Chicken soup with rice

“I told you once, I told you twice, all seasons of the year are nice for eating chicken soup with rice!” Maurice Sendak

From the moment I first read Maurice Sendak’s Chicken Soup With Rice to Nova, she was after me to make it for her supper.

More often than not, I opted for this Asian-inspired version, that uses  the cooking liquid left after making crystal chicken. 

I boost the flavour of the broth with additional ginger and garlic, as well as a stalk of lemongrass. And I’ve recently discovered that the parboiled basmati (atta) rice I purchased to make Kabuli pilau works well here, holding its shape really nicely.

Chicken soup with rice
(serves 4-6)

• 2 litres of chicken stock
• 1″ piece of ginger, peeled and sliced thickly
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
• 1 stalk lemongrass, trimmed and bruised with the side of a knife
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup basmati rice
• 2 cups chicken meat, shredded into bite-size pieces
• 2 green onions, sliced crosswise
• salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large pot, bring the chicken stock to a simmer. Add the ginger, garlic and lemongrass and cook for twenty minutes to concentrate and flavour the stock. (If you aren’t using leftover crystal chicken stock, double the quantity of garlic, ginger and lemongrass.)
2. Add the carrots and basmati rice and simmer until both are just tender.
3. Add the shredded chicken and green onions, and cook for five minutes more.
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Tags: carrots, chicken, dairy-free, gluten-free, lemongrass, rice