Friday 19 July 2013

Grandpa's Chicken Soup


No, I am not referring to my grandfather but the grandfather of the author of The Terenganu Peranakan's Cuisine. Thanks to my uncle, I am now the happy owner of this gem of a book. Being a Terengganu native, I am really pleased that someone has published a cookbook on our peranakan cuisine. There are some dishes featured in the book which I am not familiar with but I will be cooking from this book and sharing it with you from time to time.



Thumbing through the cookbook, I decided to try this simple soup first. It is pretty much like "sup bunjut" with the use of spices like cardamon, cloves, cinnamon and star anise. Though so easy to cook, this soup is very flavorful and tasty. I did not follow the recipe exactly because I was too lazy to fry the chicken, shallots and potatoes separately. I also decided to add carrots and celery for more vegetables.



The original recipe calls for the chicken pieces to be marinated with shallots and black pepper and then fried till half cooked. It is then removed from the pan and then the onions and potatoes are fried. The half cooked chicken, onions and potatoes are then added to a pot of boiling water together with the dry spices. The soup is then seasoned with soya sauce, salt and MSG. A cornflour mixture is added at the end to thicken the soup. I don't use MSG in my cooking and neither does my mum. But my grandma swears by it. Grandma once told me to cook a dish, take a portion out, add MSG and taste the difference between the one with and without MSG. So far, I haven't experimented yet :)



The original version of this soup would have a more intense taste from the fried marinated chicken. Perhaps I will do it that way the next time I cook this soup. My lazy version still tasted very good and I love this soup a lot!











My Grandpa's Chicken Soup
Recipe source : Adapted from The Terengganu Peranakan's Cuisine (page 45)

Ingredients :
- 4 chicken legs, cut into 16 pieces
- 6 shallots, cut into quarters
- 1 big onion, sliced
- 2 star anise
- 4 cardamoms
- 5 cloves
- 1 stick cinnamon (2 inches)
- 4 potatoes, cut into quarters
- 2 carrots, cut into wedges
- 2 stalks celery, sliced
- 1 liter water
- 2 cubes chicken stock (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste.

Method :
1. Heat oil in a saucepot.
2. Saute onion and shallots until wilted.
3. Add star anise, cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon stick. Fry until fragrant.
4. Add celery, carrots and potatoes and fry for 2 minutes.
5. Add chicken and stir with the vegetables.
6. Add water and chicken stock cube and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for about 45 minutes until the chicken is cooked and vegetables tender.
7. Season with salt and pepper.

Note : I did not add salt as the chicken stock was salty enough.






This post is linked to Cook-Your-Books #2 hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours.

44 comments:

  1. Nice. I'd probably do away to away with those spices, not a fan of those if too strong - like in Malay or mamak soups - they put a lot, I think.

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    1. Just a bit of the spices is fine, quite aromatic. Too much would be overpowering.

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  2. Hi Phong Hong, this soup should taste quite similar to the Malay chicken soup or soup kambing minus the coriander/tumeric powders. The spices makes this soup very aromatic. Must give it a try. BTW, I prefer this sweet/mild background colour of your blog.

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    1. Hi Kimmy, yah it is similar to the Malay chicken soup. Thanks, I also prefer this mild colour. Looks cleaner :)

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  3. Very comforting kind of soup, my boys would love it, they have been complaining that I don't boil soup for them anymore:P

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    1. Jeannie, try this soup. I am sure your boys would love it!

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  4. This grandpa chicken soup looks very traditional and so delicious!

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    1. Mich, it is a very good soup which I love a lot.

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  5. This sounds easy enough, could try it for dinner one evening. Thx for sharing ;)

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    1. Yen, if you love the Malay style chicken soup with spices, this one is very similar.

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  6. Thanks for sharing.
    Looking forward to more traditional Terengganu cooking

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    1. Hi Elaine! Oh yes, I am spreading the word on our Terengganu nonya cooking :)

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  7. Phong Hong, I thought it was your grandfather, hehehe! Notice that this recipe requires quite some spices here, very special taste hoh~

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    1. Jessie, very aromatic lah this soup! Also very delicious :)

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  8. ivy sew http://simplybeautifulhealthyliving.blogspot.com19 July 2013 at 11:41

    Phong Hong, I can't wait to try this recipe. Thanks so much for sharing and have a nice day :)

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    1. Hi Ivy, do try this soup! You have a nice day too :)

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  9. This reminds me of your mushroom chicken soup which was delicious too. Guess this would be the aromatic version with the addition of spices. Nice twist :)

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    1. You are right! Same thing but this one has added spices. Try it, it is quite good.

