I love to add an extra dimension to the ‘warming’ profile of cold-weather soups with appropriate fla-vourings and spices. Thus, one of my favourite quick-yet-elegant shiver-banishing choices: Chicken Curry Slosh. You’ll appreciate how quick and easy it is!
I found the original recipe upon which my enhanced and adapted version is based in the usual man-ner. Sister Erin plunked it down on my keyboard while I was in the middle of something else. “Drop whatever it is you’re pecking at, there, and look at THIS!” she insisted. I’m glad I did!
A modern take
For starters (and what soup isn’t, fundamentally?) this is the quickest curry I’ve ever found that em-bodies true curry character. While capturing the fullness and richness of classic curry – without the usual legions of ingredients or hours of simmering. For those and other reasons, knowing and em-bracing the principles behind this recipe are as important as what goes into it.
This dish embodies everything about curries I love in a singularly successful western adaptation of the ancient tradition!
What you need
A quick glance at the ingredients list reveals the true genius behind this dish: the employment of premixed curry spice blend or rich, fragrant prepared curry paste. Rather than fussing with dozens of individual ingredients that must be carefully measured and prepared to achieve the flavour the reci-pe creator envisioned.
Want more proof the author is on our side? No special instructions re.- the broth/stock base. Use chicken for a chicken soup, or vegetable for a veggie version. Buy it from the store or pull a bag of your own homemade stock out of the freezer and get on with it!
The veggies and additional flavourings are as simple (and inexpensive) as they come: Lots of onions and carrots, garlic, cilantro and a few Bay leaves, plus a handful of whole dried allspice berries.
What you do
The prep goes as follows:
- First, prepare the onions. Peel and cut them in half, then place them at the bottom of a dry pot and char well over the heat.
- Once browned, add a bit of oil and turn them over.
- Add the halved heads of garlic to the charred onions. Fry everything together until the onions are browned and the garlic is soft.
- Scrape all the burnt bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
- Pour the chicken broth over everything and add the peeled and sliced carrots.
- Add the allspice and bay leaves. Simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are soft.
- Once the carrots are ready, add the curry and cook for a few more minutes.
- Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as necessary.
Variations on a theme…
You can add pre-cooked leftover chicken, cubed or shredded, to make this a main dish.
Add cubed tofu and a handful of dry Basmati rice to create a veggie main dish that delivers a full nutritional protein complex. Simmer under step 6 until the rice is completely cooked.
Add some baby Bok Choi (or other Asian vegetables) to round out the colour presentation, and the umami dimension of the flavour complex.
Add a few tablespoons of plain yogurt to produce a creamy version of this soup. (Flavourings may be muted by the yogurt. Add more curry spice as desired.)
Remember… You can add as little or as much curry spice as you want. The original recipe calls for a full tablespoon. You can start with a teaspoon and adjust up (or down) from there.
My take
DO try this quick, easy soup. There’s no excuse not to! You have control over all the flavourings, and the amount of each veggie component you add, as well.
You’ll discover an ideal starting point for any number of winter-warming soups and stews. And a basis you can be comfortable with for approaching and understanding Asian curry classics…
~ Maggie J.