Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Asian Style Soups


I made a roasted chicken for Domenick and figured a soup would be a great way to use the leftovers. I was in the mood for a soup with an Asian flare so I came up with these recipes.

Asian Style Chicken Soup

1tbs of canola oil
½ medium onion
1 leek sliced
3 cloves of garlic
¼ of mirin
¼ of soy sauce
1 box of low sodium chicken stock
1 large piece of ginger (a nub) with the skin removed
1 sprig of lemongrass
Pepper to taste
2 ½ cups of shredded chicken
1 cup of fresh snow peas
½ package of frozen peas and corn
3 ½ small grated carrots
Slices of green onions and sprigs of cilantro for garnish and flavor

First start by prepping all of your veg and shredding your chicken. This will make the soup easier to deal with. Add to a large soup pot 1-2 tbs of canola oil on medium. Then add your diced onions and leeks. Then grate in your garlic with a microplane or finely dice it. Sautee until veg is translucent. Then deglaze the pot with the mirin and add your stock. Season the stock with pepper, soy sauce, lemongrass, and ginger. Whatever you do, do NOT add salt. Let this simmer for 15 minutes and then add the shredded chicken. Let simmer for another 15 minutes until the flavor comes together. Next add 1 cup of fresh snow peas, ½ pack of frozen peas and corn, and grated carrot. Feel free to use other veggies if you’d like. The veggie soup recipe below includes different veggies. Simmer for 10 minutes making sure the veggies are not getting too soft. Then fish out the lemongrass and ginger. You top some noodles with the soup or eat it plain. I preferred it plain but my husband likes noodles. Garnish with green onion rings and sprigs of cilantro.

 
Asian Style Vegetable Soup

2 tbs of canola oil
½ medium onion
1 leek sliced
3 cloves of garlic
5oz of fresh sliced Shitake mushrooms
¼ cup of mirin
¼ of soy sauce
1 box of mushroom stock
1 large piece of ginger (a nub) with the skin removed
1 sprig of lemongrass
Pepper to taste
1 cup of fresh snow peas
2 heads of torn baby bok choy
½ package of frozen peas and corn
3 ½ small grated carrots
1 tsp of fresh grated Serrano chile (adjust the amount for the spice level)
Slices of green onions and sprigs of cilantro for garnish and flavor

Once again make sure to prep your veg. Add 2 tbs of canola oil to a large soup pot on medium. Add your diced onions, leeks, and mushrooms. Then grate in your garlic with a microplane or finely dice it. Sautee until veg is translucent. Season the stock with pepper, soy sauce, lemongrass, and ginger. Whatever you do, do NOT add salt. Simmer for 30 minutes then add all of the veg, bok choy, snow peas, peas and corn, carrots and Serrano chile for some heat.


Overall, my first attempt at making an Asian style soup was successful. My parents loved both versions, Domenick loved the meat version (he would not try the veg version because he despises mushrooms) and I loved the veg soup. It was a great way to warm up a cold winter night and great as leftovers. This is a great soup to play around with. You can use any type of meat or veg stock and any type of veggies you enjoy. Have fun and let your mind create!

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