Chicken Soup with Lemon

Ingredent

Carcass and giblets of 1 chicken

3-4 stalks celery with leaves, sliced

2 leeks, sliced (optional)

2-3 cloves garlic, slivered

Salt and black pepper

Juice of 1-2 lemons

2-3 zucchini, sliced (optional)

3/4 cup rice, boiled (measure uncooked)

Methord

Collect a chicken carcass, giblets, and bones to make a rich stock. The giblets must be very fresh, and the bones and carcass those of a chicken prepared the same day, otherwise any meat on them will be hard and dry, and the marrow in the bones very stale. Crack the bones slightly to release more flavor.

There are two ways of preparing this soup. The stock can be made beforehand and strained through a fine sieve, the vegetables then being cooked in the clear broth. However, I usually cook all the ingredients together in the following manner.

Put the carcass, bones, and giblets in a large pan. Add the celery and, if you like, sliced leeks. (The basic recipe is made with celery only.) Add the slivered garlic and cover with about 9 cups water. Bring to the boil and skim the scum off the surface. Season with salt and pepper, and squeeze the juice of 1 lemon into the pan. Simmer gently for about 1 hour. Remove the pan from the heat and discard all the bones, leaving only pieces of chicken in the broth. Add the zucchini, if using them, and cook for 15 minutes longer. Adjust seasoning, adding more lemon juice if necessary. The soup should have a distinctly lemony tang. It is this and the taste of garlic which give it an Oriental flavor

Add cooked rice just before serving so as not to give it time to become sodden and mushy.

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Egg and Lemon Soup

Ingredent

7-1/2 cups chicken stock (see below)

Salt and white pepper

1/3 cup rice, washed,

or

1/3 cup Italian pastina,

or

1/4 cup tapioca

3 egg yolks

or

2 whole eggs

Juice of 1-2 lemons

2 T. finely chopped parsley or chives (optional)

Methord



Make a rich chicken stock with leftover chicken bones or giblets. If it is not strong enough, add a stock cube. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the rice, pastina, or tapioca to the boiling stock and simmer until tender. Beat the egg yolks or whole eggs and add the lemon juice, beating constantly. Add a ladleful of the soup to the egg mixture and beat well. Pour this back into the pan slowly, still beating constantly. Keep the heat under the pan very low, and cook the soup gently, stirring all the time, until it thickens. On no account allow it to boil, or the eggs will curdle. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more lemon juice if necessary.

Garnish, if you like, with chopped parsley or chives, and serve immediately.

Tip

In Greece, fish and meat stocks are also used to make the soup,

CHICKEN BARLEY SOUP

Very healthy and highly nutritious soup. Preparation Time : 10 minutes Cooking Time : 40 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken legs , with bones and skin 2 Carrots 2 medium Onion 1 medium Celery 3 inch stalk Cucumber 1 small Cornflour/ corn starch 1/2 tablespoon Bay leaf 1 Black peppercorns 4-6 Butter 2 tablespoons Barley 1/2 cup Salt to taste White pepper powder 1/4 teaspoon Fresh parsley 1 tablespoon

Method

Prepare chicken by washing it well taking care that the skin is intact. Peel, wash and cut carrots into one-inch batons. Soak barley in two cups of water for an hour. Peel, wash and slice onion. Wash and cut celery into one-inch pieces. Wash, de-seed and cut cucumber into one-centimeter cubes. Wash and chop parsley. Dissolve cornstarch in half cup of water. Take seven cups of water in a heavy bottom pan, add bay leaf, peppercorns, carrots, onions, celery and chicken to it. Boil on medium heat, removing the scum from time to time. Cook for around half an hour on medium heat. Strain the stock and keep it aside. Take chicken pieces, de-skin and dice the meat. Discard the vegetables. Drain water from the soaked barley. Melt butter in another pan on low heat, add barley and cook for three to four minutes. Add the reserved stock and continue cooking for another half an hour. Season with salt and pepper. Add cooked and diced meat to the barley mixture and simmer for another three to four minutes. Add dissolved cornstarch, cook for a minute and remove from heat. Add chopped parsley and stir. Serve piping hot garnished with cubes of cucumber.

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CHICKEN AND SPINACH SOUP

A nice cremy spinach soup with the bite size of chicken pieces. Preparation Time : 2 minutes Cooking Time : 40 minutes

Ingredients

Boneless chicken 200 grams Spinach, shredded 2 bunches Oil 3 tablespoons Butter 1 tablespoon Bay leaf 1 Onion , chopped 1 medium Garlic, chopped 2-3 cloves Salt to taste Black peppercorns, crushed 1/2 teaspoon Potatoes, boiled and mashed 2 medium Milk 1/4 cup White bread 2 slices Black pepper powder to taste Dry oregano 1/4 teaspoon Whole dry red chilli, crushed 1

