10x ingredients that make your delicious soup insanely delicious
Stormy weather (what’s in a name?) calls for a steaming bowl of soup. It warms us, literally and figuratively, from the inside out. With these 10 ingredients, you’ll be completely on fire about your soup. Because they don’t just make it delicious, but insanely delicious!
Remember those crunchy soup balls? And do you also have a bottle of Maggi somewhere at the back of your kitchen cupboard? It was incredibly tasty in your soup, I’ll admit it straight away. But not the most culinary decision you’ve ever made in your life. The ingredients below will turn your bowl of soup into a true culinary masterpiece. A title it deserves, don’t you think?
Roasted garlic
I bet you make your soup by first sautéing an onion and some garlic. Well, you can already make a big improvement there. Roast your garlic in the oven first. This makes it soft and sweet, giving your soup a fantastic flavor. It also takes away the sharpness without losing the garlic flavor altogether. I never do it any other way now.
Seeds, kernels and grains
Want to give your soup an extra delicious bite? Sprinkle a mix of seeds, kernels and grains over it. You can really go all out if you like. Pumpkin seeds? Quinoa? Oats? Anything goes, and you can season it entirely to your own taste. Roast the seeds, kernels and grains in the oven beforehand. It makes them extra delicious (and crunchy).
Greek yogurt
Some soups could use something wonderfully fresh. Let that tub of Greek yogurt in your fridge be perfect for the job. A tablespoon is often enough to make your soup creamy and fresh. Crème fraîche works perfectly too, if you happen to have half a tub left over. Do you find Greek yogurt or crème fraîche too sour? You can also use ricotta. Or how about a spoonful of milder soy or coconut yogurt?
Lemon, lime or orange juice
Does your soup need not only something fresh, but also a touch of acidity? Grab a lemon, lime or orange from the fruit bowl. Lemon gives your soup a real sour boost, while orange also adds a touch of sweetness. The latter is especially delicious in carrot or pumpkin soup. If you want the lemon, lime or orange flavor to be extra intense, grate away. (With your all time favorite Microplane, of course.)
Popcorn
Anyone who thought popcorn could only be eaten from a bucket at the movies is mistaken. Popped corn kernels work perfectly well in your soup too. Because why not? They give your soup more substance and flavor. Especially the latter if you season them beforehand, with Italian herbs, for example. Naturally, salted popcorn is preferred. But if you want to experiment with sweet (dropcorn, perhaps?): go for it. Brilliant things often arise at the most unlikely moments.
Beer or wine
We’ve long since realized that we don’t just drink beer and wine anymore. From beer-filled bitterballen to pasta dough with red wine, we’ve seen it all by now. So why not add it to your soup? Beer works particularly well in soups with meat and mushrooms. A splash of (red) wine, on the other hand, is fantastic in a bowl of onion soup.
Ginger
Could your soup use a little kick? Then go for… ginger. Preferably fresh ginger, which has the most intense and rich flavor. But a generous pinch of ground ginger works too. For a piece of fresh ginger, you can take the Microplane out of the drawer again. You can also roughly chop the ginger root and let the pieces infuse in the stock. Ginger is especially delicious in sweeter soups, such as carrot soup, pumpkin soup and sweet potato soup.
Shin or marrow bone
A great tip that’s also very budget-friendly: let a piece of shin or a marrow bone infuse in your stock. It gives your soup a more intense, deeper flavor. The butcher around the corner undoubtedly has some in the back. Sometimes you can even get them for free, because they’re essentially by-products. Win-win!
Cheese
I want cheese—in my soup too. Or on the soup, as a kind of topping. The gratinated cheese on onion soup is, of course, a classic. But you can experiment with cheese and soup much more than you might think. Stronger cheeses, such as feta and blue cheese, can give your soup a genuinely surprising twist. Especially when combined with chopped nuts and herbs, such as walnuts and parsley.
Worcestershire sauce
Worces… Yes, never mind. It may be the most unpronounceable product in your kitchen cupboard, but it does wonders for your soup. What does it add? Above all, a lovely umami flavor, created by the anchovies in the sauce. It tastes quite strong. That’s why a small amount is enough to turn your soup into a delicious flavor bomb.
Also read:
