Page 69 - EBOOK_81 Homestyle Recipes With The True Taste Of Indonesia

Grandma’s Tomato Soup

Sop Merah

When I could barely begin to read, I was already sifting through my mother’s
collection of recipes—those tattered books yellowed by the years and stained by
countless cooking sessions in the family kitchen. My mother often turned to a
particularly worn page that held my Grandma’s Tomato Soup recipe, telling me stories
of how my grandmother loved cooking this nutrient rich soup for the family, long
before I was even born. Years later I would read that same page, filled with the

youthful scrawls of the grandmother I never knew, wondering if I could recreate the
lusciousness and bold flavors of her soup. I don’t know if my version will ever have
her special touch but whenever I do have Grandma’s Tomato Soup on the stove, I like
to think she’s hovering over me, watching me cook for my loved ones just as she did
so many years ago.

SERVES 4
PREPARATION TIME: 15-20 MINUTES
COOKING TIME: 30-40 MINUTES

9 cups (2 liters) water

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, rinsed (12 oz/350 g)

1 package (approx. 8 oz/250 g) button mushrooms