn, fresh mint leaves if available.
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