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Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup

Nagi — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 06:00:00 +0000

Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup is what you make when you want something exotic tasting with very little effort! Think – classic pumpkin soup with Thai Red Curry vibes. Love the beautiful coconut undertones. It’s so good!

Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup

Everybody loves pumpkin soup. It’s comforting, it’s thick, it’s creamy, and it’s easy to make.

But sometimes, we want to make dinner a little more interesting! Enter – Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup. Use coconut instead of cream. Add red curry paste. Fish sauce instead of salt. Thai toppings.

And boom! Our reliable pumpkin soup has had a sexy makeover – and we love it!

Ingredients in Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup

We’re using a store bought curry paste today which makes things nice and easy. For the small amount we need (just 3 tablespoons), it’s a convenient option. If using homemade – I applaud you! The flavour in this will be even better, with the beautiful fresh Thai flavours coming through.

The soup

Pumpkin or butternut – Recipe works as written for both pumpkin and butternut squash (we call it butternut pumpkin here in Australia). Use one that is around 1.8 kg / 3.6 lb with the skin on and seeds in. After peeling and deseeding it will be around ~1.3 kg/2.6 lb.
Cutting and peeling – Watch the video for a safe, easy cutting technique for butternut (potato peeler for skin!), and see the Pumpkin Soup video for how I cut pumpkin (cut in wedges then cut skin off).
Thai Red Curry paste – My position on the best store-bought Thai red curry that’s readily available is fairly well documented on this website! Maesri is the best – there is just no question – and it’s the best value. $2.10 for a 115g/4 oz. You’ll need 1/2 a can – so you can make this Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup twice!
Find it at Woolies, Harris Farms and Coles (I’m in Australia), or Asian stores and online. As for other brands – they tend to have less authentic flavour and usually weirdly, overly sweet. However, for a recipe like this where the curry paste is a background rather than key flavour, any curry paste will suffice.

Homemade Thai Red Curry Paste – Recipe here. I generally make then use the whole batch in one go so I rarely have leftovers to use for things like this soup. But it’s an excellent one for freezing, and will really take this to another level.
Onion and garlic – Essential flavour base. Don’t skip these, they add great flavour.
Coconut milk – Not all coconut milk is created equal! Good ones are made with 85%+ coconut so have better flavour. Economical ones are diluted with water and have less coconut flavour. Ayam is my default (89% coconut).
Please use full fat. Fat is where the coconut flavour is! Low fat has little coconut flavour.
Fish sauce will give this soup a more authentic Thai red curry flavour than using just salt. Soy sauce can be used as a substitute.
Vegetable stock – Or chicken stock. This is the liquid the pumpkin is simmered in. Tastier than water! Use low sodium, else your soup will be on the salty side.

Garnishes

This is a great soup to have fun with toppings! Adds visual and textural interest as well as extra flavour.

Crispy fried shallot pieces – salty and oily, these are sold in jars and packets at large grocery stores these days, but cheaper at Asian stores! Terrific garnish for all things Asian. I use it liberally – it’s a frequent player in my recipes.
Red cayenne pepper – Use the large ones which are not spicy. Small chillies are spicier!

Coriander / cilantro – Lovely fresh herb used frequently in Thai dishes

How to make Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup

Fabulously straight forward, you’ll have this on the table in 20 minutes once you start cooking. Don’t shortcut sautéing the curry paste. This really intensifies and improves the flavour. Essential step for almost every curry – most especially curry paste out of a jar!

Sauté curry paste – Get the onion and garlic started first, then add the curry paste and cook it for a good couple of minutes. This caramelises it and intensifies as well as improves the flavour. Key step when using any curry paste out of a jar!
Coat the pumpkin in the tasty curry paste flavour. Give it a good couple of minutes to toast the pumpkin a bit!
Tip: See video for how I peel and cut butternut (potato peeler for skin!), and see the Pumpkin Soup video for how I cut pumpkin (cut in wedges then cut skin off).
Simmer 8 minutes – Set aside a little coconut milk to use as a drizzle for serving. Then add the rest of the coconut milk, stock and fish sauce into the pot and simmer for just 8 minutes, or until the pumpkin is soft. It really does not take long.
Blitz with my favourite appliance (stick blender) until smooth. Ladle into bowls, swirl with reserved coconut milk then finish with as many or as little toppings as you’d like!

Roti for dunking

I served this Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup with roti for dunking. That flaky, buttery flatbread of Indian origin, roti stalls are a local and tourist attraction all across Thailand though most Australian’s would associate roti as a menu favourite at Malaysian restaurants.

Not to be confused with the non-flaky roti flatbread that is a staple in Indian cooking, roti is a brilliant store-bought freezer standby that you cook from frozen in a fry pan, and takes just minutes. (Though homemade just got added to my Must Try list!), fairly easily found these days in everyday grocery stores – here’s the one I used from Woolworths.

Enjoy! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup

Recipe video above. This is a brilliant way to turn a classic pumpkin soup into something that tastes more exotic – with very little effort. Think – pumpkin soup with Thai Red Curry vibes. It's so good!