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  10. I agreed with my mom, sometime we need a bit of MSG to further enhance the taste. This chicken soup is perfect for a raining day to warm our stomach. Happy Weekend PH!

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    1. Sonia, grandma says after all we just use only a little bit of MSG and it won't do any harm. The problem is the restaurants tend to use too much and give MSG a bad name. Happy weekend to you too!

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  11. Love all those spicies in this soup! This will be a great comfort food ! YUM!

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    1. Kit, it is very good for a cold day :)

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  12. Hi Phong Hong, love your comfort soup, look so inviting. Looking at the ingredients, this soup must be very flavorful. Eat this kow tim, no need rice. :))

    Have a nice day.

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    1. Amelia, I had this soup for lunch. So satisfying!

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  13. Lovely and good soup. yummy.

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    1. Thanks, xing hui! You will love this soup too :)

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  14. This soup interesting must be yummy and very fragant with all the spices I am waiting to get hold of this book do you know this author appeared in Hua Hee Makan his mum is your mum's classmate and his uncle( his mum's brother) related to us by marriage this soup will be a complete healty meal with meat and veges yum-yum.

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    1. Ee-Ee, Koopa bought this book for you too. Remind mummy to bring for you.

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  15. PH, the soup looks nice, I drink a lot of soup now lol.

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  16. This soup a bit looks like ABC soup but definitely have more ingredients in it, feel so warm after drinking this for sure!

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    1. Jozelyn, this soup is delicious and the spices make it tastier.

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  17. Phong Hong, my hubby also orang Terengganu. Maybe I should cook this Terengganu peranakan cuisine for him ya...

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    1. Esther, yah lah must cook Terengganu fod for him. Hee..hee...

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  18. Hi Phong Hong,
    I've just cooked this two days ago! My mom's version, very similar except that we use more onions. This is one of the Nyonya soup that we call "stew" even though it is not as thick as the usual stew. My mom did not use celery but I sometimes added in myself. And I like to use the whole of small onions (not shallots), peeled of course! :) The onions will be soft and sweet after boiling for some time. Yes, this soup is so fragrant and tasty, you should try it eaten with sambal belacan. I cook this soupy stew very often at home. It always tastes much better the next day.
    I have seen this book at Popular a couple of weeks ago, and the thought of you immediately came to mind! It has Kay Hong recipe in it! Haha!
    Thanks for linking to CYB! Looking forward to more of your cookbooks goodies!

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    1. Hi Joyce! I must try putting small onions in the soup too (love onions!) and have it with sambal belacan. How come I didn't think of sambal belacan? Hee..hee...You are right that the soup tastes better the next day. I made a big pot. Oh, so the book is available at Popular Bookstore. And thanks for thinking of me :) I am sure Terengganu people will be hunting for this book.

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  19. I love recipes that are handed down from generation to generation. Chicken soup is something I could always eat, and this one sounds fantastic. Thanks for sharing!:)

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    1. Hi Nancy! I am a fan of chicken soup too and this one has pretty exotic flavors.

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  20. wa..i see black pepper..i like peppery soup..quite unusual kind of soup, i mean different from the chinese kind of soup that we make at home, with the addition of cloves and star anise..sounds good on rainy days :D

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    1. Lena, I love lots of pepper in my soup. Makes it more tasty :)

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  21. Hi Phong Hong, this looks very much like our ABC soup plus the extra spices... but like Arthur, I have my reservation about the spices in soup... :D

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    1. Alvin, have you tried the Indian style mutton soup? This soup is quiet similar in taste. I like it a lot!

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  22. Woo see the way you dash black pepper in the soup. I like it very much

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    1. Hi Angeline! I love lots of pepper in my soup and other dishes like noodles. Somehow, pepper makes the food so fragrant and appetizing.

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