One of the oldest known chicken soup recipes (perhaps THE oldest) was created by Yemenite Jews thousands of years ago. Today, many Jews and people of other faiths make their own versions of Yemenite chicken soup. I’ve seen many iterations by various chefs over the years, and I finally decided to make one of my own after falling in love with hawaij (pronounced huh-WHY-adge), the spice blend responsible for giving the soup its distinctive, warm hue and depth of flavor. Hawaij is made up of cumin, black pepper, turmeric, coriander, cardamom, and cloves. These are all spices that I’ve cooked with before, but the combination is simply transcendent.
Place the chicken carcass, onions, garlic, cabbage, and carrots into a large stock pot. Add enough water to cover, and then bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for about two hours.
Add the ginger, hawaij, and 4 Tbsp vegeta or chicken bouillon. Let the soup simmer for 15 minutes, then taste it to see if it needs more seasoning and add accordingly. Simmer for another hour.
At this point, you can strain the soup to have a broth, or you can proceed with the recipe to have a heartier, chunkier soup. Remove the vegetables and carcass, and add the potatoes to the soup. Cook for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Strip the carcass of the meat, and chop the vegetables and return to the soup. Serve hot with a nice crusty piece of bread.
Yemenite Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 chicken carcass
- 2 whole garlic bulbs, cut in half horizontally
- 3 large carrots, whole
- ½ head cabbage, cut into 2-3 large chunks
- 2 whole onions, roots and skins removed
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- Vegeta or chicken bouillon, to taste
- 2 Tbsp hawaij seasoning
- 4 russet potatoes, scrubbed and chopped
- kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
- Place the chicken carcass, onions, garlic, cabbage, and carrots into a large stock pot. Add enough water to cover, and then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer for two hours.
- Add the ginger, hawaij, and 4 Tbsp vegeta or chicken bouillon. Let the soup simmer for 15 minutes, then taste it to see if it needs more seasoning and add accordingly. Simmer for another hour.
- Remove the vegetables and carcass, and add the potatoes to the soup. Cook for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Strip the carcass of the meat, and chop the vegetables and return to the soup. Serve hot with a nice crusty piece of bread.