See separate tutorial for how I cut butternut pumpkin and the Pumpkin Soup recipe for how I cut pumpkin.

Course Mains, Soups

Cuisine Asian, Thai

Keyword coconut pumpkin soup, Thai coconut pumpkin soup

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Servings

Calories 302cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil (or other oil)
1 brown onion , diced
2 garlic cloves , finely minced
3 tbsp Thai red curry paste , Maesri recommended (Note 1)
1.8kg/ 3.6 lb pumpkin or butternut squash – peeled, deseeded then chopped into 3cm / 1.2" chunks (~1.3 kg/2.6 lb) (Note 2)
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock , salt reduced (or chicken stock)
400ml/ 14 oz (1 can) coconut milk, full fat, best quality (Note 3)
1 tbsp fish sauce (sub light or regular soy sauce, Note 4)

Garnishes (optional):

Crispy Asian shallots , highly recommended (Note 5)
Red cayenne pepper , finely sliced
Fresh coriander leaves
Roti (the flaky kind), frozen, pan fried – for dunking (SO GOOD!) – Note 6

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Sauté – Heat oil in a large heavy based pot over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook for 2 minutes until soft.
Add curry paste and cook for 2 minutes.
Add pumpkin and stir to coat in the flavours for around 2 minutes.
Simmer 8 minutes – Set aside 1/4 cup coconut milk for garnish. Add stock, remaining coconut milk and fish sauce. Bring to simmer then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 8 minutes until the pumpkin is soft.
Blitz using stick blender until smooth.
Serve topped with garnishes. Dunk in roti. Enjoy!

Notes

1. Thai Red Curry paste – My position on the best Thai red curry is fairly well documented on this website! Maesri is the best – there is just no question – and it’s the best value ($2.10 for a 115g/4 oz). You’ll need ~1/2 a can.

Find it at Woolies, Harris Farms, Asian stores and online. (Overseas Amazon – US, Canada, UK).

2. Pumpkin – Recipe works as written for both pumpkin and butternut squash. Use one that is around 1.8 kg / 3.6 lb with the skin on and seeds in. After peeling and deseeding it will be around ~1.3 kg/2.6 lb. Watch video for safe, easy cutting technique.

See separate tutorial for how I cut butternut pumpkin and the Pumpkin Soup recipe for how I cut pumpkin.

3. Coconut milk – Not all coconut milk is created equal! Good ones are made with 85%+ coconut so have better flavour. Economical ones are diluted with water. Ayam is my default (89% coconut).

4. Fish sauce will give this soup a more authentic Thai red curry flavour, but soy sauce makes a fine substitute.

5. Crispy fried shallot pieces – salty, oily, terrific garnish for all things Asian. I use it liberally – it’s a frequent player in my recipes. Found in the Asian section of supermarket but cheaper at Asian stores!

6. Roti canai – The flaky flatbread of Indian origin that’s now common across South East Asia. Find it in the freezer section of large supermarkets, cook from frozen on the stove in just a couple of minutes. Cheap, tasty, if you’ve never tried it, it’s a game changer! Excellent for dunking in this soup.

7. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 4 days or freezer for 3 months.

8. Nutrition per serving, excluding toppings.

Nutrition

More things to make with pumpkin and butternut squash

Pumpkin Soup

Creamy Baked Pumpkin Risotto

Roast Pumpkin, Spinach and Feta Salad

Easy Coconut Curry Sauce

Roasted Pumpkin with Yogurt Sauce and Pine Nuts

Honey-Cinnamon Pumpkin Lentil Salad

Easy Pumpkin Gnocchi with Sage Butter Sauce

Maple Roasted Pumpkin with Chili and Feta

Stuffed Butternut Pumpkin

Life of Dozer

Dozer going for his first weigh in at his new vet! Who do you think taught him that trick of hanging half off the scales…..

The post Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Creamy Tuscan Chicken Soup

Nagi — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 06:00:00 +0000

My current favourite chicken soup! Creamy broth, juicy little bits of chicken, pasta shells and swirls of spinach with a sprinkle of sun dried tomato I use in place of croutons. Think – under the Tuscan Sun. Except – sweater weather food!

Creamy Tuscan Chicken Soup

Let me just say upfront – I call this Tuscan but there’s nothing authentically Tuscan about it (as far as I know). To me, it has Tuscan vibes, so I gave it a cute name with the hopes to pique your interest. Just in case my photos and writing doesn’t do the job well enough to convince you that you really need to try this creamy chicken soup!!!

In all honesty, I was gazing longingly at my Tuscan Chicken Pasta Bake from my cookbook, trying to muster up the energy to make it. Because that big bubbling pasta bake does require a semi-modest commitment of time to make. Worth it, but sadly, time is not always on my side.

This Tuscan Soup was born from similar ingredients. A faster, soup version of the pasta bake. I hope you fall in love with this soup as much as I have!

Ingredients in Creamy Tuscan Chicken Soup

Those of you who have made the Tuscan Chicken Pasta Bake will recognise most of these ingredients. All the star players are present – sun dried tomato, spinach, chicken, pasta, cream, cheese!