Method

Cut the chicken into small dices.Heat one tablespoon of oil and butter together. Add bay leaf. Add chopped onion and garlic and sauté. Add shredded spinach and remove bay leaf. Add salt, crushed peppercorns and one cup of water. Cook for two to three minutes. Add boiled and mashed potatoes and cook for two to three minutes. Remove from heat and add milk. Let cool and blend well in a blender. Remove the crusts from the bread slices and cut into croutons. Dilute the spinach puree with milk or water and heat in a pan. Fry the croutons in a teaspoon of oil in another pan till they begin to change colour. Add one more teaspoon of oil and shallow fry further till they are crisp. Drain onto an absorbent paper and keep aside. Heat the remaining oil in another pan, add boneless chicken pieces and sauté till cooked. Sprinkle salt and pepper powder. Add salt to the soup. Flavour the croutons with oregano and crushed red chilli. To serve, put the chicken pieces in a soup cup. Pour the soup over them. Top with the bread croutons and serve hot

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CHICKEN AND BROWN RICE SOUP

A nutritious soup of chicken and brown rice flavoured with celery Preparation Time : 25 minutes Cooking Time : 40 minutes

Ingredients

Boneless chicken 250 grams Brown rice, soaked 1/8 cup Salt to taste Oil 2 tablespoons Celery, chopped 2 inch stick Onion , chopped 1 medium Mushrooms, sliced thinly 5-6 White pepper powder 1 tablespoon Butter 2 tablespoons Refined flour (maida) 2 tablespoons Milk 1/2 cup White wine 4 tablespoons

Method

Cook brown rice with salt and one cup of water till three fourth done. Drain and keep aside. In a stockpot, combine the chicken with two cups of water. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to low. Simmer for ten to fifteen minutes, or until chicken is cooked and tender. Remove chicken from the pot, and allow it to cool. Strain the broth from the pot, and reserve. When chicken is cool, shred and keep aside. Heat oil in the same stockpot over medium heat and sauté celery and onion for five minutes. Add the mushrooms and cover. Cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything is tender. Add the reserved broth and the partially cooked brown rice to the stockpot. Add white pepper powder, salt and simmer, uncovered, for fifteen minutes. Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour until smooth. Whisk in the milk and continue cooking until mixture is bubbly and thick. Add the broth mixture to the milk mixture, continuing to stir. Mix in the shredded chicken and the white wine. Allow this to heat through for about fifteen minutes. Serve hot.

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CHICKEN SOUP

CHICKEN LAKSA

A tangy soup with a combination of noodles and vegetables. Preparation Time : 2 minutes Cooking Time : 20 minutes

Ingredients

Boneless chicken, cut into thin strips 500 grams Ginger, peeled 1 inch piece Garlic, peeled 3-4 cloves Shallots, peeled 4 Lemon grass 2 blades Sesame oil (til oil) 3 tablespoons Chicken stock 3 cups Red chillies, seeded 2 Curry powder 1 teaspoon Snow peas, trimmed 100 grams Salt to taste Black pepper powder to taste Lemon juice 1 tablespoon Coconut milk 1/2 cup Noodles, boiled 1 cup Spring onions, shredded 2-3 Cucumber, sliced with skin 1 medium Fresh coriander leaves, chopped 1 tablespoon Fresh mint leaves, chopped 1 tablespoon Lemons, halved 2

Method

Grind ginger, garlic, shallots and lemon grass to a paste.Heat two tablespoons of sesame oil in a large frying pan or wok and cook the chicken over high heat until golden. Drain on absorbent paper. In the same pan heat the remaining oil, add the ground paste and sauté. Add chicken stock, red chilli slices and mix. Add curry powder and snow peas. Add salt and pepper powder and mix. Add lemon juice and coconut milk to the soup and bring to a boil. To serve take boiled noodles in serving bowls, add chicken, spring onions, cucumber, coriander and mint leaves. Pour hot soup into the prepared bowls, place half a lemon on the rim and serve immediately.

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CHICKEN COCONUT SOUP

CHICKEN COCONUT SOUP

A south indian tangy chicken soup. Preparation Time : 15 minutes Cooking Time : 40 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken bones 500 grams Boneless chicken 200 grams Tamarind 1 lemon sized ball Coconut, scraped 1/2 cup Tomatoes, chopped 2 medium Salt to taste Rasam powder 1 teaspoon Asafoetida a pinch Curry leaves 20 leaves Fresh coriander leaves, chopped 1/4 cup Pure ghee 2 tablespoons Mustard seeds 1 teaspoon Whole dry red chillies, broken 2

Method

Clean and wash chicken bones. Soak tamarind in half a liter warm water, remove the pulp, strain and reserve. Grind scraped coconut with one-cup warm water, extract coconut milk and keep. Reserve the coconut residue also. Boil chicken bones in about one and half liters of water for about fifteen minutes, skimming the scum from the surface in between. Add tamarind water, tomatoes, boneless chicken, salt, rasam powder, asafoetida, ten curry leaves and continue cooking. Cover and simmer till the liquid reduces by half and you start getting a good aroma. Add the coconut residue to the rasam. Sprinkle chopped coriander and simmer for about three to four minutes. Remove from heat and strain the rasam. Separate the cooked chicken for garnish and discard rest of the residue. Reheat the rasam, add coconut milk and simmer for a couple of minutes. Remove from heat and add the cooked chicken cut into tiny bits. Heat ghee and temper with mustard seeds, red chillies and the remaining curry leaves. Add to the prepared rasam and cover immediately to trap the flavors. Serve immediately.

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