Supper Club V: Souperman
After our sweet soup it was time for a more traditional soup. If you're having Jewish Soul Food, nothing is more traditional than matzo ball soup. On the other hand, part of the point of Supper Club is preparing new and adventurous foods that are outside your usual comfort zone, and I serve matzo ball soup on a regular basis at my house.
Fortunately, this dilemma was solved by tigerlily_blue, who had recently encountered a new and tasty variant of matzo ball soup in her copy of the cookbook 660 Curries Why an Indian cookbook had a matzo ball soup recipe is a mystery best left for another day, but it did give me a convenient way to be traditional and yet new and different simultaneously.
Indian Matzo Ball Soup Recipe
From 660 Curries
Balls
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp black or yellow mustard seeds
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1 dried red Thai or cayenne chile, stem removed
1 packet of matzo ball mix
2 extra large or jumbo eggs, slightly beaten
2 tbsp canola oil
1/2 tsp coarse kosher or sea salt
Broth
2 TBSP canola oil
1 medium-sized red onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp ground tumeric
2 to 4 fresh green thai, cayenne or serrano chiles, to taste, stems removed, cut in half lengthwise [we used serrano]
8 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
1 large parsnip, peeled, ends trimmed, quartered
2 large carrots, peeled, ends trimmed, cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick pieces
4 medium-size to large ribs celery, ends trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch-thick pieces
1 tsp coarse kosher or sea salt
2 TBSP finely chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems for garnishing
1. Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fennel seeds and chile, and cook, stirring them every few seconds or shaking the skillet very often, until the mustard seeds crackle and maybe pop, the cumin and fennel seeds turn reddish brown, and the chile blackens, 1-2 minutes. 1. to make the matzo balls, heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fennel seeds and chile, and cook, stirring them every few seconds or shaking the skillet very often, until the mustard seeds crackle and maybe pop, the cumin and fennel seeds turn reddish brown, and the chile blackens, 1-2 minutes. Immediately transfer the nutty-smelling spices to a plate to cool.
2. Once they are cool to the touch, place them in a spice grinder and grind until the texture resembles that of finely ground black pepper.
3. Make matzo balls according to packet directions with spices added. The last step will be putting them in fridge for 15-20 minutes.
4. Place a heaping tablespoon of the chilled matzo blend in the palm of your hand. shape it lightly (without compressing it tightly) into a ball, and set it on a plate. Repeat to make 12 matzo balls.
5. To make the coupe, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and stir-fry until it is soft but not brown around the edges, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in the tumeric and chiles.
6. Pour in the stock, and add the parsnip, carrots, celery and salt. Bring to a boil. Add matzo balls to the stock. Cover and simmer over low heat, stirring very gently maybe once or twice until the matzo balls are floating and the carrots are fork-tender, 12-15 minutes. Remove and discard the chiles.
7. Place two matzo balls in each soup bowl, and ladle some of the broth and vegetables over them. sprinkle with the cilantro and serve.
I should note that the original directions called for making matzo balls from scratch. This is a lot of extra work for very little extra quality, so we deemed it easier to make ours from the standard mix. The original recipe also called for bowling the matzo balls first, draining them, and then adding them to the stock later. I've modified it here to reflect that we just added them to the stock at the same time as the vegetables, which is how I've made matzo ball soup at home for a gazillion years.
In fact, the only problem we had making this soup was when we were at the spice stand and my sister realized that I did not, in fact, own a spice grinder. We bought a cheap manual one on the spot while she muttered darkly about amateur cooks and "how could she work under these conditions?" Once we got home the matzo balls were quickly prepared and we tossed everything in the soup pot just before dinner started. Because we wanted everyone to have a matzo ball, we made a double batch, which was served up in paper plates and carried into the dining room by my crack team of kitchen helpers. The chiles added a lot of flavor, and woe betide anyone who actually consumed one. Seriously though, the broth was amazingly flavorful. The matzo balls had a kick to them.
