Chicken for the soul of soup

By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Food Editor

With all the colds and flu that have been going around and the chilly rain we've had, chicken soup sounds awfully good.

Mildred Nobriga of Waipahu grew up in a Portuguese-soup-making tradition. She cooks for a care home and often serves soup.

"My mother had a pot on the back of the stove all the time. We ate soup for lunch every day," she recalled. But Nobriga says it's important to understand that good soup doesn't result from just "boiling, boiling, boiling — the meat gets stringy and tasteless, the vegetables get mushy."

First you make broth: "the heart of any soup."

"You can make a very plain broth that you can use any kine — chicken parts with just some carrots, onion, parsley. Or you can put things that go with the soup you want to make, like for Portuguese bean soup, I make the broth with lots of garlic and tomatoes," she said.

The broth ingredients — bony meat cuts, vegetables, flavorings and water — simmer gently a half hour or so, then the broth is strained and re-strained and you're ready to make soup. Or, as Nobriga does, you can freeze broth in clean milk cartons or zip plastic bags for later soup-making (and, of course, sauces, too).

East vs. West

Asian-style broth, left, and European-style broth. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser Chicken broth, step by step Start with inexpensive chicken parts (feet, necks, backs). Break bones to release marrow and flavor. Blanch chicken parts by immersing in boiling water 1 minute, rinsing in cold water. Barely cover chicken and ingredients with water. Do not salt. Bring to boil, immediately reduce to simmering. Simmer 30 minutes; skimming surface as needed. Strain stock through colander, then through fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth. To remove fat, refrigerate stock and then skim. For more intense flavor, boil degreased stock until reduced by half. For brown broth, roast bones and vegetables at 400 degrees until well-browned; deglaze roasting pan with water; proceed as above. Freeze broth or store up to 5 days in refrigerator. Sources: "Essentials of Cooking," James Peterson; "Julie and Jacques Cooking At Home," Child and Pepin; Classic Chinese Cuisine," Nina Simonds; "Thai Food," David Thompson.

Asian-style broth

Add 1 cup or so rice wine or sake, sliced and mashed ginger root, mashed garlic, star anise, kaffir lime leaves and/or vegetable ends such as cilantro stems and green onion bottoms.

European-style broth

Add 1 cup or so dry white wine, parsley stems, chopped onion, celery, leek, carrot or fennel and a bouquet garni (an herb bundle — fresh parsley and thyme, and bay leaf — tied with string or in a muslin or cheesecloth sack).

East, West put own spins on chicken soup

Here are Asian and European approaches to chicken soup, with variations.

Western Chicken Stock

• 2 pounds chicken bones or one whole chicken
• 1 bay leaf
• Handful of parsley stems OR bouquet garni of parsley, thyme and bay leaf
• 1 cup coarsely chopped onions
• 1/2 cup peeled, chopped carrot
• 1/2 cup chopped celery

If using whole chicken, cut into pieces. Wash bones, remove skin and fat; blanch 1 minute in boiling water; rinse and crack bones slightly with a heavy object.

Cover bones with cold water, add salt and bring to a boil; reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes; then add vegetables and herbs and simmer 1-2 hours, skimming as required. Strain. If there's time, refrigerate and skim off fat.

Julia's chicken-rice soup: In a blender, combine 4 cups stock with 2 cups tender boiled long-grain white rice and puree. Place 2 more cups stock in large pot and add stock and rice mixture. Simmer to heat through. Add salt and pepper, taste and correct seasonings. Stir in 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms caps, 6 ounces julienne raw chicken breast, 1 1/2 tablespoons minced shallots that have been sauteed in butter until soft. Simmer soup until chicken is cooked. Taste and correct seasonings. Serve topped with a dollop of sour cream and chives or parsley on top.

Slow-cookin' Portuguese Tomato Soup: In a large, heavy pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and cook 2 cups sliced onion and 3 minced garlic cloves over medium heat until onions are limp and lightly browned. Stir in 2 (28-ounce) cans chopped tomatoes and cook 30 minutes or so over medium-low heat, until thickened and glossy. Stir in 4 cups chicken broth and cook 1 hour over medium-low heat. Stir in a handful of minced flat-leaf parsley; taste and add salt and pepper to taste.

Eastern Chicken Stock

• 2 pounds chicken bones or one whole chicken
• Pinch of salt
• 1 small piece ginger, flattened with side of cleaver
• 1 or 2 garlic cloves, flattened with side of cleaver
• Generous handful of green onions, cabbage, Chinese parsley — leaves and/or stalks

If using whole chicken, cut into pieces. Wash bones, remove skin and fat; blanch 1 minute in boiling water; rinks and crack bones slightly with a heavy object.

Cover bones with cold water, add salt and bring to a boil; reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes; then add vegetables and simmer 1-2 hours, skimming as required. Strain. If there's time, refrigerate and skim fat.

Variations:

Egg-flower soup: In a large, heavy pot, saute 1 1/2 cups firm seeded tomatoes and 2 tablespoons green onions (white part) in 1 teaspoon smoking hot peanut oil. Add 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons rice wine or sake, 5 cups chicken broth, 1 1/2 pounds diced firm tofu and salt and pepper to taste and heat to boiling. Thicken by whisking in a mixture of 7 tablespoons water and 5 tablespoons cornstarch. Turn off heat and slowly add 2 large beaten eggs in a thin stream, pouring in a circular manner. Stir once and serve hot topped with chopped green onions. — Nina Simonds, "Classic Chinese Cuisine"

Jook: To 4 quarts boiling chicken stock add 1 cup long-grain rice and 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 2 pieces fresh ginger, sliced 1/2-inch thick and whacked with the side of a cleaver. Reduce temperature to low and simmer for an hour or more until rice falls apart, adding water if necessary. Serve topped with a tiny dollop of sesame or chili oil on top and accompaniments such as slivers of cooked chicken, pickled ginger, Chinese parsley, diced peanuts, shredded lettuce or cabbage, green onions, toasted pine nuts, julienne mushrooms, pickled vegetables or salted meats.

Thai hot and sour chicken soup with lemon grass: Bring 4 cups chicken stock to a boil; season with a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar, 4 slices of galangal (a spicy Southeast Asian relative of ginger; use ginger as substitute if you can't find galangal in Chinatown), 2 stalks trimmed lemon grass, 3 peeled shallots and 2 torn kaffir lime leaves. Simmer for a few minutes, then add 6 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast or thigh. Simmer until chicken is cooked; remove chicken and coarsely shred. Strain the stock and return to a boil. In a serving bowl, combine 3 tablespoons lime juice, 3 tablespoons fish sauce, 3 tablespoons finely sliced lemon grass (the more tender green parts) and up to 4 Thai fresh (bird's eye) chilies. Pour boiling soup over. Taste, correct seasonings and serve.