Things in the soup

Here are the things that are bobbing about in the creamy soup broth:

Chicken – I prefer thigh because it’s juicier, has better flavour and is thin enough to cook whole, so no raw meat chopping called for. But breast can be used too. If using chicken breast, slice horizontally into thin steaks to sear. The thick whole breasts are too thick.
Pasta – I use small shells. Any small pasta is fine here. Think – ditalini, small macaroni, risoni/orzo (you’ve got half the packet left from last weeks’ salad, right!?). Anything small enough to be easy to scoop up with a spoon that cooks in around 10 minutes. Broken spaghetti or other long pasta will also work – break into 4cm / 1.5″ pieces.
Sun dried tomato – This is the garnish for this soup! Instead of using croutons, nuts etc. Little chewy pops of concentrated savoury tomato flavour with swirls of the red oil from the sun dried tomato jar.
Garlic and onion – Flavour base!
Celery – Vegetable of choice here. I like it because the colour sort of blends into the soup, keeping it lovely and white so the bright red sun dried tomato and swirls of spinach stand out. Plus, celery is a classic flavour base for many savoury things. Substitute with other cook-able vegetables. Think: diced zucchini, corn, carrots.
Butter – The cooking fat of choice, because it’s got more flavour than oil.

Creamy chicken soup broth

A splash of white wine, good handful of parmesan and finishing with cream gives the Tuscan soup broth great flavour!

Cornflour/cornstarch – This is what is used to thicken the soup. I opted to use this over flour for calorie control reasons. Using flour, I would’ve needed an extra 30g/2 tbsp of butter to stir the flour into at the beginning to make a roux. With cornflour, you just mix with a bit of water then stir it into the soup right at the end. Also, cornflour makes the soup nice and shiny, which I like in this soup (flour makes broths dull).
Wine – Just 1/2 a cup, adds extra depth of flavour so you there’s enough flavour using half stock, half water, rather than 2 litres / quarts of water. Money saving tip. It’s like free stock! Doesn’t make the broth taste winey, because we cook out the alcohol, just leaving behind lovely savoury flavour.
Can’t consume alcohol? Switch half the water for more chicken stock/broth.
Cream – Gives the soup a lovely creamy mouthfeel finish as well as making the soup white. You can opt to use milk instead, but reduce water by 1/2 cup and use 1 1/2 cups milk (else soup colour not as white). To get a nice finish, I’d add a knob of butter!
Parmesan – Another flavour boost. Normally I recommend shredding your own but I used store-bought pre-shredded for convenience here and it melted fine in the hot soup (unlike in cheesy sauces). The sandy-type, from the fridge (not aisle please! If it ain’t in the fridge, it ain’t real cheese! )

How to make Creamy Tuscan Chicken Soup

Searing our own chicken makes this soup tastier than just adding pre-cooked chicken into the soup broth. Because colour on the chicken = tastier chicken, and the soup broth gets extra (free!) flavour from the golden bits left in the pot from searing the chicken.

Sear the chicken in the butter, just to get some colour on the surface. It doesn’t matter if it’s not cooked all the way through because after we chop it, it gets added back into the soup. As noted above, cooking our own chicken gets us on the path to a more delicious soup!
Chop the chicken once it’s cool enough to handle. I do this while the pasta is cooking. Don’t worry about raw bits, they will cook through quickly once added back into the hot soup broth.
Sauté the onion, garlic and celery in the same pot using the residual butter.
Broth & pasta – Deglaze the pot by simmering the white wine rapidly until reduced by half. Deglazing just means to dissolve the chicken-searing golden bits on the base of the pot into the liquid for extra flavour in the soup broth.
Pasta – Once the broth is brought back up to the boil, add the pasta and cook it for the time per the packet directions (10 minutes for the small shells I used).
Chopped chicken – Once the pasta is in, I chop the chicken then just add it into the broth about halfway through the pasta cooking time.

Thicken soup – Mix together the cornflour/cornstarch with a smidge of water then stir it into the soup broth. We only use a bit of cornflour because the soup gets thickening help from the gluten in the pasta and the cream.
Soup finishes – Then stir in the parmesan, follow by the cream and spinach. Once the spinach has wilted, which should only take a minute or so, the cornflour will have thickened the soup. And that’s it – ready to serve!
Sun dried tomatoes – Chop sun dried tomatoes into scattering-size-pieces.
Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with sun dried tomato and a little drizzle of the oil from the sun dried tomato jars (love how the red looks against the white soup). A sprinkle of extra parmesan wouldn’t hurt either. Then dig in!

Pasta soup storage matters!

Pasta loves to absorb liquid. So if you leave the pasta overnight in the broth, it will bloat and become overly soft.

So to store leftovers, it’s best to separate the broth from the pasta. Just use a slotted spoon to scoop out the pasta bits then store the pasta and broth in separate containers in the fridge. They will keep for 3 to 4 days.

Making ahead intentionally

This is a great soup to prepare ahead to reheat later! Just cook the pasta, drain, thicken the soup , then store the chicken with pasta and soup broth separately. They can be refrigerated for 4 days or frozen for 3 months. Reheat the soup broth first, then add the pasta and chicken to reheat. I’ve popped these directions in the recipe card too.

