Ladles of love: Mokgadi Itsweng on the art of making soup
Cookbook author Mokgadi Itsweng remembers learning the art of making soup – the perfect act of love and care – from her mother.
A bowl of soup has always offered comfort to anyone feeling down, sick, tired after a long day of travelling or a gruelling day at work. It offers a beautiful hug that nourishes body and soul. I’ve had enough good and bad soups in my life to know that making a great one takes patience, care and love. You have to keep all the senses in mind. Sight, taste, texture and smell all play a key role.
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The ingredients must be fresh, carefully selected and picked in season. The layering of spices and flavour is the next step to building depth of flavour. I heat a little oil and add the spices first, allowing them to release their power. Then I add onion, garlic or leeks, followed by whatever vegetables I am using, lightly coating and browning them in the saucepan. A good-quality stock is added next – and this is what determines your soup’s deliciousness, seasoning it as it cooks low and slow. I add texture with grains, beans or crunchy vegetables (nothing kills a great soup faster than mushy veg with no character).
Find the recipe for pumpkin-and-millet soup here.
Mastering a great soup is a skill that will ensure you are remembered long after the bowls have been washed and packed away. I learned to make a good one from my mom, whose famous pork trotter-and- bean soup was smuggled into Kgosi Mampuru prison to feed my father and his comrades who were held there for six months without trial during the 1985 state of emergency.
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Every time I bump into people who knew her, I hear stories of that soup and how much joy it brought them; all her love and care in a simple bowl. This year, I am celebrating her with a delicious bowl of pumpkin-and-millet soup, because 2023 has been declared the international year of millet by the United Nations. (Good news for me, as I love how versatile and delicious these grains are.) This soup also uses the whole pumpkin, including the seeds, to create a spectacular and unforgettable meal, just the way my mom made it.
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