Mushroom Barley Soup MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 45 minutes Taking an untraditional approach to the classic Eastern European “grandmother” soup (where the ingredients are usually put in a pot with some beef and boiled), this delivers real heartiness and a depth of…
Mung Bean Soup MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the type of mung bean Recipes for all kinds of dishes often begin with a base of aromatic vegetables and spices cooked in oil or butter, a process that activates the aromatics’ essential oils and…
Mixed Vegetable Soup, Spanish Style MAKES: 4 to 6 servings TIME: 1 hour In Spain, a soup similar to minestrone is likely to begin with roasting the vegetables, which yields a more robust flavor (and takes a little more time). 1 large onion, roughly chopped 1 head…
Miso Soup MAKES: 4 servings TIME: About 15 minutes At its simplest, miso soup is really just tea—miso mixed with water (which you can do in a cup, with a little whisk). This recipe is slightly more complicated, flavorful, and substantial. Almost needless to say, you…
Minestrone MAKES: 4 to 6 servings TIME: 45 to 60 minutes The Italian take on what-have-you vegetable soup and, like most others, infinitely and easily varied. A mix of vegetables, always with tomato, is all you’re looking for, though combining “hard” and…
Lentil Soup with Coconut MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 11/2 hours, largely unattended I use regular brown lentils here, but you can use red lentils, which actually cook faster, or the more traditional split pigeon peas, also known as tavoor dal (available at most Asian and…
Korean Mushroom Soup MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 30 minutes or a little longer Korean mushroom soup can be as simple as precooked mushrooms, water, sesame oil, and soy sauce. This is a little more complex, substantial, and flavorful, but not much more work. 1/2 ounce…
Kombu Dashi MAKES: about 2 quarts TIME: 15 minutes Dashi is the building block of Japanese cuisine and usually flavored with dried bonito (a tunalike fish). But this variation is just as traditional. It may have roots in Japan’s Buddhist vegetarian tradition, but I…
Kimchi Soup with Tofu MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 25 minutes If you’re the type of person who gets wildly overambitious at Asian markets, loading up your cart with more kimchi, Korean chile paste, and miso than the average Korean family goes through in a month, this…
Jook MAKES: 4 servings TIME: about 21/2 hours Jook—also called congee or rice gruel—is a Chinese “porridge” (it’s thinner than most), a breakfast item that’s also terrific served as a soup in the afternoon or evening. It is truly astonishing how much…
Green Tea Broth with Udon Noodles MAKES: 4 first-course or 2 lunch servings TIME: 15 minutes In Japan, one often eats udon noodles with the liquid they were cooked in to enjoy both the flavor and the nutrition left behind by the noodles. Sometimes the starting point…
Glazed Carrot Soup MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 45 minutes You can glaze any vegetable that’s starchy and sweet enough to convert a little cooking liquid into a syrupy coating, and nothing works better than carrots. Other root vegetables, like turnips, parsnips,…