CHICKEN SOUP WITH CHILLI, MINT AND COUSCOUS
Serves 4-6
1-2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
1-2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp granulated sugar
2 tsp dried mint
1 tbsp tomato puree
100 g couscous
1 small bunch of fresh coriander, finely chopped to garnish
1 lemon, quartered to serve
Stock
1 organic chicken, weighing 1.3 kg
1 onion quartered
1 lemon quartered
1 bunch of fresh parsley stalks
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 cinnamon stick
Salt and pepper
First make the stock. Put the chicken, onion, lemon, parsley, coriander seeds and cinnamon stick in a deep saucepan and pour in just enough water to cover. Bring to boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour, or until the chicken is almost falling off the bone.
Remove the chicken from the saucepan and leave to cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, remove the skin and tear the tender flesh into strips. Meanwhile, continue to simmer the broth until it has reduced to about 1.2 litres. Season to taste with salt and pepper and sieve into a jug.
Heat the oil in the heavy-based saucepan, add the onions and chillies and cook over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until they began to colour. Add the cumin, paprika, sugar, mint and tomato puree and pour in the sieved broth. Bring to the boil and gradually stir in the couscous. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the strips of chicken, check the seasoning and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
Garnish the soup with the coriander and serve with the lemon quartes for squeezing over.
Personal notes- I did not had paprika and used chilli powder instead. Not a big fan of sweet curry or soup so I did not use granulated sugar the second time. It actually tasted better but it is up to you. And neither did I use whole chicken- chicken thigh fillet or breast fillet works fine and don’t think you need to boil the broth for an hour. Just make sure chicken is cooked and easy to tear into strips.
Enjoy!
