Shurbah - The Basic Recipe

submitted by Sister Khadija, Oum Abdul-Aziz

Ingredients

SHURBAH - Blended Vegetable Soup 

Ingredients: 

2 tablespoons of butter
1 cup of chopped onion
¾ cup of chopped carrot
¾ cup of chopped potato
¾ cup of chopped cabbage
½ cup of regular oatmeal
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon Omani mixed spices (or a pinch each of cumin, cinnamon, coriander)
1 tablespoon thyme leaves (or oregano leaves)
1½ Maggi bouillon cubes (chicken, beef or vegetable flavor)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander or cilantro (optional)
½ of a green bell pepper (optional)
lemon (optional) 


Directions

1. In a saucepan, sauté the onions in the butter until they are translucent. Add the chopped carrots, potatoes, cabbage, and about 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes.

2. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. (You can add a little ice or very cold water to speed up the process.) When cool enough not to damage the blender (or food processor), puree in the blender. Return the pureed vegetables and their liquid to the saucepan.

3. In a bowl on the side, mix (stir) the oatmeal with 1 cup of water. Add the oatmeal to the saucepan. Add the rest of the ingredients and about 2 cups of water and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add more salt and black pepper to taste. If the soup is too thick for your liking, add more water while it is cooking.

4. Serve in bowls and sprinkle with lemon.