This luscious, creamy vegetable soup is truly an ode to summer vegetables. Inspired by one of my recent farmer’s market hauls, this soup is made with some of my favorite summer vegetables: tomatoes, corn, and summer squash. What I love about this creamy vegetable soup is that it doesn’t require additional liquid (such as water or broth) to cook the vegetables. I know that cooking soup without liquids might sound crazy. However, this waterless cooking method is all made possible with Vermicular’s Musui–Kamado.
VERMICULAR’S MUSUI–KAMADO
Vermicular is a Japanese kitchen brand that makes the country’s best-selling enameled cast iron pot, the Musui. The word “musui” means “waterless” in Japanese. Used in this context, Vermicular’s Musui can cook a wide range of food without excess water or sauces. The Musui is coated in three layers of enamel except for the contact area between the pot and the lid. This creates a tight-fitting sea around the edge of the potl. The precision seal helps intensify and lock in the natural flavors of food cooking in the Musui. The other critical piece to Musui Cooking is the precision induction cooking unit, called the Kamado. There are 4 heat settings for the Kamado: Medium (where heat is maintained at 445ºF), Low (300ºF), Extremely Low (230ºF), and Warm (where the temperature can be adjusted at 1º increments between 90 to 200ºF). For this creamy vegetable soup recipe, I quickly sauté the vegetables on medium for a few minutes and then let the vegetables cook over low heat for an hour. The Kamado has raised sides so that it can heat the Musui from the sides of the pot as well as the bottom. This helps food cook more evenly.
COOKING NOTES FOR CREAMY VEGETABLE SOUP
PREPARING THE PRODUCE
You’ll notice that this recipe uses a ton of vegetables because they release natural moisture as they cook inside the Musui. Preparing the vegetables isn’t complicated; it just involves a lot of chopping. You can save time by chopping the onions, garlic tomatoes, carrots, and zucchini in a food processor.
TOMATOES
Make sure to save any juice that runs out of the tomatoes when chopping them. You’ll add them to the pot later.
CORN
For this recipe, I’m using fresh corn, and I save the cob after I cut off the kernels. The cob has a lot of flavor, so it is good for simmering with the rest of the vegetables. Just snap the cob in half so that it fits inside the Musui.
LEMONGRASS
I use lemongrass as one of the spices to flavor the soup. The lemongrass I use is quite fresh (you can tell by the green color). If you are buying lemongrass from the supermarket, and you notice that it looks light yellow with dry outer leaves, you’ll want to peel off a few of the outer layers. Then, chop off the top 4 inches of the stalk that’s the dry, thin leaves. Slice the remaining stalk into 3 smaller sections and bash it with a kitchen mallet or cleaver to release the flavor. You can learn more about lemongrass here.
COOKING THE VEGETABLE SOUP
To get the flavors going, I sauté the onions on medium for several minutes and then the ginger and garlic for another minute. Afterwards, I pour all the vegetables into the Musui, cover it with the lid and let the vegetables cook on low for 1 hour. What I loved most about cooking the vegetables in the Musui–Kamado was that I didn’t have to worry about the vegetables burning on the bottom or any liquids boiling over. The Kamado maintains a low cooking temperature. Essentially, after you cover the pot with the lid, you can just walk away and let the Musui–Kamado do its thing for an hour. Once the time is up, uncover the pot. You’ll notice a lot of liquid has developed inside the pot (just over a cup of liquid). The precision seal of the Musui locks in the moisture of the vegetables inside the pot! Pour the broth and vegetables inside a blender, puree, and serve. I was impressed that I didn’t need to use any stock to give the soup umami flavor. I loved being able to taste all the robust flavors of the vegetables blended together! To make the soup more filling, add some cooked quinoa or jasmine rice to the soup!
MORE VEGAN SOUPS
Thai-Spiced Butternut Squash SoupCarrot & Sweet Potato SoupVegan Tomato SoupPea & Mint SoupComplete Soups & Porridges Archives
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Vermicular! Click here to learn more about the Musui–Kamado. To learn more about their products and to get more recipe inspiration, visit their website or follow them on Instagram!
