Traditional Scotch broth is a tasty, budget-friendly, wholesome meal. So easy to prepare in one-pot and can be simply left to simmer away. Serve with a wedge of your favourite bread or a few crunchy crackers such as traditional Scottish oatcakes.
150gramsbroth mixsoaked over night in cold water or for a few hours, then drained and rinsed (or replace with yellow or green split peas)
70gramspearl barleyrinsed
60gramsred split lentilsrinsed
150gramsonion1 medium, diced
115gramscelery1-2 ribs, diced. Or replace with 1 leek, sliced and diced.
280gramsswede (rutabaga)diced, or replace with sweet potato, turnip, celeriac or parsnip
170gramscarrots2 small-medium, diced
200gramspotatodiced
200gramscabbagesliced and chopped into small pieces, any type of cabbage is fine or replace with kale
6clovesgarlicthin sliced or diced, use less if preferred
1largebay leafor 2 smaller
2.5litresvegetable stock
Garnish, optional
8gramsparsleychopped, use more if liked or replace with chopped chives, dill, or spring [green onions]
Instructions
Pre soak dried soup mix:
Pre-soak the dried broth mix [soup mix] in cold water the night before its required.
150 grams broth mix
Before using, drain the liquid away.
Prepare the soup:
Pour the vegetable stock, along with the drained soup mix, barley, and red lentils into a soup pan. Bring to the boil while you prepare the vegetables and garlic.
70 grams pearl barley, 2.5 litres vegetable stock, 60 grams red split lentils
Add the diced vegetables and garlic (excluding the cabbage) and bay leaf to the pan with the vegetable stock, and give it all a stir.
Once the soup is gently boiling, reduce the heat, and cook on a steady simmer for about 40 minutes. Skim off any foamy residue that tends to collect at the side of the pan at the top.
Next, add the cabbage and cook for a further 10-15 minutes.
200 grams cabbage
Season with enough salt and pepper to taste and bring the flavours together. Remove the bay leaf.
Add a sprinkle of chopped parsley to each serving.
8 grams parsley
Notes
Nutritional information is provided for guidance only and is not a strict calculation as ingredients vary.
Leftover Scotch broth can be stored in the refrigerator, within a covered container, for up to 3 days. Or frozen for 2-3 months.
Reheat leftovers by pouring into a pan and bring to a simmer. Heat through for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Extra vegetable stock may be required, as the broth mix, lentils and barley will continue to soak up the liquid as its stored.
Defrost the Scotch broth before reheating.
Can't find dried soup mix or broth mix in your local shops or stores? This mix is a common ingredient within the UK and can usually be sourced in any supermarket and small grocery shops, but it may be harder to locate out-with the UK. Not to worry though, as this mix can be replaced with equal amounts of dried split green peas, dried split yellow peas, pearl barley and red split lentils. Use 150g of this mix for the recipe. Combining these together will create a dried broth mix which you can soak overnight.
A ½ teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda [baking soda] can be stirred through the water before adding the broth mix to soak, as this will help soften up the pulses and make them easier to cook.
If you create your own broth mix, also add in the additional barley and red lentils that the recipe calls for.
Dried broth mix sometimes contains a small amount of dried wheat or oat flakes. If you have any dried grain flakes to hand such as barley/oat/wheat/rye flakes then chuck in a few tablespoons to your soup. But if not just omit as its not essential.
For gluten-free Scotch broth omit the barley and prepare your own dried broth mix with a mix of yellow and green split peas and red split lentils. Perhaps replace the barley with green lentils, rice, Teff, millet or buckwheat. A few tablespoons of gluten-free oats can be also be mixed through your soup mix.