A bowl of soup is a lot more than an appetizer. They are nourishing and help you to feel fuller. In fact, if you brew soups with low calorie ingredients then they make one of the most satisfying meals to have when on a diet. You can use a number of ingredients to add flavor to your soup. These ingredients will also render a rich and pleasant aroma to your broth. Most of them also enrich your soup making it a lot healthier.
1. Spices
Crushed garlic can do wonders and ginger not only adds zest but also is an antiseptic. Green or red peppers and chilli flakes are excellent to spice up a hot bubbling broth. Other mildly spicy additives are bay leaf, cloves, mace, cumin, anise, paprika, and peppercorns. While cinnamon, nutmeg, saffron, cardamom will give your concoction a delicate sweet taste. Otherwise, pick a bottle of allspice, curry powder, or mustard for your soups.
2. Fats
Oils and fats can be added when you sauté vegetables, onions, tomatoes or meats or just after cooking the soup. Just mix them into the pot when the liquid is piping hot. You can add in butter, cream, grated cheese or different types of oils like sesame, walnut, olive, etc.
3. Stock
Stocks are an excellent way to give a kick to your soups. You can make meat or vegetarian stocks. In both, you will need to add spices and herbs to add flavor and aroma. While making meat stocks make sure to add bones that give a full flavor and also make the stock healthier. Beef, chicken, and vegetable stocks are widely used.
4. Herbs
They not only give a hint of delicate flavor but are also extremely healthful. Basil, thyme, parsley, rosemary, mint, cilantro, dill, lemon grass, oregano, marjoram, sage, tarragon, etc are some of the herbs you can use. You can roughly chop and add fresh twigs of herbs or use dried herbs. Dried herbs have a more concentrated flavor so use them sparingly.
5. Pestos
Italian pesto is an excellent ingredient to add zest to your soups. It is generally made from olive oil, basil, garlic, pine nuts, and parmesan cheese. In some recipes herbs, walnut oil, sunflower seeds, walnuts, etc are also used. There are numerous variations of pesto like the French variety makes use of parsley, basil, and tomato paste instead of pine nuts. You can even pick a pack of frozen pesto from the supermarket.
6. Sauces
So many sauces can be used to bring out flavor. Mushroom, soy, worcestershire, and soybean sauce are good choice for vegetarians. Hot salsa, Tobasco, Harissa, Pepper, and Wasabi are a few other tangy sauces. Fish sauce and bouillon cubes are good options for non vegetarians.
7. Wines, Brandy
Aromatic potations that have a herb, root, or alcohol base containing ingredients like gentian, chamomile, saffron, rhubarb, etc are a good choice. You can also use vinegars made from rice, fruit, herb, garlic, or wine. Some boozy additions for your soup are beer, brandy, sherry, wine, etc.
