Vegetable Barley Soup with the Taste of Little India

My father was stationed in Calcutta, India during the Second World War, he was only 18 years old. He never talk about India. Once in a while my family and I would ask him why he wouldn't go to the beach with us. His response was...

I had enough heat for a lifetime in India.

My father holding a baby tiger.

The only thing we knew is that he loved the Taj Mahal; so much so that he had a mural of it painted for our dining room. People always found it to be an usual image to behold in an otherwise typical middle class Italian-American household.

Picture of the Taj Mahal that my father took in 1944.

The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum built by emperor Shah Jahan to his third wife Mumtaz Mahal . It is a shrine to eternal love and grief. When my father died at the early age of 57 the mural was a reminder of his love for us that reaches past the grave.

Calcutta, India 1944 my dad's photo.

When we packed up my dad's belongings I found astrology charts on everyone in our family along with books about India.

Calcutta men making a pyre.

India touched my father. I have never been to India, but I heard..

India has a way of imprinting itself on your soul.

How could India not be impressive? It is such a mixture of cultures, religions, and spices... India is all about spices... the flavors of India are so distinct... which is why I loved the seasoning in this soup.

The main flavor is Garam Masala which is a seasoning mixture of black pepper, mace, clove, cinnamon, cardamon etc.. there are many variations of this blend in India. It is a wonderful spice mix to buy if you are just getting yourself accustom to cooking Indian food.
You can really add Garam Masala to any recipe and it miraculously transforms it into an Indian dish. This soup is just basically a typical vegetable barley soup.. but when you add Garam Masala and a little ginger to it... something exotic happens.
Here are some examples of the versatility of Garam Masala.

Garam Masala Chicken

Indian Lentil Soup

So take a trip to India if only through some Garam Masala. It could be life changing...at the least, it will be flavorful.

Click here for the recipe: Vegetable Barley Soup with the Taste of India Note: As a member of French Friday's with Dorie I am not allowed to print the recipe. I invite you to take a look at this wonderful cookbook "Around My French Table" if you are interested in this or any other recipe I review.