The Soup Topic (2013–)

[Plantes Vertes]

Celery and parsnip:

[huiray]

Some recent soups:

• Veggie soup - with Taiwan Choy Sum, snow fungus (Tremella fuciformis), Taiwanese-type long Napa cabbage ("Wong Nga Pak"), cauliflower florets & sliced pork in stock. Full post: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/page-8#entry1913369

• "Shui Kow" [Pork, shrimp, cabbage & mushroom; Prime Food] and chiffonaded Lacinato kale in chicken stock. Full post: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/page-8#entry1913371

• Pork & scallion meatballs^§; in a pork stock^¶ with baby veggie tips (“菜苗”) & bánh phở. Full post: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/page-8#entry1913467

• "Harm Choy Tong" (Pickled sour mustard soup) with pork spare ribs, tomatoes (Cherub), sliced ginger, halved garlic cloves, soft tofu slices; plus some rice vinegar. Full post: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/page-8#entry1913579

• Daikon, King oyster mushroom, snow fungus, thick-cap shiitake ("far koo" type) mushroom & scallion soup; in a pork bone stock. Full post: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/page-9#entry1914203

• Wonton soup – with shrimp, Chinese celery & pork wontons [Wei Chuan]; and this week’s “young vegetable shoots” (“菜苗”); Simple vegetable soup of Taiwanese long-type “Wong Nga Pak” (long-type Napa cabbage) and cauliflower florets in chicken stock; Pork, leek & shrimp “Shui Kow” dumplings (NOT gyoza/potstickers; NOR wontons) [Wei Chuan] & skinny wonton noodles in a pork-based stock; Soup, with opo squash (浦瓜); Lotus root soup – with a skin-on reasonably fatty chicken thigh [bell & Evans], Chinese red dates (Jujubes; 紅棗; Ziziphus jujuba), plus a small dried cuttlefish. Full post: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/page-9#entry1914862

• Edible amaranth, red-streaked leaved variety (莧菜; as bought, most probably Amaranthus dubius or a hybrid) (see also here) (Baike article; Google translation) & pork ball [Venus] soup in pork stock; Bak Kut Teh (肉骨茶; Yale Cantonese: yuk6 gwat1 cha4). Full post with details on the BKT: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/page-9#entry1915127

• Watercress in chicken stock; Chicken, cabbage & fennel bulb soup; in chicken stock. Full post: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/page-9#entry1915774

• “Harm Choy Tong” – with pickled sour mustard (See this post and this post for more info), chicken thighs, sliced ginger, sliced tomatoes, sea salt, rice vinegar, soft tofu slices; Pork, scallop & shrimp “shui kow” dumplings [Wei Chuan] (these) in chicken stock w/ watercress & skinny wonton noodles; Shrimp in spicy broth with vegetables. Full posts: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/page-9#entry1916265

• Beef short ribs, daikon, flower-pattern shiitake mushrooms & garlic soup. Full post: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/page-9#entry1916525

• A riff on lotus root soup. Full post: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/page-9#entry1916790

• Salmon & Veggie soup. Full post: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/page-10#entry1917213

• Pork & Chinese spinach wontons [Wei Chuan] in broth w/ Shanghai noodles, Chinese celery leaves & sliced scallions. Full post: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/page-10#entry1917600

• Shanghai Yangchun Noodles (上海陽春麵) in duck & Chinese celery broth, with finely chopped scallions (green parts only); Chicken & Cabbage soup. Full post: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/page-10#entry1918119

• Soup with pork spare ribs, sliced ginger, crushed garlic cloves, green Chinese radish (青蘿蔔) and (Western) carrots; a Bak Kut Teh variation. Full post: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/page-10#entry1918740

[ePressureCooker]

I have a number of standard soup recipes that I tend to use over and over again, but I'm looking to expand my repertoire, and expand the number of meals where I serve soup. So I thought I'd ask here for some ideas. So what are YOUR favorite kinds of soup? (And if its something possibly unfamiliar, please share a few details!) Thanks!