Hope you enjoy! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Creamy Tuscan Chicken Soup

Recipe video above. My (current) favourite chicken soup – utterly divine! Creamy broth, juicy little bits of chicken, pasta (I used small shells), swirls of spinach and a sprinkling of sun dried tomato which I use instead of the usual croutons. Easy, one pot, quick to make, and great for making ahead.

I call it "Tuscan" because to me it has Tuscan vibes, so christened it as such with a cute name. But no, it's not authentic – and that's ok! It's still delicious.

Course Soups

Cuisine Italian-esque, Western

Keyword chicken pasta soup, chicken soup, creamy chicken soup, pasta soup, tuscan soup

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Servings

Calories 688cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

500 g/1 lb chicken thighs , skinless boneless (Note 1 for breast)
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper

Soup:

30g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 onion , finely chopped
2 garlic cloves , minced
2 large celery stems , finely sliced (sub 2 carrots)
1/2 cup chardonnay or other dry white wine, optional (Note 2)
4 cups chicken stock/broth , low sodium
3 cups water
1 tsp cooking/kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
250g/8 oz small pasta shells (or other small pasta, rice, potato etc – see Note 3)
1 cup (tightly packed) parmesan, finely grated or store bought pre-grated (sandy type) (Note 4)
1 cup thickened/heavy cream (Note 5 for milk sub)
2 packed cups baby spinach , chopped kale or similar
1/2 cup sun dried tomato strips , chopped into 1cm pieces, plus bit of oil drizzling (Note 6)

Soup thickener (cornflour slurry):

2 tsp cornflour/cornstarch mixed with 2 tsp water

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Cook outside of chicken – Sprinkle each side with the salt and pepper. Melt butter in a large pot over medium high heat. Once foamy, place the chicken in and cook the first side for 3 minutes or until light golden, then the other side for 2 minutes – it's fine if the inside is still raw, it cooks more later. Remove onto a plate.
Soup flavour base – Turn the stove down to medium low. Add garlic, onion and celery into the same pot then cook for 3 minutes or until the onion is softened.
Deglaze – Turn up to high, add wine, stir, then let it simmer until the wine reduces by half.
Broth & pasta – Add stock/broth, water, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then add the pasta. Cook for the time per the pasta packet directions (~10 minutes), stirring every now and then so the pasta doesn't stick to the base of the pot.
Add chicken partway – While the pasta is cooking, chop the chicken into 1.5cm / 1/2" pieces then add into the pot to finish cooking.
Finish soup – Once the pasta is cooked, turn heat down to low. Stir in parmesan until melted. Stir in the cornflour-water mixture, cream and spinach. Stir for a minute until spinach is wilted and soup thickens slightly.
Serve – Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with sun dried tomato strips (and a bit of oil looks nice for finishing). Eat!
Storing – Separate pasta from soup so it doesn't bloat, refrigerate both. Just scoop out with slotted spoon. (Note 6)

Notes

1. Chicken – If using breast, split each in half horizontally to form 2 thin steaks. Then cook per recipe.

2. Wine – Adds extra depth of flavour so you there’s enough flavour using 50/50 chicken stock/water (money saving tip ). It’s like free stock!

For non alcoholic, either use zero-alcohol white wine or substitute half the water for more chicken stock (otherwise the broth will lack a bit of flavour).

3. Pasta subs – Other small pasta like ditalini, small macaroni, rison/orzo can be used in the recipe as written, cook per packet time. Break long strand pasta into spoonable bits.

Gluten free pasta – Make recipe as written but you might want to increase the cornflour/cornstarch slightly to thicken the soup a little because the recipe relies on the starch in gluten pasta to help thicken the soup slightly.

Potato – cube, and reduce soup cook time (1.5 cm / 0.6″ cubes cook in around 7 min). You might want to increase cornflour/cornstarch to thicken soup (same reason as GF pasta).

Rice – White rice, use recipe as written, ~1 cup uncooked rice. Not brown rice (takes too long to cook).

4. Parmesan – Store bought sandy-type parmesan melts fine in this soup. But – fridge. Not from the aisle (that ain’t cheese!)

5. Cream gives the soup a lovely creamy mouthfeel finish as well as making the soup white. If using milk instead, reduce water by 1/2 cup and use 1 1/2 cups full-fat milk (else soup colour not as white). This will shave 140 calories off each serving. Though I’d add a knob of butter!

6. Sun dried tomato is the sprinkle for this soup that keeps things interesting! All my recipes I call “Tuscan this-and-that” has it in it. Nice change from the usual croutons and nuts, and adds a little punch of flavour, plus the red oil looks good!

7. Storing – Pasta left in broth will bloat and soften overnight. For leftovers, just scoop out all the pasta etc using a slotted spoon and store separately from the broth, in the fridge. If making ahead intentionally, for best results: do to the end of step 5, drain soup in colander, return broth into pot. Thicken soup with parmesan and cornflour slurry, add spinach. Cool. Let pasta, chicken etc in colander cool. Store both separately. Can even freeze!

