Author Notes
Attempting to ?ght off a winter cold, I made this comfort soup full of fresh ginger and mushrooms. The hulled barley makes it a wonderful wholesome one-pot meal. I also turned it into a hot and sour version adding sambal oelek and lemon juice. - MyCookingDiary —Sharon Hwang
Test Kitchen Notes
I love this soup! I have to admit that first I questioned the chard; with cilantro and ginger? Really? Really! The soup has a wonderful make-something-soul-nourishing-from-what-is-on-hand quality, and every ingredient is just perfect, right down to the number of mushrooms, and yes, the chard. I didn't have a cold when I made it on a snowy late March Sunday night, yet it was loaded with comfort nonetheless. And I love that the soy sauce and sambal oelek were discretionary because I like it hot! Perfect, just perfect. - boulangere —boulangere
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Ingredients
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1
onion, ?nely chopped
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2
garlic cloves, minced
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1
inch piece of ginger
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1/2 cup
hulled barley
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5
small carrots, sliced
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3 sprigs
thyme
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1 sprig
rosemary
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1 bunch
red chard
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15
cremini mushrooms
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1/2 cup
cilantro leaves
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6 cups
water
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Olive oil
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Sea salt and black pepper
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Soy sauce
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White miso paste
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Sambal oelek
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Juice from 1 lemon
Directions
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Finely slice the ginger then cut into the thinnest strips. In a large saucepan, saute the onion, garlic, ginger, and carrots in some olive oil.
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Finely chop the thyme leaves and rosemary needles, add them to the pan, with some salt and pepper.
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Add the hulled barley, water, and some soy sauce. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently. The barley takes about an hour to cook.
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Meanwhile, remove the tough stalks of the chard, cut the stems into thin slices and the leaves into strips. Slice the mushrooms. Add the chard and mushrooms to the soup, with a tablespoon of sambal oelek. Continue to simmer until the barley is cooked yet retaining a bite.
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Finish off the soup by stirring in a heaped tablespoon of miso paste. Add more soy or salt if needed. Stir in the lemon juice. Serve piping hot with a handful of cilantro leaves in each bowl.
Living in Healdsburg, California. Designing on my computer, drawing with ink and watercolor, and cooking in my home kitchen.
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