[FeChef]

One of my favorite soups is Ham, potato, and green bean soup. Also Ham, potato, and cabbage soup.

[weinoo]

Leek and potato. Water based.

[GlorifiedRice]

Mulligatawny!

Chickarina

[Hassouni]

Southeast Asian noodle soups, hakata-style ramen, Arab/Turkish style lentil soup, and the mack daddy of all Iraqi soups - shorbat hamudh shalgham - a tomato based soup thickened with soaked pounded rice, with swiss chard, turnips, chickpeas, and a special kind of spherical kubba, eaten only in that soup.

[ePressureCooker]

Mulligatawny!

Chickarina

Chickarina, huh? I confess I had to google that one. What kind of meat are the meatballs made of? My dad would probably like that - he loves just about anything with meatballs in it (and yes, I already make albondigas soup, although I feel the broth I make needs a little more oomph).

[ePressureCooker]

Southeast Asian noodle soups, hakata-style ramen, Arab/Turkish style lentil soup, and the mack daddy of all Iraqi soups - shorbat hamudh shalgham - a tomato based soup thickened with soaked pounded rice, with swiss chard, turnips, chickpeas, and a special kind of spherical kubba, eaten only in that soup.

Hmmm...what kind of pork bones are used for the broth for the hakata style ramen, do you know?

[Darienne]

Szechuan Hot and Sour Soup

Spinach and Lentil Soup

Albondigas Soup

Beef and Barley Soup

[rotuts]

Spanish garbanzo soup with smoked paprika and spanish chorizo

[Hassouni]

Southeast Asian noodle soups, hakata-style ramen, Arab/Turkish style lentil soup, and the mack daddy of all Iraqi soups - shorbat hamudh shalgham - a tomato based soup thickened with soaked pounded rice, with swiss chard, turnips, chickpeas, and a special kind of spherical kubba, eaten only in that soup.

Hmmm...what kind of pork bones are used for the broth for the hakata style ramen, do you know?

Kenji did a Food Lab feature on it here: http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/02/how-to-make-tonkotsu-ramen-broth-at-home-recipe.html

[Plantes Vertes]

Minestrone:

[furzzy]

Just made a couple of days ago:

Garbanzos (dried - canned would probably be okay), chorizo, ham, onion, garlic, grated carrots, diced tomatoes w/seeds & juice, chicken stock, a bit of tomato paste (love the tube), annato, cumin, lemon juice, lime juice, Tabasco, s&p, red pepper flakes. I think that's it. Of course, seasonings are very individual - so choose your own. We have a divided household, so I have to split some off for myself, then put cilantro into the part that will be for my spouse. Mine gets parsley.

[mgaretz]

Split pea with ham and carrots (pressure cooker)

Sweet and sour cabbage borscht (slow cooker)

Beef barley mushroom

Chicken vegetable with noodles

War wonton

[Broken English]

I can't think of one to beat a properly made, rich french onion topped with sourdough and lots of gruyere.

[dcarch]

Wensi Tofu soup, soup for an Emperor.

dcarch

[SylviaLovegren]

Turkey meatball soup, southwest US style, based on a recipe from Huntley Dent. The ground turkey meatballs are flavored with jalapeno, cumin and garlic, then poached in a turkey broth. Add to the broth rice, chick peas and grated zucchini. Cilantro at the table for those who want to add it.

[annachan]

I often make some very simple blended soups. Veg, stock and minimal seasonings. Jerusalem artichoke is great for that. Carrot, butternut squash, pumpkin (add some onion when I have it on hand) is good with curry and/or cumin.

