Sunday Supper #1: Turmeric-Ginger Chicken Soup
- Big Boned Cook
- Jan 12, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 25, 2021
Made on January 3, 2021
Recipe by Claire Saffitz, Available at Bon Appetit
There’s just something about soup. In the winter. When you’re not feeling your best. For many, myself included, the draw toward a warm bowl of rich broth and hearty chicken and veg when you feel that tickle in your throat seems hardwired from childhood. Growing up, we mostly had canned soup, which will do in a pinch, but for me, this is one of those places where a little bit of effort on the front end pays off tenfold in deliciousness.
So, as we came into 2021, and I was playing a fun game of “gee, I hope this is *just* a cold,” I knew it was time to get things simmering. Unlike getting a cold in a normal year, this time there was also the looming threat of something much more serious, so I wanted to pull out the big guns. And the first thing that came to mind was turmeric. I’m not a guy who knows much about the purported or real health benefits of spices and foods (research project ahead), but I’ve long heard that turmeric is packed full of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, and it felt like a good time to give my body any boost I could.
I found this recipe online and instantly fell in love. The simplicity of the preparation and method combined with the layers of flavor gave me a lot to look forward to. There’s something that feels so chefy about putting a whole chicken in a pot, with some rough chopped onions, whole heads of garlic, and whole spices to make your own stock. Almost fancy in its unfussiness, elegant in its simplicity. And the combination of all that garlic with turmeric and coriander and black pepper (my favorite), had me imagining some soul-satisfying depth of flavor and a nasal-passage-clearing kind of heat.
I ordered up the groceries I needed and got to work. I had visions of beautiful, rich soup with note after note of complex, zinging flavors. And I almost got what I wanted.
For me, this soup came close, but ultimately didn’t deliver what I was hoping. While it is rich and full-bodied for days, it didn’t have the bright, popping, in-yer-face flavors I was hoping for. Perhaps it’s a case of my expectations not matching what the recipe intended to be, but I wanted a bit more of a slap across the face with flavor. Maybe that’s because I’m a bit of a spice-hound, and the flavors here are actually balanced well.
A Note Here: I didn’t have chili oil when I had my first serving of this soup, so definitely missed that bit of possible heat. Once I got some chili oil, and used it on leftovers through the week, the chili heat really completed the party for me. And, like most soups, this one only gets better as it sits in the fridge or freezer, marrying and deepening the flavors.
My Alterations: I made a couple small changes for my taste.
Onions: Because the recipe calls for two medium onions and I had two HUGE onions on hand, I used only 1 ½ onions.
Coriander Seeds: My Instacart order arrived with ground coriander rather than whole coriander seed, so I used 1.5 tsp of the ground spice in place of the 2 tsp of the whole spice
Cayenne Peppers: I added 3 whole cayenne peppers (from my little back porch garden last summer) to the stock. It didn’t impart a lot (or any) spice that I could detect in the end. I’d suggest (if you want the heat), splitting the peppers in half before you throw them in so the seeds and juices (gotta love that capsaicin) can impart on your stock.
The grocery store was out of udon noodles, so I used some instant whole grain rice noodles I had on hand. The great bonus here is that this alteration makes it super easy to make fresh noodles (since they’re instant) to add to reheated leftovers every time.
A week later, and I'm feeling better. Who knows if that's the turmeric in this soup, or just a week's worth of recovery time. But either way, this soup is pretty damn tasty, and has a good likelihood of becoming an "I don't feel so great" go-to for me. Give it a shot and let me know what you think. Just remember, don't be shy with the salt and pepper, and the chili oil is a totally worth-it expense.
Rating: 3.5/5
Will I Make It Again?: Absolutely
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