Yoghurt soup with chicken and rice
This is so good! It’s a meal in itself.
This is so good! I ate something similar to this years ago at a terrific restaurant in Adelaide called Mona Lisa’s. It was a restaurant I visited in my early years and it helped shape my love for food and the theatre that can be so effortless yet seductive in good restaurants. This soup is a meal in itself.
Ingredients: 1 litre (34 fl oz/4 cups) chicken stock | 400 g (14 oz) free-range skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into small cubes | 300 g (10½ oz) plain yoghurt | 2 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour | 1 large egg yolk | 185 g (6½ oz/1 cup) cooked basmati rice | 400 g (14 oz) tinned chickpeas, drained | 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil |2 tablespoons butter | 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped | 2 teaspoons sweet paprika | 1 teaspoon ground cumin | 1 teaspoon ground coriander | ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper | big pinch of cayenne pepper | 3 tablespoons finely chopped mint leaves | 1 tablespoon finely chopped oregano leaves
Bring the stock to the boil in a medium-sized saucepan, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the chicken, cover and cook for about 10 minutes or until cooked through. Remove the chicken using a slotted spoon and set aside. Remove the stock from the heat and set aside. In another saucepan, whisk the yoghurt, flour and egg yolk over low heat until thoroughly combined. Add the hot stock one ladle at a time and continue to whisk. Once all the stock is incorporated, add the rice, chickpeas and cooked chicken. Keep on a low heat and do not allow to boil. Heat the oil, butter, garlic and spices in a frying pan until the butter melts, then remove from the heat. Mix together the mint and oregano in a small bowl. Divide the soup among four bowls and serve drizzled with a spoonful of the melted spiced butter and a sprinkle of the herbs. Serves 6.
From Milk. Made. by Nick Haddow (Hardie Grant Books, $55), available nationally.