I still don't know why an Indian cookbook had a matzo ball soup recipe, but I'm ok with it because it was delicious. I expect I'll make this again on a regular basis. It probably won't completely displace standard matzo ball soup from the repertoire, but it will come close.
Next up: the main event.
Fortunately, this dilemma was solved by tigerlily_blue, who had recently encountered a new and tasty variant of matzo ball soup in her copy of the cookbook 660 Curries Why an Indian cookbook had a matzo ball soup recipe is a mystery best left for another day, but it did give me a convenient way to be traditional and yet new and different simultaneously.
Indian Matzo Ball Soup Recipe
From 660 Curries
Balls
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp black or yellow mustard seeds
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1 dried red Thai or cayenne chile, stem removed
1 packet of matzo ball mix
2 extra large or jumbo eggs, slightly beaten
2 tbsp canola oil
1/2 tsp coarse kosher or sea salt
Broth
2 TBSP canola oil
1 medium-sized red onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp ground tumeric
2 to 4 fresh green thai, cayenne or serrano chiles, to taste, stems removed, cut in half lengthwise [we used serrano]
8 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
1 large parsnip, peeled, ends trimmed, quartered
2 large carrots, peeled, ends trimmed, cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick pieces
4 medium-size to large ribs celery, ends trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch-thick pieces
1 tsp coarse kosher or sea salt
2 TBSP finely chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems for garnishing
1. Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fennel seeds and chile, and cook, stirring them every few seconds or shaking the skillet very often, until the mustard seeds crackle and maybe pop, the cumin and fennel seeds turn reddish brown, and the chile blackens, 1-2 minutes. 1. to make the matzo balls, heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fennel seeds and chile, and cook, stirring them every few seconds or shaking the skillet very often, until the mustard seeds crackle and maybe pop, the cumin and fennel seeds turn reddish brown, and the chile blackens, 1-2 minutes. Immediately transfer the nutty-smelling spices to a plate to cool.
2. Once they are cool to the touch, place them in a spice grinder and grind until the texture resembles that of finely ground black pepper.
3. Make matzo balls according to packet directions with spices added. The last step will be putting them in fridge for 15-20 minutes.
4. Place a heaping tablespoon of the chilled matzo blend in the palm of your hand. shape it lightly (without compressing it tightly) into a ball, and set it on a plate. Repeat to make 12 matzo balls.
5. To make the coupe, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and stir-fry until it is soft but not brown around the edges, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in the tumeric and chiles.
6. Pour in the stock, and add the parsnip, carrots, celery and salt. Bring to a boil. Add matzo balls to the stock. Cover and simmer over low heat, stirring very gently maybe once or twice until the matzo balls are floating and the carrots are fork-tender, 12-15 minutes. Remove and discard the chiles.
7. Place two matzo balls in each soup bowl, and ladle some of the broth and vegetables over them. sprinkle with the cilantro and serve.
I should note that the original directions called for making matzo balls from scratch. This is a lot of extra work for very little extra quality, so we deemed it easier to make ours from the standard mix. The original recipe also called for bowling the matzo balls first, draining them, and then adding them to the stock later. I've modified it here to reflect that we just added them to the stock at the same time as the vegetables, which is how I've made matzo ball soup at home for a gazillion years.
In fact, the only problem we had making this soup was when we were at the spice stand and my sister realized that I did not, in fact, own a spice grinder. We bought a cheap manual one on the spot while she muttered darkly about amateur cooks and "how could she work under these conditions?" Once we got home the matzo balls were quickly prepared and we tossed everything in the soup pot just before dinner started. Because we wanted everyone to have a matzo ball, we made a double batch, which was served up in paper plates and carried into the dining room by my crack team of kitchen helpers. The chiles added a lot of flavor, and woe betide anyone who actually consumed one. Seriously though, the broth was amazingly flavorful. The matzo balls had a kick to them.
I still don't know why an Indian cookbook had a matzo ball soup recipe, but I'm ok with it because it was delicious. I expect I'll make this again on a regular basis. It probably won't completely displace standard matzo ball soup from the repertoire, but it will come close.
Next up: the main event.