Category: soups

Recipe: Waterzooi

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This is a Belgian boiled chicken stew that historically used to be a seafood stew. It uses cream and egg yolks to thicken it. All the recipes include breaking down your own chicken and making your own stock but I suggest that you either do that on a separate day from making the soup itself or simply skip that step, buy stock and proceed from there. Breaking down a chicken and making your own stock will turn this simple recipe into an all day project but if you have the time, that’s okay. This is a delicious soup which is thick and rich and perfect with some crusty bread to soak up all the broth. Traditionally you leave the meat on the bones but my husband really hates that so I simply took it off after boiling the chicken parts.

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Recipe: Masoor Dal

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Quick, delicious and filling red lentils made from pantry staples and things you probably have lying around the house. You can serve this with almost any carb you can think of: rice, roti, naan, paratha, even sourdough bread or biscuits if you want to go crazy and it comes together in 30 minutes without much supervision so it’s great for a weeknight or when you just can’t babysit dinner.

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Recipe: Chicken Congee

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A staple of most of the Asian world, congee is basically just rice boiled down until its texture becomes soft and pudding-like. Congee can be sweet or savory, served with almost anything and at almost any meal time. It’s often eaten for breakfast or when sick or during hard times but it can also be quite celebratory and topped with everything from vegetable and bread sticks to whole fish, this version is a pretty simple chicken base that I topped with marinated mushrooms and jammy boiled eggs.

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Recipe: White Chicken Chili

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If you have shredded chicken on hand and you don’t have a plan for what to do with it this recipe is a very way to use it up. This is a pretty flexible recipe where you can add whatever beans, vegetables, and cheese you have on hand to dress it up anyway you like. Personally I’m a big fan of adding those last bits of crushed chips to the top of the bowl but anything from jalapenos to olives could conceivably be put on top.

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Recipe: Split Pea Soup

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Hearty and comforting split pea soup is generally made with smoked ham but I found some smoked chicken to use instead and now it’s one of my favorite fall/winter recipes. This soup is thick and rich with a little bit of bite and spice. Great with a good rye or black bread and it even freezes well for cold nights when you don’t feel like cooking but want something to warm you up.

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Recipe: Aash e Jow

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There’s an entire category in Persian food of thick stews/thick soups, آش [Aash] and since that’s one of my SOs favorite types of food I have been trying to find ones that we both like and it just so happens this very simple barley stew is a winner with us. This soup is filling on its own without bread or other side dishes and it has soft comforting flavors that aren’t too challenging for people not used to Persian flavors.

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Recipe: Tom Yum Tofu

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This is absolutely the opposite of authentic Thai food but I was able to find some really great tom yum soup base. I would tell you the brand but it’s literally only in Thai on the label and unfortunately I don’t read Thai. However, you can use whatever ready tom yum soup base you’re able to find though they do all taste different. This comes together pretty quickly and would be great with lots of extra vegetables especially corn or bamboo shoots and greens of any type.

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Recipe: Ginger-Turmeric Chicken and Rice Soup

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If you want a delicious winter soup that is easy and hearty and kind of feels like it heals you upon the first bite then this is the one. In the original recipe the ginger is in chopped chunks but in future versions I started grating it finely because the texture is a little strange to me but you can go either way depending on your personal preference. If you have leftover cooked chicken on hand this is one of those really easy recipes that doesn’t take much time or energy and the rice makes it hearty enough to be a full meal by itself.

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Recipe: Chipotle and Bean Chili

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This is a super simple but really hearty chili that can be made with very minimal prep. This can also easily be adapted for any diet. It can be made vegan using vegetable stock instead of chicken stock, and it can be gluten-free by substituting potato starch instead of flour. This is a fairly spicy chili so you might want to serve it with cream, cheese, or some bread but it’s not so hot you can’t just eat it as it is. If you want a thicker chili you can mash a portion of the beans before you put them in the pot as well.

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