CHICKEN SOUP/ JEWISH PENICILLIN
The beauty and comfort of warm chicken soup with noodles is universal. The simplicity of which these basic ingredients come together to create this liquid gold is magical. No wonder a bowl of warm chicken soup has the ability to heal our soul, well, at least to comfort it. The addition of Hawaij elevates the flavors and kicks it up a notch in all the right places.
Chicken Soup with Hawaij
Is there something more satisfying then cooking a dish which requires you to put everything in one pot, forget about it for 2 hours and come back to a dish full of rich, yet subtle flavors of home, wherever your home may be.
This recipe is very forgiving, use any part of the chicken you have on hand and any root vegetable you have laying around. I love adding celery root when in season and slices of ginger root when making to ‘cure’ a cold.
2.5lb chicken thigh/drumstick with bones, skin on
5 carrots, peeled
1 celery heart, remove stalks and peel*i peel only the outer circle of celery, the ones inside are more tender and less ‘stalky’
**if your celery comes with the leaves, even better, that makes the soup so much better
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch dill
1 onion, cut in half
1 fennel bulb, cut in half
5 bay leaves
4 tablespoon hawaij
Mace, throw in whole mace if you have, powder also works. No worries if you don’t have this on hand, the soup will still come out delicious.
Salt, to taste
Other additions; Parsnip, zucchini, ginger slices, celery root
For serving
1 pack of Noodles
Half a bunch parsley, finely chopped
Half a bunch dill, finely chopped
preserved lemon paste
In a large pot, add all ingredients, besides the salt. Cover with water. At least 2 inch above the vegetables.
Cook on high heat until the soup gets to a rolling boil, lower the heat and cook for approx 2 hours. Season with salt at this stage. Let cool.
Noodles- really, anything goes here, choose your favourite noodle and cook it according to manufacturer's suggestion. Keep aside. Its best to store the noodles separately and not in the broth as it will absorb a lot of the liquid and will spoil faster.
Strain the soup and set aside. chop the carrots, celery and fennel to your desired size and add to the soup. Remove the meat of the bones and shred them with your hands/fork and add to the soup. Discard the rest.
When serving, add the chopped parsley and dill, and as much noods as you like and a sprinkle of hawaij.
Tip: if you are in the camp of people that like to add a squeeze of lemon to your chicken soup, may I recommend you had just a touch of preserved lemon paste to your bowl? You can thank me later.
Hawaij recipes, preserved lemon paste recipes, chicken recipes, soup recipes, dinner recipes