Page 538 - YC Cooking School

time. The soup can then be served as it is for a clearer 'broth-style' result, or blended to
make a creamier version. If you’re making a Thai-style soup and want your vegetables to

maintain their characteristic crunch and colour, add them to the broth just before serving.

Adding meat to a soup
Meat is usually browned separately, often before the onions and garlic, and is then set
aside to return to the soup once the stock has been added. This ensures that the meat

browns and caramelises well for maximum flavour and tenderness. Soups are also a great
way of using up leftover meats such as roast chicken or lamb which can easily be added in
just before serving.

Whip up a few meaty dumplings

Another delicious meaty option is to make little dumplings to poach in the stock. They’re a
beautiful combination of flavour-filled ingredients like grated fresh ginger, roughly chopped
chilli, spring onion, fresh coriander, lime juice and chicken meat. Take care not to add more
than the recommended amount of lime juice or whizz the ingredients together for too long
in the food processor, as this could cause the dumplings not to hold together when they
cook. Adding an egg or a little cornflour to the mixture will help to combat this though, as
will 30 minutes of fridge time before cooking.

These dumplings don’t just belong in Asian-style soups. Sub out the asian flavours for
parsley or fresh basil and experiment with different types of meat - pork and beef mince
work equally well. This is also a budget-friendly way to bulk up a simple supper.

When it comes to cooking the dumplings, make sure the soup is just simmering, as a furious
bubble could cause them to break up. They should take about 8 minutes to cook, but it’s
worth sacrificing one by cutting it in half to make sure it’s cooked through before serving
them to your guests.

Bulk it up
Depending on the type of soup you’re making, you can also throw in a handful of barley or
lentils when adding the stock to give the soup a little extra bulk and make the textures more
interesting.

You can also easily thicken soups by adding in starches such as potatoes, sweet potatoes,
butternut or even courgettes, which all add creaminess when the soup is blended. Adding in
greek yoghurt is also a healthy way of making the soup creamy.

Go for gourmet
Once you've mastered the basics, there are endless ways to really turn your soup into a
hero dish - crunchy croutons, lashings of fresh herbs, parmesan shavings, dumplings or
even just a handful of noodles. Remember to always taste your soup before serving it to
make sure that the flavouring is perfect.

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