Nutrition per serving. Shave 140 calories off by switching cream for milk, per note 4.

Nutrition

More soup love

Sweet Potato Soup – simple but great!

Broccoli and Potato Soup

Fish Chowder Soup

Lamb Shawarma Chickpea Soup

Minestrone Soup

Lentil Soup (seriously amazing!)

Pumpkin Soup

Soups

Life of Dozer

Licking up drips from dirty dishes. He’s such a grot.

The post Creamy Tuscan Chicken Soup appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Hungarian Goulash (beef stew-soup)

Nagi — Wed, 21 Jun 2023 06:00:00 +0000

Sweater weather is officially here – let’s get cosy with Goulash! This Hungarian recipe is a slow cooked beef soup or stew that’s boldly flavoured with stacks of paprika which makes the sauce a deep, vibrant red colour. Think traditional beef stew – with extra character!

Goulash

If you think Hungary and think hearty food, then Goulash is probably exactly what comes to mind. Unsurprising given it is Hungary’s greatest food export!

Is it a stew? Is it a soup? It sort of lies between the two in terms of the amount of broth vs the stuff in it. Though one noticeable thing about traditional Goulash is that the broth is thinner than what you think of with stews, and it’s not thickened with flour or cream. Also, it’s not typically served over mash like stews, it’s served in bowls like soup.

As for flavour, I describe it as a beef stew with a sauce that reminds me of chorizo flavours thanks to a big hit of paprika and savouriness from a good amount of garlic, capsicum (bell peppers) and onion. It’s really, really good. Bolder than typical beef stew!

Note on authenticity: This is a recipe that is intended to respect traditional Hungarian Goulash. But as with all such recipes, every cook and every family has their own version. I am sure some Hungarians will disagree on something I’ve included! Please share your thoughts below but know that I did do my research!

Ingredients in Hungarian Goulash

Two things you’ll observe when you make this:

A LOT of paprika. Flavour and sauce colour!
A LOT of vegetables. 2 each onions, capsicum/bell peppers, carrots, tomato, potatoes. Flavour and heartiness!

Beef, spices and sauce

Beef – The classic beef cut to use is beef chuck which is a tough cut of meat that becomes meltingly tender when slow cooked. If you can, get a single piece so you can cut it into cubes of the size we want, else get a thick steak. Always look for beef that is nicely marbled with fat. All too often, the grocery stores ones are disturbingly lean. We want the fat marbled throughout, it makes the beef so tender and juicy!
Substitute – Beef osso bucco (boneless) and beef cheeks. The meat cubes will twist and buckle more once cooked but these are actually juicier than chuck. Gravy beef and brisket will also work but meat is a little leaner.
Paprika – Use Hungarian or Hungarian-style if you can, the paprika is smoother and sweeter than ordinary paprika. Don’t use hot paprika – we’re using lots of paprika here, it will be way too spicy! Smoked paprika will make the sauce a little too smokey, though you could mix-and-match a little if you want.
Caraway seeds – A traditional spice used in Goulash used in central European cooking. Not the end of the world if you don’t have it but you’ll love the little unique pops of flavour if you do!
Beef stock/broth – The liquid used to make the sauce. Traditionally water was used, but no one can deny that using stock makes the sauce a whole lot tastier! I personally would not make this with water. If you use homemade beef stock, you could sell bowls of this for a pretty penny.
Butter and oil – The fat for sautéing. I like to use both so you get the best of both worlds – butter for flavour, oil for effective searing (butter is ~15% water and susceptible to burning at high heats).
Bay leaf – For flavour. Fresh if you can, or dried (pictured).

We don’t need flour to thicken the sauce – see next paragraph.

The vegetables

Some recipes use flour to thicken the sauce. I don’t find that necessary if you use fresh tomatoes rather than canned tomatoes, as they break down to thicken the sauce. It also makes the stew sauce taste less tomatoey which lets the paprika and other flavours come through more.

Onion and garlic – flavour base.
Capsicum/bell peppers – One each red and yellow if you can, or 2 red. Don’t underestimate the flavour this brings to the sauce! You can substitute the potato and carrot but don’t skip capsicum!
Tomatoes – These break down to naturally thicken the sauce rather than using flour.
Carrot and potato – Vegetable adds ins that fills it out. Feel free to switch with other root vegetables such as celeriac, parsnip, or even non-root vegetables like green beans. Note: These get added at the end of the cook time so the potato doesn’t disintegrate.
Parsley – optional garnish

How to make Goulash

Usually, stews will call for beef cubes to be browned first, removed, then added back into the pot after sautéing the vegetables. Goulash goes all in. I doubted it at first but when I saw it go all stewy and the flavours mingling together before I even got to the slow cooking part, I understood.

And when I tasted the finished dish, it sealed the deal!

