Graupensuppe - German Barley Soup

26 comments


I got to know this soup a few years ago when I visited my mother-in-law and she made us some Graupensuppe or Barley Soup, in English. I was immediately captivated by its colourful appearance and delicious taste. It was hearty yet light at the same time. I was intrigued by this soup because I had never eaten barley in savoury dishes, actually, I had even almost never eaten barley in my life and if I did, only as Asian sweet dessert. So I really really wanted to make it myself and asked my MIL to reveal the secret of her beautiful barley soup :). I was surprised to find out that it's quite simple to make. The only hideous work you've got to do is cutting most ingredients into small cubes...!

Ingredients - serves 4
  • 200 g barley, soaked in water overnight
  • 2 large carrot, cut into small cubes
  • 3-4 medium potatoes, cut into small cubes
  • 10 - 15 black peppercorns
  • 500 g lean beef/lamb shank , cut into small cubes
  • 1 onion (I used shallot), chopped
  • 2 leeks, sliced
  • 1/2 celery root, quartered
  • Maggi/Knorr beef powder to taste
  • Pepper to taste
  • 3 l water
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • Chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
  • Heat olive oil in a soup pot.
  • Sauté the chopped onion, beef cubes and celery root for 1 minute until everything is slightly brown.
  • Add water, peppercorns and barley. Simmer for 30 minutes,.
  • Now add the carrot and potato cubes, beef powder and pepper to taste. Simmer for another 30 minutes.
  • Before you turn off the heat, add the leek slices and stir that they're slightly cooked.




Serve the barley soup with chopped parsley!



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26 comments:

  1. i like it the addition of lamb shank as your suggestion. my husband loves barley soup as well. off course i have to make it vegetarian

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  2. Que plato de sopa más fantastico.

    Saludos

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  3. Lovely~! And looks really healthy~! Yum yum yum!! But what a pity, I don't eat beef or lamb, some flavours will be missing if I don't add the meat right?

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  4. looks absolutely wonderful...I can't take my eyes off these yummy delights...

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  5. super colorful, delicious, and healthyyyy :)

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  6. Soup looks so mouthwatering. Excellent ingredients.

    Deepa
    Hamaree Rasoi

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  7. This soup looks amazing!!! I have a hungarian friend who gave me something pretty similar to this!! .. and it tasted amazing!! Don't remember the name of the dish as I am slow with learning new languages and remebering words but I can remeber I ate it all!!

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  8. hmm simple yah kae soup biasa cmn tambahin barley , aku jg ga kebayang gmn barley ada didlm soup . good idea Sin !

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  9. Whoa, what a superb & comforting meal! Thanks for sharing such flavourful recipe. Hope you're enjoying your week ahead.
    Cheers, Kristy

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  10. Awesome comfort food. Love this flavorful soup .

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  11. This is by far one of my favroite winter soups ever. Yours is so hearty and welcoming and packed with color, I wish I could scoop it off the screen.

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  12. See I love soup and now want this bowl!

    Nice arrangement on the photos, love this! So many good things, I was looking for a menu idea for this week and am making a farro version now!

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  13. I can have many bowls of this - lunch and dinner! Nutritious and delicious!

    This barley looks like the Chinese pearl barley. Yes, I find that the pearl barley at the Western grocery stores and Asian grocery stores looks different too!

    If you soak them, they cook faster and softer. Yes, definitely!

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  14. Love this healthy, hearty soup, versatile for every season throughout the year. I also love to put in some barley in soups as it's good for our digestive system.

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  15. How yummy! I've never had barley before so this will be interesting to try. Also, celery root?? Where do I find that from?

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  16. @ Lucy - I was able to find celery roots in my local supermarket. In Germany it's very common to have celery roots in soups. To be honest, I had never seen celery root (or even been aware of its existence) until I come to live in Germany ;). I used to live in Sydney and I never saw any celery roots around (or maybe I just never took a notice of them), but it might be different in NZ...! Just keep looking, if you can't find it celery sticks should be okay, even though celery roots are I find more aromatic.

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  17. This soup looks like a delicious and nutritious meal on its own! :) Would be great to have on a cold rainy day, or any day! :D

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  18. This is such a healthy bowl of soup. Looks awfully delicious.

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  19. The soup looks so colourful and appetizing!

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  20. This is a really beautiful soup. I love its rich colors. It is so thick it looks like a stew. I hope you have a great day. Blessings..Mary

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  21. Love this soup. I've always enjoyed graupensuppe even as a kid and this more like the ones I remember my Oma used to make :o)

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  22. That soup looks so healthy and delicious! Perfect this period of the year.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  23. That's a hearty barley soup! :) Thanks for sharing! I will definitely try it sometime...

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