What’s Cooking? Maggie’s Vegetable Soup

Maggie's Vegetable Soup (Salgu Wissmath/ The Sejong Dish)

Maggie's Vegetable Soup (Salgu Wissmath/ The Sejong Dish)

As the weather continues to be chilly, let’s continue our cooking series with another soup! This soup is my own creation but was inspired by my mother’s cooking. I got some recommendations from her and my siblings which I will share with you below.

MAGGIE’S VEGETABLE SOUP

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons of oil
  • 1 onion, peeled and chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
  • 1 stalk of celery, chopped
  • 1 leek, chopped
  • 1 cup each: potato, kohlrabi, carrot, sweet potato, Korean radish (and/or any other vegetable)
  • 1 liter of any stock or water
  • ½ tsp dried parsley
  • ¼ tsp ground coriander
  • ⅛ tsp chili flakes
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Salt and pepper to taste.

Method

*Cooking and preparation time: around 90-100 minutes.

  1. Heat a large pot on low-medium heat for 1-2 minutes then add the oil. Heat oil for 5-10 seconds.
  2. Add the onion, garlic, celery, leek and herbs (including the salt and pepper).
  3. Gently sweat* these ingredients, stirring frequently until they start to become translucent (around 10 minutes), lowering temperature if needed. Do not let them brown.
  4. Remove the bay leaves and set aside.
  5. Add the kohlrabi and stir until covered by the other ingredients. Sweat for 1-2 minutes.
  6. Add the potatoes and carrots. Sweat for around 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  7. Add remaining vegetables and sweat a further 5-10 minutes as per step 6.
  8. Add the stock/water and the reserved bay leaves. The water should be just enough to cover the vegetables (you can always add more water if too much cooks out).
  9. Bring to a boil while stirring constantly.
  10. Once boiling, reduce heat, cover and simmer for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Tips

  • *Sweating means to cook something over low heat to soften, but not to brown. It helps to release the flavour.
  • For smooth soup, you can blend all or part of the soup at the end. For a chunky soup, don’t blend.
  • You can add turnip/swede and parsnip instead of radish, but these ingredients are difficult to find in Korea.

About Maggie O'Driscoll

Maggie O’Driscoll is a joyful young woman who is always happy to help her fellow teachers. Hailing from Dublin, Ireland, this cheerful lady arrived in Korea in June of 2012. At university she earned her degree in Speech Communication. In Korea, everyone knows Maggie for her cooking and her love of all things book related. She also enjoys writing, crafts, photography, and of course, travel. View all posts by Maggie O'Driscoll →

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