Cabbage Soup..how to make it tasty ?

[angrybird]

Another effort to lose weight, (including gym), I have found that a 90% diet of cabbage soup is effective. I do add garlic, tomatoes, carrots, but it still tastes like dishwater.

I know salt would be great, but that's a no-no. Pepper acts a a strong diuretic.

So any ideas please ? I don't like hot "phet" stuff. Tried adding "soups" in plastic bags from Lotus, but it is a long journey.

[AyG]

Add bacon. Bacon makes everything taste better.

Start with chicken stock, rather than water. (CP shops sell sachets of pretty reasonable chicken stock if you don't want to make your own.) Alternatively, make a stock from potato peelings plus, perhaps, carrot, onion, celery.

Include more aromatic elements such as fennel, Japanese onion and fresh herbs (add herbs right at the end so they keep their aroma).

[ToddWeston]

The chicken stock cubes are packed with salt and msg I believe.

I'd roast left over chicken bones and then make your stock, add onions skins for colour - as for flavour roasting the carrots and garlic will take it up a notch. Perhaps add some eggs whites since you're trying to keep it low cal - egg drop soup. Other veg as mentioned but also beer root ? colour and fairly flavourful.

[ToddWeston]

Edit : Double post apologies

Edited August 30, 2013 by ToddWeston

[Jingthing]

Try adding fresh sliced shiitake mushrooms.

Or instead sliced dried shiitake mushrooms.

For the dried ones, first you must soak them, pour boiling water over them and let sit for half an hour.

These will add a strong savory "umami" flavor to your soup.

The dried ones are much more umami than the fresh ones, so use less.

I don't really understand why you can't add fresh Thai black pepper also.

Edited August 30, 2013 by Jingthing

[angrybird]

I really appreciate all the suggestions. Problem is I do not recognise most of the suggestions (herbs, types of mushrooms), in the shops.

Also Black Thai pepper/s, is that ground pepper or those baby fist size red and green things, or purply/black ?

[Jingthing]

I really appreciate all the suggestions. Problem is I do not recognise most of the suggestions (herbs, types of mushrooms), in the shops.

Also Black Thai pepper/s, is that ground pepper or those baby fist size red and green things, or purply/black ?

mushrooms:

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=shiitake+mushrooms&qpvt=shiitake+mushrooms&FORM=IGRE

fresh black pepper:

You could make a chicken stock with skinned chicken breast. You'll get a tastier broth that way. Then you could also use some of that meat in the soup as well. To make a simple stock bring water to a boil, add the meat, bring to a boil again, then shut off heat, then cover pot, then let sit for 20 -25 minutes.

Edited August 30, 2013 by Jingthing

[onionluke]

I would add roasted garlic, basil and dill . These could be added to the dish as it is served just like they do in the noddle shop . The roasted garlic could be made in batches and stored for convenient usage . Or how about the never ending pot of soup that just gets topped up each day with more ingredients and water thus creating a super broth .

[Jingthing]

Onionluke might have mentioned ONIONS as well ...

Oh here is another great trick.

Get dried SPLIT yellow mung beans and simmer in the soup. Adds a richness. They cook quick but simmer at least 15 minutes with the beans, probably add the veg later so as not to overcook them. The mushrooms also cook a long time, adds richness.

[jmccarty]

Lea & Perrins and if you can get apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar adds zip without calories.

Mustard also adds flavour.

[WitawatWatawit]

Maybe lemongrass stalks - smashed and pounded, like the Wallabies front row. I use it when cooking rice. Nice.

[onionluke]

I would suggest adding croutons to the soup but they are fried up and so may not help your weight loss diet .

[AyG]

Get dried SPLIT yellow mung beans and simmer in the soup. Adds a richness. They cook quick but simmer at least 15 minutes with the beans, probably add the veg later so as not to overcook them. The mushrooms also cook a long time, adds richness.

