Healthy Ramadan recipe -- Barley Soup

My family loves this healthy barley soup for iftaar. I hope yours does too.

For this Ramadan, I have decided not to go overboard with fried and greasy stuff, as was the norm with my family for so many years, This year, thanks to my family finally waking up to the necessity and importance of eating well, we have started making more of healthy recipes like air fried chicken, broiled food and eating more of fruits. I recently discovered that barley soup is something that Muslims are recommended to eat for iftaar as it was what the Prophet used to break his fast with. Barley soup is made with nutritious vegetables, and of course barley. I was sold to the idea of eating barely soup for as many iftaars as we can. The only constant in this recipe is barley and the seasoning, and you can add as many or few vegetables at hand. That's the best thing about recipes, right? When you can tweak and customise it for your needs. If you plan to make this barley soup as many times as I do, you can cook a batch of barley, oil it well and store it in the freezer. Start to thaw it a couple of hours before cooking and use it as mentioned in the recipe.

Ingredients

• Barley, washed and boiled - 1 cup
• Bell peppers, yellow and red, chopped - 1 cup
• Zuchhini, chopped - 1 cup
• Brocolli, cleaned and cut onto florets - 1/2 cup
• Vegetables of your choice - carrot, peas, capsicum, etc.
• Chicken, boiled and shredded - 1/2 cup (omit this to make a vegetarian version)
• Seasoning - salt, pepper, garlic powder, soy sauce, vinegar
• Chicken stock - 3 cups
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Coriander and mint leaves to serve

Method

• To cook barley, take about 2 tbsp of the raw grain. Barley quadruples in size once cooked, so it is actually the less the better. Wash it thoroughly and cook it in the cooker for about 5 whistles, just like rice by adding a little water to it. You can also put in a little oil so that the barley doesn't clump up.
• Once cooked, set the barley aside and start working on the soup.
• In a pot, heat a little oil and put in the bell peppers and zucchini, saute it till it is soft. Now add the broccoli and chicken. Do not overcook. Now add the barley and saute a little more.
• Now add the chicken stock, seasoning and let it cook through.
• If you want a thicker consistency, you can add some cornflour.
• Let it boil once and let it simmer for a few minutes. After it is done, sprinkle coriander and mint leaves to garnish.
• Serve warm with some croutons.

Do you have a favourite recipe that you make for iftaar during Ramadan? My family loves this soup because it is nutritious and filling, and does not make you feel bloated.

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