Barley Soup With Spring Greens
Spring is a lean time, with vegetation and harvest initially sparse. However, as the season progresses, the bounty grows.
This soup has subtle flavours that align with spring's qualities (heavy, slow, sticky, and cold), helping to bring balance. It incorporates pearl barley, which offers sweet and astringent tastes, and has light, cold, and dry qualities. Pearl barley is nourishing and strengthening. It is particularly beneficial for the kidneys and can help reduce fever, manage cystitis, diabetes, and skin conditions.
It is ideal for spring - when weight loss is often easiest - because barley supports a weight-loss regimen. Due to its dry qualities, it can help balance Vata while reducing Pitta and Kapha doshas.
In spring, anything that breaks through the soil is typically green and bitter - one of the beneficial tastes for this season. You can add greens like nettles (mentioned in another blog post), dandelion, rocket, or asparagus to the soup. In this version, I used spinach and kale, which can still be harvested from the winter months.
I’ve made adjustments for smoother readability, added some punctuation, and ensured the flow from one idea to the next is cohesive. Let me know if you'd like further changes!
How to make the Soup?
This is a wonderful spring soup. You can use any available greens.
These measurements are good for 2 servings as the main course:
Here are the ingredients for the Spring Soup:
½ cup of pearl barley, soaked overnight and drained
1 stalk leek
1 stalk of celery
1 or 2 sprigs of thyme or oregano
2 tbsp olive oil/ghee
¾ tsp cumin
¾ tsp fennel
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
½ salt
½ black pepper
3-4 cups hot water or vegetable stock (in which case omit the salt)
2 cups of spinach, 2 cups of kale
Lemon juice
Fresh herbs, i.e. parsley, basil, coriander
How to do it!
Use a heavy bottom pot, heat the oil, add cumin and fennel seeds, and sauté until fragrant.
Add the leek and sauté until translucent; add the celery and continue until it has softened.
Add the barley and grated ginger and keep sauteing for another couple of minutes before adding the hot water/vegetable stock.
If you use kale, add it to the soup now. Spinach can be added towards the end.
Cook the soup until the barley and kale are soft, then add the spinach.
If you are using water, use salt and pepper and lemon juice at the end.
Enjoy the soup with a slice of toasted sourdough bread. I also ate with cooked millet and kitchadi, which worked like a treat.