The Cabbage Soup Diet is all about cutting out carbs (and anything else that might make the experience remotely pleasurable. Hair shirt dieting is obviously the most effective form. No pain, no weight loss as they say. I believe that most of the carb. loss comes from the creation of methane released into the atmosphere.). Whilst pulses such as mung dahl or split yellow peas would undoubtedly help with methane production, their high carb. content precludes them from this diet.

My (slightly flippant) suggestion about bacon is also against the Cabbage Soup Diet philosophy, though would be in accord with the thinkings of the likes of Atkins and other low carb. diet proponents. And it tastes so good.

[onionluke]

How about if the recipe swapped cabbage for turnips ?

[Jingthing]

Most any diet where you are forced to eat ONE THING usually works for short term.

Really, anything.

Could be marshmallows or chocolate cake even.

[I Like Thai]

Add Bacon and Spuds

[WitawatWatawit]

One thing I realised when undertaking a diet and treating it as a long term project rather than a quick crash and burn, is that you need to break the rules occasionally to relieve boredom and battle fatigue. While I baulk at salt, I do occasionally use stock cubes, eg, 2 cups of brown rice, 3 cups of water, 1 chicken stock cube and smashed lemongrass. Very moreish.

[cardholder]

Celery is good. Plus loads of onions.

I add prik thai - didn't know about it's diuretic qualities.

[BwindiBoy]

Add Bacon and Spuds

...and take out the cabbage :-)

Seriously, as long as you don't put any carbs or salt in, you could treat yourself to some kind of meat or fish. I lost half a stone recently (in 4/5 days) just by not eating carbs. I ate chicken, eggs and ham mainly.

Good luck...but don't be overtly strict, other than carbs and salt. And drink lots of water...

[angrybird]

Just a bit of personal info, I have been on and off weight reduction for years, and believe I know most of the pitfalls,

What I find interesting is that when I decide to lose weight at about 93kg, should be 82kg, I have no problem at all in disdaining food that I could not do without for a few hours, constantly snacking. I don't even feel hungry.Don't even fancy my now tasty cabbage soup.

My eventual reward is looking pointedly at the multitudes of fatties, and I feel so smug.

Then for no apparent reason I will be back to pigging out and feeling and looking like a loser.

For all the fatties with their genetic ? excuses, I always point out, "There were no fat inmates in the concentration camps"

Edited August 30, 2013 by angrybird

[poanoi]

I found that a quarter of a teaspoon of dnp powder a day makes any food at any quantity a diet

[Bpuumike]

I would add roasted garlic, basil and dill . These could be added to the dish as it is served just like they do in the noddle shop . The roasted garlic could be made in batches and stored for convenient usage . Or how about the never ending pot of soup that just gets topped up each day with more ingredients and water thus creating a super broth .

Smoked bacon cut into 1/2" pieces and fried (but not to crispy stage) before adding. Or go the whole hog and add one whole end-cut of smoked ham, bacon, whatever your local supermarket has on the deli counter.

If you are of a more vegetarian mind then caraway seeds will add an interesting flavour - if you can find them!

[angrybird]

I have found a solution within my kitchen

The 4 yo is always experimenting with all sorts of foods and sauces, he calls his dishes "mixy mixy" and embellishes his normal diet with anything that he has not tried before. Invariably they do not survive many tastes, so they end up in my soup.

I can "eat 'owt" so I get a big variety, if there are any good ones I don't know the recipes.

'

[MissFarmGirl]

pepper is good to add

we think that pepper burn the fat faster

[angrybird]

pepper is good to add

we think that pepper burn the fat faster

yes for me a diuretic that keeps me on the go hourly or more at night !

[Kathy2014]

No salt only cabbage ? It tastes fade.... A chicken stock is the best for soup. I cook quite often veggi soup also with cabbage. Fried garlic , onion, until smell good, then carrot, cabbage or any veggies u prefer, a quick fried then pour stock soup, cook until finish, pepper, or little balsamic, without salt i dont know how it taste....