Ramadan food: Easy fresh pea and mint soup

Iftar soups

When it is time to break the fast, it is best to ease into eating, rather than going straight for a full-on meal. After having a few dates with tahini or yoghurt, the next best thing is soup. But after a week, sometimes inspiration runs thin for this Ramadan staple. Here we present a soup-a-day to help with culinary brain-freeze during the Holy Month.

Easy fresh pea and mint soup

Ingredients
3 sprays of cooking spray
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup uncooked leeks, white part only, finely chopped or substitute spring onions.
3 cups canned chicken broth or Maggi cubes in 3 cups water
570g frozen baby green peas
1/3 cup mint leaves, fresh
1/2 teaspoon table salt, or more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground, or more to taste

Method
Coat a large heavy pot with cooking spray and set over medium-low heat; melt butter in pot.
Add leeks; cook, stirring occasionally, until transparent, about 7 to 10 minutes.
Stir in broth, increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Stir in frozen peas; cook until peas are tender crisp, about 3 minutes.
Remove pan from heat; stir in mint, salt and pepper. Puree soup in pot using an immersion blender (or in small batches using your blender or food processor). Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve warm or chilled.