Per Nana~
This week's recipe for vegetable barley soup with a taste of India
was interesting. Hubby totally loved it but I did not care for the
spice flavor. The texture was wonderful and the barley cooked to
perfection in just under one hour.
perfection in just under one hour.
Tricia was kind enough to prepare the Garam Masala from the
recipe supplied by fellow Dorista Alice, and she shared that with me.
I was surprised that with all that spice, it was not exceptionally spicy or hot.
I am not sure what I expected, but I did add some hot sauce to it.
Hubby enjoyed it "as is".
That said, I would definitely prepare this soup
again using only the vegetables and barley.
Per Tricia~
We loved it.
What a surprise, and not because we expected to dislike it,
but simply because we had no idea what this was going to taste like.
Only my husband and I shared the recipe with this week and that may have
been for the best because we ended up wolfing down this wonderful concoction.
I thank Alice (www.acookingmizer.com) for sharing the homemade
garam masala recipe. I have enough different spices accumulated
from the various "Around My French Table" recipes that when I read
Alice's list I knew it was time to put some of these to use. Suffice it to say that
my house had QUITE an aroma for a day or two after making the spice recipe.
And my sinuses are still recovering.
 |
| I remembered to throw in the bay leaves after snapping this photo ~ |
The aroma was very unusual to us, very aromatic and potent.
But taste is another thing. And the taste was just wonderful.
Quite exotic for a cold Spring day which unfortunately involved yet another
snowfall, and for which this warm comfort food was much appreciated.
 |
| Another wonderful bowl from "Two Mountain Pottery" in Shaftsbury,Vermont~ |
My version turned out wonderfully spicy (I may have been a bit heavy
handed with the red pepper flakes). It was delicious and is a keeper for sure.
The snow, however, can leave immediately.....
Happy French Friday ~
I bet the house did keep the scent for a day or two :-) Glad this was a hit for you.
ReplyDeleteWe have a fresh layer of snow this morning - that doesn't make me happy. Runner Girl's first outdoor track meet had to be cancelled this week - because the track is still covered with snow. She wasn't too upset about it though :-)
Oh My, what lovely pictures from both of you gurls!! Especially love love love the bowl from 2MountainPottery!!
ReplyDeleteYou rock making your own garam masala. Bill steered clear of this, but would have eaten it without the "funny" stuff as he called the spices :)
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on adding a bit extra red pepper flakes Tricia! I had this one by myself but liked it much more than I expected. Nana the garam masala smell kind of puts me off. Both soups look delicious and Tricia you get extra credit for making the garam masala!
ReplyDeleteI'll certainly be making this soup again because it was so easy and I really enjoy the spicy flavor of the garam masala when its not in my food every day. I have a hug jar of it that I had from something else and it will take a long, long time to get through it so I'm happy to have another recipe that makes use of it. Love that spice photo too. Very pretty!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos, esp the spices. Love that you made your own garam masala. Must have upped the flavor to another level!
ReplyDeleteI was very light handed with the spices because I knew Bill would not eat it if it were too spicy…turns out he didn’t like it anyway! I did enjoy this soup…good thing because I ate it by myself! Both of your soups look yummy! Tricia, I am very impressed you made the garam masala…something I should try! Have a wonderful weekend, ladies!
ReplyDeleteMmmm I'm looking forward to catching up on this one!
ReplyDeleteI must really have been out of it since I WASN'T heavy handed with the spice and it was way too spicy. Glad you both enjoyed, spicy or not!
ReplyDeleteGreat soup ladies! Sorry you didn't care for the spices, Nana - it is a very individual thing. Aaaah, there is snow where you are Tricia? I am coming State-side in about a month - I hope it warms up before then.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen what the actual mixture of Garam Masala looks like... it's beautiful. Wonderful that you mixed yourselves.
ReplyDeleteHmmm... I rhink this might be the first time Tricia provided ingredients to Nana. I agree with Nana. Though I enjoy Indian flavors, I would have preferred this soup with just the vegetables and barley. I am so ready for winter to be over.
ReplyDeleteI actually think I should have added more spice. I am usually very heavy-handed as far as spices go but was afraid to go overboard here. (I should have gone overboard.) I have two jars of Garam Masala so didn't have to make my own (altho, like you, I have so many spices, I could have using Alice's recipe). Just wish I had added more. I do think you got the "heat", however, from the red pepper flakes. I liked this also and will make it again. Love the barley which just "swells" in the liquid which makes it, I think, a swell soUp. (had to say that) Thanks for the Links help. Don't know how you get it all done, Tricia. Think you probably don't sleep!
ReplyDeleteThat gorgeous bowl is perfectly suited to the soup, Tricia! And Nana, I went a little easy on the spices for Kevin's sake, but then amped mine up a bit with black pepper. Great job, both of you!
ReplyDeleteNana: what a wonderful bowl full of soup with loads of vegetables and a great color - I admit that the spices were quite unusual in this recipe!
ReplyDeleteTricia: of course, those spices look wonderful, I opted for organic spices and bought a ready-made garam masala mix, simply because after I did my reserach on that spice mix, I realized that there were so many different recipes for it, that it seemed impossibele to settle on one. Be that as it may, glad that you enjoyed this soup so much - it looks absolutely stunning in that wonderful soup bowl. I love pottery!
Hope you are all having a wonderful week!
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ReplyDeleteNana- sorry you didn't care for this too much. But glad that you'll give it another try-even without the spices. It's quite hardly with just the veggies and barley. Tricia- So great that you made your own blend. I would love to do that as well, but I have a huge jar of the stuff that I think may never be used up! Your soup looks so wonderful and I love the bowl!
ReplyDeleteHi Nana and Tricia! My favorite gals have been missing for the month of April. Hope both of you are well. xoxo Emily
ReplyDelete