Elevate Your Iftar: 4 Nourishing Soup Recipes to Savor This Ramadan

Soup is a comforting, appetizing, and light starter. During Ramadan, soups are a staple in Iftar, offering warmth, nourishment, and hydration. Breaking your fast with a warm bowl of soup is a good way to start digestion after a full day of not eating, as it helps restore energy levels, calms the digestive system, and eases any discomfort caused by the day’s fast.

 

Additionally, soup increases appetite and creates room for the main course. If you want to have soup as a starter, especially in Ramadan, then keep it light and mildly spiced, and include ingredients that are low in calories, rich in fiber, and high in protein. Here are four must-try soup recipes for this Ramadan.

 

Lentil Soup

Ingredients: 4 cups of water, 1 cup of red lentils, 2 tomatoes, quartered, 2 large carrots, 2 chopped onions, 4 minced garlic cloves, ½ cube chicken bouillon, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, and a pinch of ground cumin and coriander. 

Directions: Use a large pot over medium heat. Add 3 cups of water along with all the ingredients except for the seasoning. Cook for 20 minutes or until the vegetables and lentils are soft. Once cooked, remove the pot from heat and set it aside to cool. Blend the mixture using a hand blender or regular blender until smooth. Add a cup of water, cumin, salt, pepper, and coriander into the soup and heat over medium heat until warm; serve hot and enjoy!

 

Creamy Tomato Soup

Ingredients: 6 large tomatoes, 2 cups chicken broth, 3 minced garlic cloves, 1 large onion, 2 tsp butter, 2 tsp flour, 2 tsp white sugar, 1 tsp salt, and a pinch of pepper.

Directions: For an extra rich flavor roast the tomatoes using the oven (optional) and peel them. Mix tomatoes, chicken broth, garlic cloves, and onion in a pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil, and gently simmer for about 20 minutes to blend flavors. Remove from heat and pour the mixture through a strainer into a large bowl. In the same pot, melt the butter over medium heat, stir in flour, and whisk constantly until combined. Gradually add the tomato mixture to prevent any lumps and stir. Finally, season with sugar, sal,t and pepper to taste, and garnish with fresh basil leaves and cherry tomatoes.

 

Creamy Mushroom Soup

Ingredients: 5 cups of sliced fresh mushrooms, 1 ½ cups of chicken stock, 1 diced onion, 2 minced garlic cloves, a pinch of dried thyme, 1 large spoon of butter, 3 tsp of flour, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, 1 cup of cooking cream, and fresh thyme and mushrooms for garnish.

Directions: Gather all the ingredients and, in a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté until caramelized, then add the onion and cook until the onion is soft and translucent. Stir flour into the mushroom mixture for 2 minutes, then add the thyme and garlic, chicken broth, and water. Reduce heat to low and bring to boil afterward; stir in cream and season with salt and black pepper, garnish, and bon appetit!

 

Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients: 1 kg of peeled and chopped pumpkin, 1 sliced onion, 2 garlic cloves, 3 cups vegetable stock, 1 cup of water, ¾ cup cooking cream, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, a pinch of ground ginger, and salt and pepper for seasoning.

Directions: Put the pumpkin, onion, garlic, vegetable stock and water in a pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender. Remove from heat and use a blender to blend the mixture until smooth, after that, add the cooking cream and season with cumin, ginger, salt, and pepper. For serving, drizzle over a bit of cream, sprinkle with pepper and parsley, and have a good meal.