Middle Eastern Yeminite Chicken Soup and Hawaiij Spice

Root to Rise - it all starts with the foundation
Peeling veggies is not necessary if organic and washed well

The beginning stages towards a ‘chicken soup for the soul’

Chicken Soup… What does that remind you of? For me it’s a Friday night soup for the soul, better known as the Jewish Penicillin. Jack Canfield and Mark Hansen got this right! The proof is in the pudding (actually a bowl of chicken soup)!

The ‘Chicken Soup’ recipe is a household medicinal recipe. Books after books called ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ have been written with different subtitles - Chicken soup: for mothers, christians, restoring faith in nature, travelers, angels, different languages, many editions - CHICKEN SOUP is a world wide fave. It’s GOLD! As they say trust your grandma, safta, bubbe, oma, - they know what’s good for you!

My sister surprised me with a gift - what you know - a recipe book. Thanks sis! Sababa cookbook hot off the press (Hebrew slang word that means ‘cool’). And that it is! I read through the book - yes, I read cookbooks. They’re one of my fave non-fiction library of books. Adeena Sussman - author of Sababa - kudos to her - she created a very ‘cool’ middle eastern cookbook. As we say in Hebrew when someone does a great job - '“yasher koach” - may her Strength be firm. I was intrigued by Sababa’s chicken soup - so I, as a self proclaimed forensic chef began to scan the ingredients and decided what I wanted to do with this recipe. To be honest not much changed but there are a couple of modifications - as I am sensitive to gut health and making every dish even more nutritious and digestible. Hey, If I’m making any soup with bones I want to get the most calcium leeched out of those bones as humanly possible for a #1 bone broth experience!

chicken gluten free high protein
serves 12-14

Bones from a whole chicken - ask your butcher for the bones (a whole chicken is fine, too. FYI, more chicken in the soup to serve
6 carrots
3 celery stalks
1 onion
1 parsnip
1 turnip
3 garlic cloves
1 bunch dill
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp Hawaiij - Yemen spice - recipe below
1 inch ginger root
Juice of lemon or 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar

-In very large pot - 8-10 quart place chicken, carrots, celery, onion, parsnip, garlic in the pot. Cover with water - at least 3 inches of water above the ingredients in pot
-Bring to boil for 15 minutes and discard any scum
-reduce heat to simmer and add dill and cook - soup can move with small bubbles - not boiling
-add salt, Hawaiij (recipe below) and ginger after 2 hours - this soup cooks for hours
-cover pot and cook all day - if you use a crockpot you can cook overnight for 8-10-12 hours. The longer the tastier and healthier - remember, simmer - you don’t want the liquid to evaporate.
-when ready to serve, remove the dill, all veggies and chicken from pot
-remove the chicken from the bones and serve with the soup. Save the carrots as well and slice to serve in soup, as well.
-Enjoy right away - actually after hours of cooking -lol - it’s a whole day affair worth every hour on the stove or crock pot. Your senses will take you to a middle eastern market place in the streets of Israel or Yemen. Aromatic bliss! Who needs to travel - bring culture to your cuisine!

I begin my soup early Friday morning or Thursday and leave in fridge so the fat rises to the top. I skim off the fat the next day. It’s pretty wild how much fat congeals on top. And, just as wine ages well so does soup!

Love in a soulful soup,
Genia

Yemen Spice blend - five spices

This spice - thanks to Adeena author of Sababa for introducing me to this Yemen spice delicacy. Yemen immigrants to Israel introduced their spice and now the country is spicing up their chicken soup ‘Yemen style’. Sababa - cool!

Grind spices in coffee grinder

Hawaiij Spice Blend

1/4 cup whole black pepper corns or ground black pepper
1/4 cup cumin seeds or ground cumin
2 tbsp cardamon seeds of ground cardamon
2 tbsp coriander
3 tbsp ground turmeric

Genia’s Spoon Me Tips - I place all the spices in a coffee grinder to blend all the spices together. Extra spices place in an airtight container. I use recycled spice bottles. Spices stay fresh for 6 months. Keep in dry, closed container.

If you use whole seeds you can toast the pepper corns, cumin, cardamon and coriander in skillet for 3 minutes on low heat to bring out their flavor.