Spicy Curried Millet and Vegetable Soup

Any combination of vegetables can be used in this nourishing and spicy curried millet and vegetable soup. I used millet, but feel free to substitute quinoa instead. As with most soups, it tastes even better the next day once the flavors have had a chance to blend together. Make it up ahead of time and simply heat it up before serving for lunch or dinner the next day. The recipe yields a large pot making it an ideal soup to serve if you have lots of mouths to feed or if you want leftovers for a few days.

Spicy Curried Millet and Vegetable Soup

Recipe by Lisa Turner Cuisine: Indian Originally published on July 11, 2007 Warming, wholesome and nourishing millet and vegetable soup with curry spices Preparation: 20 minutes Cooking time: 1 hour Print this recipe Ingredients: 1 cup uncooked millet 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 2 stalks celery, chopped 2 carrots, sliced 2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced 1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced or grated 7 cups water or vegetable stock 2 teaspoons celery seed 2 to 4 fresh green or red chilies, finely chopped 1 1/2 cups broccoli stems and florets, chopped 1 large tomato, chopped 6 to 8 white mushrooms, chopped 1 tablespoon curry powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 tablespoon ground coriander 1/2 teaspoon cayenne 1 teaspoon turmeric 2 teaspoons dried basil 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 cup fresh or frozen peas 5 tablespoons tamari (soy) sauce 2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste fresh cracked black pepper to taste juice from 2 limes (2 tablespoons) handful of fresh parsley, chopped Instructions: Rinse the millet and soak for 8 hours or overnight in several inches of water. Drain and set aside. In a large saucepan or soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. When hot, add the onion, celery, carrots, garlic and ginger, and stir for 5 minutes. Pour in the water or vegetable stock and the celery seed. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the millet, chilies, broccoli stems, tomato, mushrooms, spices and herbs. Bring to a boil again, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for another 20 minutes or until the millet is cooked. Now add the broccoli florets, tamari, salt, black pepper, and peas. Stir in the lime juice and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Serve hot and garnish each bowl with a scattering of chopped fresh parsley. Makes 6 to 8 servings