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Sorrel Soup with Chicken and Egg
Instructions
I get all the ingredients ready. Sorrel soup with egg can be made simply on water, on ready meat or vegetable broth, or you can cook it together with chicken or meat straight away – that way it turns out the tastiest.
I pour water into a 3-litre pot and bring it to the boil. Then I add a chicken leg or any other chicken parts (you can use pork or beef, boneless or on the bone). When the water comes back to the boil, foam will start to appear; it should be skimmed off so the broth turns out tasty and clear. Once no more foam forms, I cover the pot with a lid and simmer the broth for 15–20 minutes.
Meanwhile, I cut the potatoes into small pieces.
I finely chop the onion, and cut the carrot into thin strips or grate it on a coarse grater.
I heat a little vegetable oil in a pan and add the onion and carrot. I sauté them until soft and golden.
I sort through the sorrel and rinse it well. Then I chop it as finely as I can with a knife.
I crack 3 eggs and beat them lightly with a fork to combine the yolks and whites.
When the meat is almost done, I add the potatoes and the sautéed onion and carrot to the pot. I add the salt, pepper and bay leaf.
I boil everything together for 5–7 minutes, then take the chicken parts out of the soup, separate the meat from the bone and chop it a little. I return the meat to the soup.
I add the chopped sorrel to the pot.
When the soup comes back to the boil after the sorrel, I add the egg. To do this, I stir the soup constantly with a spoon while pouring the egg mixture in a thin stream at the same time. Thanks to this, the egg spreads evenly through the soup and turns into what look like fine strands.
Now I add finely chopped parsley, taste for salt and add more if needed. I let the soup simmer for just a few minutes over low heat, then turn it off. The sorrel soup with chicken and egg is ready. You can serve it straight away or let it stand a little. When serving, I put a spoonful of sour cream in the bowl – it gives this dish special notes!Bon appétit!
Tips
- 1
A thin stream of egg is the "secret" to the strands. When you stir constantly, the egg "sets" into threads. Pour it in all at once and you get clumps.
- 2
Sorrel before the egg is the right order. First the sorrel cooks down, then the egg binds. Otherwise the egg will curdle in the acidic environment of the sorrel.
- 3
Finely chopped sorrel spreads evenly. Large leaves "curl into a bunch" during cooking, so the flavour stays localised.
- 4
Skim the foam and the soup will be clear. Without skimming it looks cloudy and "dirty". The same principle works in other kinds of spring soups with greens.
Video
FAQ
What can I use instead of sorrel? +
Alternatives: spinach with 1 tsp lemon juice (for a "fresh" note), young nettle (an old Russian option), beet leaves (the tops – unusual), chard (leaf beet), dandelion leaves (young ones, with a light bitterness). Frozen sorrel works too (add it to the soup without thawing). Don't use old sorrel – it is tough and bitter. Buy fresh, bright-green sorrel with no yellow leaves. Young greens (before flowering) are the most tender. For 3 litres of soup, 300 g of sorrel is ideal.
How do I add egg to the soup correctly? +
First, crack the egg into a bowl and beat it lightly with a fork – the yolk should combine with the white. Then the soup should be actively boiling and stirred constantly with a spoon. Pour the egg into the boiling soup in a thin stream while you keep stirring. As you stir, the egg "sets" into fine threads, like strands. If the soup isn't boiling, the egg will "spread" into a cloud. If you don't stir, it will curdle into clumps. An alternative: hard-boiled eggs cut into cubes. For a "Japanese"-style soup, the egg is poured in at the very end, after the heat is turned off.
How long does the soup keep? +
In the fridge, in a covered pot, for 2–3 days. Any longer and the sorrel "runs" and the colour turns brown. Reheat it on the stove to 80 °C – do not bring it to the boil. In the microwave, heat it in portions for 1–2 minutes. I don't recommend freezing it (the potato "crumbles" and the egg changes texture). On the second day the soup "settles" and the flavour becomes richer. Don't leave it at room temperature for longer than 2 hours. Serve it hot with sour cream, or chilled in hot weather (like okroshka). For a "lunch on the go" it keeps well in a thermos for 4–6 hours. Freshly cooked, it is at its best on the first day.
What to serve the soup with? +
The Russian classic: with sour cream (1–2 tbsp in the bowl, as the author suggests) and fresh greens (dill, parsley). With black or rye bread, or croutons. With garlic croutons for a "rustic" serving. With a chilled shot of vodka for a "Russian" serving. With herbal tea for a warming lunch. For an "office lunch" it is handy in a thermos. With hot pies or buns. For a "children's lunch", serve it with white bread and without hot pepper. With cold kvass for a summer version (when the soup is chilled). With a boiled egg on top for extra protein. A versatile light lunch for spring and summer.
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