Tag: soup
Puchero Paraguayo
Puchero Paraguayo
There are numerous versions of puchero found all over South American countries, Mexico, and even the Philippines; all influenced from Spanish immigration. Puchero is the Spanish word for stewpot, referring to the clay pot that it was traditionally cooked in. Puchero was originally considered peasant food, using what ingredients were available. The Paraguayan version of this stew contains a variety of root vegetables, beef, and rice.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs flank or skirt steak cut into small pieces
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 green pepper diced
- 2 carrots sliced
- water
- 2 potatoes cubed
- 1 lb pumpkin cubed
- 1/2 cup rice washed
- salt and pepper to taste
Garnish
- cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Marinate the beef with salt, pepper, 2 tbsp of olive oil, and the minced garlic for 30 minutes.
- Heat up the rest of the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Sauté the beef until browned.
- Add in the onions, carrots, and green peppers. Sauté for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the water, potatoes, and pumpkin. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for an hour.
- Season with salt and pepper. Add in the rice. Simmer for another 15-20 minutes until the rice is cooked.
- Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.
Yu Mi Geng (Corn Stew)
Yu Mi Geng (Corn Stew)
Yu mi geng is a Chinese-style corn soup. It is similar to egg drop soup, but with a lot more going on. The soup contain ground chicken, peas, and fresh corn cut off the cob (2 cups of frozen corn can be used if corn is out of season). At the end of the boil, the heat is turned off and eggs are beaten into the soup, helping to thicken and add an eggy creaminess. Garnish with sliced fried garlic.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp ginger minced
- 2 green onions chopped
- 1/2 lb ground chicken
- 1 tbsp shaoxing cooking wine
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 ears corn kernels cut off the cob
- 1/4 cup peas
- 2 tbsp potato starch
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 3 large eggs beaten
Garnish
- fried garlic
Instructions
- Heat up cooking oil in a pot over medium high heat. Sauté the ginger and green onions for 1 minute. Add in the ground chicken and brown for 6 minutes.
- Season with salt. Pour in the cooking wine. Give it a stir.
- Pour in the chicken stock. Bring to a boil.
- Add in the corn and peas. Bring to a boil again.
- Make a slurry with the potato starch and water. Pour in the slurry and stir until the soup slightly thickens.
- Turn off the heat. Slowly pour in the beaten eggs while stirring the soup.
Fish Pepper Soup
Fish Pepper Soup
This is one of my favorite African recipes. I make this fish pepper soup fairly often and it is always different, which is great. One thing that changes is the spice powder. The base is always smoked paprika, white pepper, and bouillon. There are multiple additional spices that can be added to the powder including fennel, cumin, coriander, allspice, curry powder, njangsa, alligator pepper, African nutmeg, lemongrass, etc. That is really up to you. The other other thing that changes is whether or not I sauté the rest of the ingredients chopped or turned into a paste in the food processor. If you want your soup chunkier, don’t turn the ingredients into a paste. I like to use king fish for this soup. It’s inexpensive, flavorful, and very meaty for fish. Other fish that you can use include catfish, tilapia, cod, swai, snapper, or mackerel. You can either cut up your fish into smaller pieces if you’re using a fillet. I chose to keep my king fish steaks whole so I can serve 1 per person.Serve the soup with steamed rice or boiled plantains.
Servings: 4
Equipment
- Spice grinder
- food processor
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 lbs king fish steaks
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1 habanero
- 1 tbsp ginger grated
- 1 stalk celery finely chopped
- 1/2 medium onion diced
- 6 basil leaves chopped
- 2 green onions chopped
- 4 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- salt to taste
Spice Powder
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp white peppercorns
- 2 tsp chicken bouillon
Optional Spices
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp njangsa
Instructions
- Grind the fennel, cumin, njangsa, white and black peppercorns in a spice grinder. Mix them with the smoked paprika, and chicken bouillon. Set aside.
- Blend the onions, garlic, ginger, habanero, green onions, celery, and basil in a food processor until it is almost a paste.
- Heat up cooking oil in a large pot over medium heat. Fry the paste for 5-6 minutes.
- Add the spice powder mix. Fry for a minute.
- Pour in 4 cups of water. Add the bay leaf. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt.
- Add in the fish steaks. Simmer for another 10 minutes until they are cooked through.
