AuthorJessCategoryChicken and poultry, Lunch, Meal, WinterIf, like me, you've been suffering over the not so festive period, not only does cooking become a bit of a chore but, even worse, it's hard to summon up much enthusiasm for the fruits of your labour. Unless those fruits include a 'Totnes hug' of a chicken soup. It might have been slightly hijacked by Ashkenazi Jews as 'Jewish penicillin' but I think it's true to say that every culture has its own, much cherished, version. This one started in Persia - so, as with so much Middle Eastern food, probably by the historic Sephardic population.
Remove the two breasts from the chicken by carefully running the knife down either side. Our butchers will be happy to do this for you.
Roughly chop an onion, two carrots and two sticks of celery and place in a large sauce pan with the breastless chicken. Add the bay leaves, thy,e, preserved lemon and peppercorns and cover with water (about two litres). Bring to the simmer and cook for an hour and a half.
You can use the saved breasts later to make the soup more of a stew or put them back in the fridge for something else altogether.
Meanwhile, rinse the barley in a sieve and soak in water.
Heat up the oil in a large, heavy bottomed pan. Finely chop the remaining vegetables and add. Cook until soft. Peel and crush the garlic and ginger and add to the pan with the curry paste. Cook for another five minutes, add the strained pearled barley, stir and set aside until the chicken is cooked.
When time's up, ladle off the broth and sieve into the veg/barley pan and bring to the simmer.
Carefully remove the chicken and leave to cool. Once it's cool enough to handle, pick the meat off the carcass, chop and set aside. Return the carcass to the pan, top up with water and re-simmer for stock to use another time.
Once the pearled barley is cooked, check the seasoning. don't be disappointed - it's not the finished article until you add the lemon juice, coriander and yoghurt.
Add the chicken, cook for another five minutes, stir in the lemon juice and coriander and serve with a tablespoon of yoghurt in each bowl.
If you want to use the chicken breasts, slice into ribbons and add at the end. Bring back to the simmer for five minutes and it will be cooked.
Ingredients
Directions
Remove the two breasts from the chicken by carefully running the knife down either side. Our butchers will be happy to do this for you.
Roughly chop an onion, two carrots and two sticks of celery and place in a large sauce pan with the breastless chicken. Add the bay leaves, thy,e, preserved lemon and peppercorns and cover with water (about two litres). Bring to the simmer and cook for an hour and a half.
You can use the saved breasts later to make the soup more of a stew or put them back in the fridge for something else altogether.
Meanwhile, rinse the barley in a sieve and soak in water.
Heat up the oil in a large, heavy bottomed pan. Finely chop the remaining vegetables and add. Cook until soft. Peel and crush the garlic and ginger and add to the pan with the curry paste. Cook for another five minutes, add the strained pearled barley, stir and set aside until the chicken is cooked.
When time's up, ladle off the broth and sieve into the veg/barley pan and bring to the simmer.
Carefully remove the chicken and leave to cool. Once it's cool enough to handle, pick the meat off the carcass, chop and set aside. Return the carcass to the pan, top up with water and re-simmer for stock to use another time.
Once the pearled barley is cooked, check the seasoning. don't be disappointed - it's not the finished article until you add the lemon juice, coriander and yoghurt.
Add the chicken, cook for another five minutes, stir in the lemon juice and coriander and serve with a tablespoon of yoghurt in each bowl.
If you want to use the chicken breasts, slice into ribbons and add at the end. Bring back to the simmer for five minutes and it will be cooked.