When I have time, I like Chinese soups. I always start with a pork bone based stock, using a variety of bones - neck, marrow, tails, etc. I sometimes add chicken parts - wing tips are my favorite. Once the stock is done, I then add a variety of things. One favorite combination is watercress, along with some dried duck gizzard, dried date and some apricot kernels. Also love the combination of dried and fresh bok choy. Red and "green" carrot (more like a green daikon) makes a sweet, refreshing soup. Then there is lotus root + dried squid.

And I also have a good corn soup/chowder. The easiest form is creamed corn + stock + egg flower.

[lindag]

My Mother used to make a wonderful soup made with spare ribs, cabbage, potatoes and the other usual aromatics. I think it's an old Pennsylvania Dutch recipe. I make it now, trying to recreate hers as closely as possible.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Locro de Queso, all the way! This is a thick potato and stock soup with fresh cheese and avocado, and popcorn.

My recipe for this is in the excellent Monsoons thread, along with a recipe for one of my other favourite hearty soups, Fanesca.

[huiray]

I like soups.

There are too many I like to definitively name my "favorite soup". I come from a soup-drinking culture (Cantonese; even though my mother is Hakka). It seems just slightly odd when I have a meal without a soup of some kind, even if it is just a "kwun tong". Still, if you twisted my arm but agreed to limit a choice to a "readily prepared with minimal fuss everyday-type-of-soup" then I would say some form of HARM CHOY TONG (See here and here and here and here for examples - these are not definitive; and here for the sort of "pickled sour mustard" the sour mustard is. I know I'm missing posts where I described other variations of this.

What I don't generally care for too much are the sort of cheesy, thickened Western-type soups, with a few exceptions. Thickened cream-types can be OK, such as cream of mushroom if it has additional mushrooms in it and so on. Broccoli & cheddar/cheese and its ilk is one type which I would not choose willingly. Most soups I prefer would be in the "broth-like" or "liquid-with-solids" types, which many Cantonese-types would be like (Duh). In contrast, something like "West Lake Soup" would be a type I disfavor, and this class would include overly-thickened Shark's Fin soup which would be a bad rendition anyway.

Just in case you think I like only Chinese soups, I like lots of Western-cuisine soups - they just need to be relatively light, flavorful, clear in taste profile and not overly heavy or cheesy. (A clear, purely liquid (no solids) classically-prepared consommé intense in its flavor would be a wondrous thing) For that matter, when I am in the mood the classic Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup (from the can, with the requisite one can of water added) is *just perfect*. ;-)

Edited May 26, 2013 by huiray (log)

[Tri2Cook]

Mom's beef vegetable. There was nothing unusual or fancy about it, it was just good. I've tried recreating it without ever getting it exactly right. There was no recipe but I watched her make it many times... maybe it's just in my head that I can't get it right.

[naguere]

For me it has to be Dutch Split Pea soup or :Erwtensoep (Dutch pea soup), it is good on the first day, and better on the second.

you can Google a receipt, but I would go for the Brabant method.

(Why is this soup known as 'Snert ?'

Edited May 26, 2013 by naguere (log)

[heidih]

Mom's beef vegetable. There was nothing unusual or fancy about it, it was just good. I've tried recreating it without ever getting it exactly right. There was no recipe but I watched her make it many times... maybe it's just in my head that I can't get it right.

'Thanks for reminding me about my Mom's vegetable soup. Hers was a very light roux (Einbrenn) with finely minced onion sprinkled in with the flour and corn oil as the fat and just water as the liquid. There had to be some paprika since it had a faint red hue and no tomatoes were used. The veggies varied on availability but there were always carrots, and usually something cruciferous. What made it my favorite complete meal were the dumplings. According to my sister they were a flour, milk and egg concoction. She dropped them off a teaspoon and they were chewy and perfect with the brothy soup. Since parsley was our herb of choice and always in the garden it must have been sprinkled on top. Plain old distilled vinegar was on the table to be dripped in for "oomph". I have never been able to replicate it exactly. (we won't discuss the time the cauliflower had a bug invasion and she tried to pass off the black flecks as course black pepper)