Cut beef into nice size chunks then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Cook onion first for 6 minutes until the edges are light golden.
Cook beef – Next, add the beef all in one go and stir until the surfaces changes from red to brown. You won’t be browning on the beef because there’s too much in the pot and that’s just how it’s supposed to be. All the flavours meld and come together in the next steps!
Add garlic, capsicum and tomato. Stir for 3 minutes to coat the vegetables in all the flavour in the pot. The tomato will mostly breakdown – it will break down completing during the slow cooking phase and thicken the sauce.

Spices – Add paprika, caraway and bay leaf. Stir for 30 seconds to coat everything in the tasty flavours.
Simmer – Add beef stock, stir, bring to simmer.
Slow cook – Cover with a lid and transfer to the oven for 1 1/2 hours. At this stage the beef should be pretty tender but not quite “fall-apart”, there’s still another 30 minutes to go. Stir in carrot and potatoes then cook for another 30 minutes. By this time, the potatoes (if you cut them the exact size I specify!!) should be soft and the beef should be “fall-apart”.
Serve – Sprinkle with parsley if you’re feeling fancy then ladle into bowls!

The sauce here looks thicker than when hot out of the oven because it thickens when it cools slightly.

That’s Friday’s cheese bread pictured above, being dunked into the Goulash. Though you could do ordinary crusty Artisan bread. Both are no-knead, no stand-mixer, 3 minute dough making situations. Not mandatory…..but any kind of bread elevates soup-stew eating experiences, right??! – Nagi x

PS One final point – as with any stewy / slow-cooked recipes, Goulash tastes even better the next day. Completely and utterly company-worthy.

Watch how to make it

Goulash (Hungarian beef stew)

Recipe video above. The national dish of Hungary! Boldly flavoured with stacks of paprika, lots of onion, garlic and capsicum/bell peppers, with fall apart hunks of beef. It's sort of a stew, sort of a soup. The broth is not supposed to be as thick as typical stews. It's naturally thickened slightly using fresh tomatoes that break down into the sauce.

Serve like soup in bowls with bread for dunking. (Try cheese bread. Obsessed!).

Course Mains

Cuisine European, Hungarian

Keyword goulash, hungarian goulash recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 2 20

Servings

Calories 574cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

1 kg/2 lb beef chuck , cut in 3.5cm / 1.5″ cubes (Note 1)
1 3/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp/ 30g unsalted butter
2 brown onions , cut into 1cm / 1/2″ squares
5 garlic cloves , finely minced
2 capsicum/bell peppers (1 red + 1 yellow), cut into 2 cm / 0.8″ squares
2 tomatoes , cut into 8 wedges then in half
1/4 cup Hungarian-style paprika (sub ordinary paprika, Note 2)
1 tsp caraway seeds , optional (Note 3)
1 bay leaf
1 litre / 4 cups beef stock/broth , low-sodium
2 carrots , peeled, cut in quarters lengthwise then into 1cm / 0.4″ pieces
2 potatoes , cut into 1.2cm / 1/2″ cubes
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley , optional garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan), though you can use your slow cooker or stove instead (oven easiest! Note 4).
Season beef – Toss the beef with half the salt and pepper.
Cook onion – Heat the oil and melt the butter in a large oven-proof dutch oven over high heat. Cook onion for 6 minutes until the edges are light golden.
Cook beef – Add the beef and stir until the outside changes from red to brown, about 2 minutes. It won't go golden brown, it's not supposed to.
Add vegetables – Add garlic, capsicum and tomato. Stir for 3 minutes – the tomato will mostly breakdown.
Add paprika, caraway and bay leaf. Stir for 30 seconds.
Slow cook – Add beef stock, stir, bring to simmer. Cover with a lid and transfer to the oven for 1 1/2 hours.
Add potato – The beef should be pretty tender but not quite "fall-apart". Stir in carrot and potatoes. Return to oven, covered, for another 30 minutes. Beef should now be "fall-apart" – if not, return to the oven for 10 minutes at a time.
Serve – Ladle goulash into bowls and sprinkle with parsley. Eat as is, with optional bread for dunking! (Pictured with cheese bread)

Notes

1. Beef – Also great with beef osso bucco (boneless) and beef cheeks. Gravy beef and brisket will also work but meat is a little leaner.

2. Paprika – Use Hungarian or Hungarian-style if you can, the paprika is smoother than sweeter than ordinary paprika. Don’t use hot paprika – we’re using lots of paprika here, it will be way too spicy!

3. Caraway seeds – a traditional spice used in Goulash used in central European cooking.

4. Cook methods – Oven is my preferred because you get caramelisation on edges/surface = extra flavour but no worries about base catching like with the stove.

Stove – Use ultra low stove heat, covered, for 1.5 hours. Stir every now and then to ensure base does not catch. Add potato and carrot, then cook 30 min.

Slow cooker – 6 hours on low, add potato and carrot, 2 hours on low.

5. Leftovers – As with all stews, this gets better overnight. Leftovers will keep for 4 to 5 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.

Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings.

Nutrition

Life of Dozer

Office bathroom. Now doubles as Dozer’s playroom. Staff who walked into this had a good laugh!!

