A thin soup, like its name suggests, is a clear and light soup. I like to think of it as a soup in its pristine glory: simple but flavourful, easy yet so comforting.
The key to a textbook thin soup is a well-prepared stock. Stock is the foundation of a soup and to know how to make a good stock, click on the link:
Homemade Soups 101 | Broth Basics | Stock
Gastronomically, thin soups are classified into two categories: broths and consommé.
1. Simple Delicious Broths
A good stock, shredded meat or vegetables, seasoned with salt and pepper, maybe a squeeze of lime and you get a heart-warming bowl of broth. These may sound too simple, but brace yourself for a surprise with these easy broth recipes:
- Thai Green Curry Broth: You can either make your green curry paste or buy yourself some readymade. Cook a few tablespoons of it in oil, pour in any stock that you have (amount according to how strong flavoured you want your soup to be) and add any meat, seafood or vegetable. Give it a quick boil till everything is perfectly cooked. Season it with salt and pepper. Finish with a dash of lime and garnish with coconut cream.
- Chinese Five-Spice Broth: A great way to start your Chinese Night Dinner is with a fulfilling bowl of Five-Spice broth. Take your reduced stock, add a tablespoon or two of soya sauce and vinegar each. Sprinkle a few teaspoons of Five-Spice powder. Add shredded cooked meat and julienned vegetables and garnish with chilly oil.
[Here’s a link to making a guide to five-spice powder:
All About Chinese Five-Spice Powder | Recipe | Tassyam]
- Noodle Broth: Make one of the broths mentioned above, or any other oriental broth and pour it over noodles boiled in saltwater, garnish with peanuts and chilly oil or even slices of meat and eggs!
2. Consommé
Consommés are one of the most expensive dishes you will find in a continental restaurant’s menu. But Why? It is because these luxurious soups are packed in with every ounce of the flavour of its main ingredient, be it meat or vegetable while looking like a crystal-clear liquid. To do that, not only it takes a lot of ingredients but also mastery over the technique of clarifying this soup. Garnished with delicate strands of juliennes, the taste of consommé cannot be described in words but can only be experienced. Even a simple tomato consommé can feel like fresh tomatoes popping on your palate.
Until next time.