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Soup Weather. And Old Favourites like Chicken & Fresh Turmeric Soup
It seems to be ‘soup weather’ in most parts of Australia at the moment. I know I’ve been craving it, especially after driving through misty rain and fog for work today…
Yep. Definitely soup weather.
Whipping up a quick, comforting pot of soup is so easy with the Thermomix – it usually only takes twenty to thirty minutes, and I can go have a hot shower while it cooks!
I have lots of favourite Thermie soups…
creamy chicken & brown rice soup;
coconut lemon chicken soup; <—- BIG fave, and this soup has fresh turmeric in it too!
Mexican black bean & chorizo soup;
corn & potato chowder with chorizo…
So if you usually just go crack open a tin of ‘cream of’ soup when you’re in a hurry, save money and make your own healthier, yummier version with the tips here:
Can the Canned Soup!! Too easy.
This Chicken & Fresh Turmeric Soup is one I’ve made for years, usually in a big pot on the stove where it spits and bubbles and makes a big mess and has to be stirred and watched so the rice or quinoa doesn’t stick to the bottom. The other day I decided to make it in the Thermomix to show that chicken legs still come out whole cooked in the bowl. It worked beautifully and was so easy, and much tidier. So here’s my converted recipe – hope you like it.
Turmeric is an amazing food with many health benefits. It’s related to ginger, grown the same way, and where I live many people grow it in their backyards. It has anti-inflammatory properties, is a natural antiseptic, antibacterial agent, liver detoxifier, pain-killer, is great for fat metabolizing, and is used to treat depression and just about everything else from Alzeimer’s to cancer! Of course, raw turmeric is best, so whizz some up in your next boost juice. Or you can do what I often do when there are colds and flus around – double the amounts of garlic and turmeric at the start of the recipe, remove half of it from the bowl once you’ve minced it, cook the soup as per the recipe, then add the reserved raw garlic and turmeric in at the end. It will have a lovely flavour and a bit more of a ‘bite’, and the ‘goodness’ won’t be all cooked out.
[Note: if you can’t find fresh turmeric, you can use powdered turmeric – just use 1-2 teaspoons of the power and saute with the onion and garlic. But fresh is the BEST! Also, you can find fine sea salt and Aussie pepper for this recipe in my online store!]
- 2-4 cloves of garlic
- 1 'finger' of fresh turmeric, halved
- 1 brown onion, halved
- 40g butter/ghee or olive oil
- 1 vine-ripened tomato, halved
- a large handful of celery leaves
- a few sprigs of fresh thyme
- 800g chicken legs (about 6 or 7 chicken legs)
- 80g quinoa or brown rice
- 3 Tablespoons chicken stock paste
- 600g water (or until it reaches the 2 litre mark)
- Mince garlic and fresh turmeric on speed 7 for 3 seconds
- Add onion and chop at speed 5 for 3 seconds
- Add butter/ghee/oil and saute for 3 minutes at 100C, speed 1
- Add tomato, celery leaves, thyme and chop on speed 5 for 5 seconds. Scrape bowl down.
- Insert butterfly. Add remaining ingredients, arranging chicken legs around butterfly, and making sure water doesn't go above the 2 litre mark on the bowl.
- Cook at 100C for 30 minutes (quinoa) or 40 minutes (brown rice) on reverse blade, speed soft.
Do you have a favourite soup recipe of your own that you’d like to convert for the Thermomix?Check out the tips in the front of the soup section of the Everyday Cookbook. If you need help, feel free to ask on my Facebook Page, or over at the Recipe Community Forum.
Hi Jo,
Just wondering if you can just use Turmeric Powder instead of fresh as it is hard to get here. Also do you think chicken breast will have the same flavour. (My husband doesn’t like legs or thigh)
Hi Jo,
Just wondering if you can just use Turmeric Powder instead of fresh as it is hard to get here. Also do you think chicken breast will have the same flavour. (My husband doesn’t like legs or thigh)
Hi Maria – Yes this could work , it won’t have as much flavour but would still be nice. You could chicken breast a go – it may break up a bit than when using thigh, so make sure you insert the butterfly, as the recipe specifies. 🙂
We have basil here but no thyme and it works nicely. Honey loved it, he’s got a cold. My “go to” cold soup was chicken and corn but he hates corn mixed in to food so gave this a go. Very delish.
Hi Jo
Made this for hubby while we were sick this week, it’s a new favourite. He’s not much into chicken and corn soup so it’s nice to find one we both like (other than Maltese soup) and having a kitchen helper do all the work seals the deal for me.
Hi Jo,
Once my soup is done and pick up the chicken to make sure it is cooked through, however; i did notice pink near the bone. Is this how yours turns out? The outside was perfectly cooked though.
Oy, I gave it to dad, my sister and myself to eat, i think if it comes out both ends i’ll start to panic :-). Im guessing it should be fine.
If in doubt, just cook a bit longer! It may have pinkish brown meat near the bone but shouldn’t look red at all.
Hi Could you leave the quinoa or rice out?
Yes that should work.
Hi Jo. I must say…. This is the tastiest soup I have ever had. The only adaptation is using thigh fillets instead of drumsticks. The fresh turmeric and quinoa make it so nutritious and it can be converted back to stovetop easily (lots of friends and family have requested the recipe).
This is DELICIOUS!!! I just made it and it will definitely be on high rotation!
My all time favourite soup – a winner every time i serve it. Granddaughters love it, too!
Hi Jo Can you make this in larger quantities on the stove? Its so delicious I could eat it everyday
Definitely! Yum, I could as well 🙂
Hi Jo do you have a stovetop version of this recipe please?
Yes I do! The written-out stovetop version is in my newest cookbook Simple Healing Food. If you don’t have that book on hand just follow these instructions. Blitz turmeric in a hand blender until fine. In a heavy bottom pot heat oil and saute the onions, turmeric and garlic until onions are translucent. Chop tomato, celery leaves and thyme and add to the pot. Add remaining ingredients and simmer on low heat for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. I usually use the stovetop version if I want to make a larger portion of soup, so add however much water or additional veggies as you like, Enjoy!