The post Hungarian Goulash (beef stew-soup) appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

15 minute Spicy Korean Noodle Soup

Nagi — Mon, 15 May 2023 07:06:10 +0000

This is a quick Korean noodle soup that’s healthy, packs big flavours and will curb your spicy Asian food cravings. The broth gets its flavour from gochujang and kimchi – express passes to flavour! (PS The soup looks far more fiercely spicy than it actually is, but this is not one for kids.)

Spicy Korean Noodle Soup

This is a bit of a gold nugget recipe because it’s actually quite difficult to make good spicy Asian soups. You can’t just add a squirt of chilli sauce into a classic Chinese soup broth. Well, you can, but it lacks the oomph of really good spicy Asian soups which have bold savoury flavour that compliments the spiciness. To make a great one, you typically need a mound of bones simmered for hours to make a homemade stock, a LOT of chilli oil or a deft combination of hard-to-find Asian sauces.

Hence my excitement over this spicy Asian soup recipe. Especially when it passed the highest of all taste-testing-bars: my brother. Famous in our circles for his tough critique of my recipes – read the backstory in Chilli Lime Fish for entertaining proof!

Spice-meter

This soup is undeniably spicy from kimchi and gochujang, but not blow-your-head-off spicy. While I declare myself to be able to handle the heat, I actually can’t. But…….shhhhh!!! Let’s keep that secret between the two of us – can’t have everyone knowing what a chilli-wuss I actually am. 😂

Can’t handle spicy food at all? Make my Chinese Noodle Soup instead which has zero chilli it. You really can’t dial down the spiciness in this Korean noodle soup without affecting the flavour.

Really great spicy Asian soup broths that are easy to make are rare. Normally you need homemade stocks or obscure Asian sauces. So this Spicy Korean soup broth is a gold nugget recipe!

I’ve used egg noodles but you can use any type of noodles you want.

Key ingredients – Kimchi and Gochujang

The two key ingredients in this soup – both of which can be picked up at most everyday grocery stores – are kimchi and gochujang. Gochujang is a wickedly good Korean paste to have in your fridge – if only to make this soup over and over again!! More information below.

Kimchi – we use the veg AND juices

Gochujang spicy Korean paste

Kimchi is a traditional Korean pickle of fermented vegetables packed in tangy, spicy juice. The cabbage version (the most common type) is best in this soup. The cabbage acts like a mop for the sauce so you get extra flavour in the broth!
Widely available in the fridge section of large grocery stores or Asian stores these days. We use both the sauce in the jar as well as the vegetables for this recipe. The sauce is loaded with flavour, don’t waste it! Add it into stir fries or Asian soups for a hit of extra salt and spiciness.
Gochujang is a spicy Korean paste loaded with savory flavour. It makes an appearance regularly in my Korean recipes – including the Slow Cooked Beef Ribs in Korean BBQ Sauce which is a signature dish in my cookbook (it’s insanely easy for phenomenal results!).
Readily available these days in large grocery stores (Asian aisle, not fridge) and Asian stores.

Other broth ingredients

And here are the other ingredients required for the Korean soup broth:

Chicken stock/broth – use low sodium, else it might be too salty once all the sauces are added.
Fish sauce – Adds salt into the broth, and more flavour than just plain salt and even soy sauce.
Soy sauce – More salt into the broth (just using fish sauce is a little too fishy). Use either light or all purpose soy sauce. Not dark soy sauce, the flavour is too strong! More on different soy sauces here.
Chinese cooking wine – or mirin or dry sherry. Just a small amount adds depth of flavour and complexity to soups and sauces. Without, you’ll notice that the soup is missing “something”. Substitute with more fish sauce (see recipe notes).
Ginger and garlic – To infuse the broth with flavour.

Soup add-ins

I’ve used choy sum and carrots in this soup. But it’s one to make your own! Use whatever cookable vegetables you want.

Kimchi – As per above, we use the juices in the jar to flavour the broth as well as the cabbage. Korean spicy goodness to the max!
Noodles – Use any type you want. I like using thin egg noodles for this – dried ones. But the recipe will work fine with any noodles at all, just prepare according to packet directions.
Choy sum – Love using Asian greens for quick-prep recipes. So quick to chop! Plus, a good contrast of textures – some fresh crunch from the stem and floppiness from the leafy part. Feel free to substitute with other Asian greens (bok choy, gai lan/Chinese broccoli etc)
Carrot – For some crunch and lovely contrasting colour! I’ve cut it into batons but if you can’t be bothered, just slice it on an angle. It really doesn’t matter.
Green onion – Fresh garnish! Optional.

How to make spicy Korean noodle soup

This recipe has a great efficient flow to it. Pour the stock into the saucepan then as it is coming up to the simmer, measure out and add the remaining ingredients into the broth. Then while the broth is simmering for 10 minutes to bring the flavours together, chop the veg and cook the noodles. Then assemble the soup bowls!

