Vegan Un-Chicken Barley Soup

I knew this soup was a winner when my husband tasted it and exclaimed, "Wow! This really does taste like chicken."  You see, my husband is a meat-eater.  But not just any old meat-eater.  He was raised in a town where the only meat you can find is fresh, never frozen.  So when he thought my Un-Chicken Barley Soup actually tasted like chicken soup, well, I think that says something.

Most un-chicken soups I've seen assume that cooks have access to fancy condiments like vegetarian chicken-flavored bouillon.  Not in Mexico.  

However, in Mexico we do sometimes have access to this soup's secret ingredient: MSG.  I found some in a little stand that was part of a Chinese food restaurant in a tiny mountain town where I used to live.  If you are lucky enough to come across MSG, buy a bag.  You can also purchase MSG online.  It's cheap and lasts forever because you use so little in every recipe.

Scared by the anti-MSG hype?  I can't find evidence that a little MSG every now and then causes health problems in adults.  However, feel free to use the comments section to argue otherwise.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 liters water
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 chile, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 handful (about 1/3 cup) texturized vegetable protein (TVP)
• 1/2 cup pearl barley
• 2 TB dry parsley or 2 stalks fresh parsley
• 1 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning (sold as hierbas finas in Mexico)
• 1 TB soy sauce
• 3 tsp MSG
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION:

1. Put water in a large pot to boil.
2. Add remaining ingredients.
3. Simmer until vegetables are soft and barley is cooked (about 30-45 minutes).
4. Adjust salt to taste and serve.

Serves 4-6.