Spicy Vegan Soup - slow cooked

Everyone thought I was crazy starting to prepare soup on a 35 degree day. I must have had an inkling in my subconscious that it would cool later in the day...sure enough it did. A huge southerly hit and the temperature dropped 15 degrees in about 20 minutes. This soup was easy to make, it's healthy as, and it's Vegan. It takes about an hour and this amount serves 6 bowls...lovely served with crusty rolls.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 4 stalks of celery, roughly chopped
• 3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• ¼ cauliflower, cut into florets
• ½ green capsicum, roughy chopped
• 3 tablespoons pearl barley
• 400g tinned corn (or 2 full length corn cobs, kernels removed and cob discarded)
• 400g tin lentils (or 400g dried green lentils, rinsed and pre-soaked)
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon coriander seeds
• ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon rock or sea salt
• 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 500ml water

Method:

1. On a medium to high heat in a large saucepan, heat the oil, throw in the onion and garlic and stir with a wooden spoon
2. Add the celery and carrots, turmeric, curry, cumin, coriander, fennel, salt and pepper and stir well
3. Add a splash of water and scrape the bottom of the pan to mix the spices into the water
4. Stir often, for about 5 minutes so the carrots can soften slightly
5. Add the cauliflower, capsicum, pearl barley, vegetable stock and water, then stir, bring to the boil and turn down to simmer for 20 minutes
6. After 20 minutes add the corn and lentils, stir and simmer for another 40 minutes
7. Serve into bowls with crusty bread rolls...D-E-L-icious XD