Choy sum cutting – Trim the roots off. Cut into 7cm / 2.5″ pieces then separate the stems from the leafy part. Why? Because we add the stems first as they take longer to cook than the leaves which wilt in literally seconds. So we put them into the pot right at the end.
Kimchi – Measure out 2/3 cups kimchi and 2 tablespoons of kimchi juice. Press and squeeze the cabbage if needed to extract the juice! We need it for flavour, so don’t be short!
Simmer broth 10 minutes – Place all the broth ingredients into a saucepan then simmer for 10 minutes to bring the flavours together. I simmer the kimchi cabbage with the broth ingredients to extract the kimchi juices out of it.
Cook veg – Cook the bok choy stems and carrots for 2 minutes, then the leafy part of the choy sum for just 1 minute. Then that’s it! The broth is done, ready to assemble the noodle bowls.
Cook noodles – Cook the noodles according to the packet directions while the broth is simmering, then drain.
Assemble – Place the noodles in a bowl. Then ladle over the soup broth and all the add-ins. Sprinkle with green onions if using then serve!

This is such a gloriously quick dinner to make when you’re craving something healthy, something quick, something spicy or something slurpy – or any combination there of. 😂 It’s fabulously versatile with the add-ins: choose your own vegetables, choose your own noodles, add proteins if you want.

While I encourage you to make this soup your own, I will, however, get a little strict with the soup broth! The combination and quantity of sauces is one that my team and I agreed made the tastiest soup, after going back and forth quite a few times, with a few heated “debates” thrown in. If you skip any of the sauces, it will still taste good but not as great as it is intended to be.

So I really do hope you try the broth as written one of these days! And remember, you can get everything at large supermarkets here in Australia (Coles, Woolies, Harris Farms).

Enjoy! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Spicy Korean Noodle Soup (quick & healthy)

Recipe video above. For all those times you need a spicy Asian noodle fix – FAST! This packs a serious flavour punch. The secret is the juices from the kimchi jar and a good dollop of gochujang, that magical spicy Korean paste you can get "everywhere" these days.

To add protein, cook raw prawns/shrimp or fish pieces in the broth (only takes 3 min), or top with slices of BBQ pork. You can also poach chicken in the broth using this foolproof method.

Course Main

Cuisine Asian, Korean

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Servings

Calories 365cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Spicy Korean Soup Broth

4 cups / 1 litre chicken stock/broth , low-sodium
2/3 cup cabbage kimchi (Note 1)
2 tbsp kimchi juice , from kimchi tub (Note 1)
3 tbsp gochujang (Note 2)
2 tbsp light soy sauce (Note 3)
2 tsp fish sauce (sub more soy)
1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine, Note 4)
2 slices ginger , sliced 0.7cm / 1/3" thick (skin on)
1 large garlic clove , smashed (Note 5)

Add-Ins (Note 7):

200g/ 7oz thin fresh egg noodles (or 100g/3.5oz dried – Note 6)
4 stems choi sum or other Asian greens, cut into 7cm / 2.5" lengths, stems separated from leafy part
1 small carrot , peeled, cut into thin matchsticks
2 1/2 tsp sesame oil , toasted (Note 8)
1/4 cup finely sliced green onions (1 stem)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Broth – Place all broth ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat so it’s simmering gently. Simmer 10 minutes without a lid.
Cook vegetables – Add choi sum stems and carrot to the broth. Simmer for 2 minutes. Add choi sum leaves and simmer for another minute. Stir in sesame oil just before serving.
Noodles – Meanwhile, cook egg noodles in boiling water per packet directions. Drain, give the noodles a quick rinse under tap water. Shake off excess water well.
Assemble – Divide noodles between bowls. Top with the vegetables. Pick the garlic and ginger out of the broth, then broth pour over the noodles. Sprinkle with green onions and serve!

Notes

1. Kimchi is a traditional Korean pickle of fermented vegetables packed in tangy, spicy juice. Widely available in the fridge section of large grocery stores or Asian stores. Extract the juice by squeezing the spoon against the cabbage (there’s usually plenty in the jar, just need to extract it!).

2. Gochujang is a spicy Korean rice and bean paste loaded with savory flavour. You’ll need it for one of the signature recipes in my cookbook: Korean BBQ Beef Short Ribs! Also for most Korean recipes I’ve shared.

3. Soy – Use light or all-purpose soy sauce but not dark soy sauce – too strong! More on different soy sauces here.

4. Chinese cooking wine – Substitute with mirin or dry sherry. For a non-alcoholic substitute, use another 1½ teaspoons fish sauce.

5. Smashed garlic – place the side of a knife on the garlic clove, then hit the palm of your hand on it to make the clove burst open but mostly hold together.

6. Noodles – Use any type you want! Try vermicelli or lo mein noodles.

7. Veg – Feel free to sub with anything of your choice.

8. Sesame oil – toasted sesame oil is brown and has more flavour than untoasted (which is yellow). Default sesame oil sold in Australia is toasted, untoasted is harder to find.

Leftovers – Store broth and noodles separately for 3 days in the fridge. Reheat separately then put together!

Nutrition per serving.

Nutrition

Life of Dozer

When you see Dozer in a window display of the flagship Dymocks bookstore that thousands of people pass by every day – who cares about the recipes in my cookbook!!?? 😂

This is the prawn pasta in my cookbook – LOVE that they chose the Dozer photo instead of the recipe photo! 😂

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