Chorba for Ramadan

This chorba is very low salt, nutrient dense and soothing- perfect for suhur (pre-sunrise meal). Instead of using a more traditional whole chicken I used cubed chicken breast for a lighter finished product. I used a soup pot but this recipe can be made in a pressure cooker or slow cooker.

This soup is so easy that it's a none recipe. I went to Whole Foods (oops, didn't have a chance to go to a farmer's market) and purchased a variety of vegetables based on freshness and color. I bought onions, garlic, carrots, kale, yellow zucchini, a fresh fennel bulb, and kuri squash. The key ingredient for me is the kuri squash, it gave the soup a beautiful golden yellow/orange hue and added body to the broth. You can substitute acorn, kombucha or pumpkin.

I finely chopped the onion and minced the garlic, the kale was cut into a chiffonade and the remaining vegetables were cut into small cubes.

Saute the onions in olive oil over medium heat until transparent, add garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes more, add the remaining vegetables except the kale, season with salt and saute for 5-10 minutes, stirring to prevent burning. Cover with water, add 1 or 2 cups of cooked beans*, bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. When the vegetables are just tender add the kale and cubed chicken breast. The idea is the poach the chicken in the soup at the very end of cooking. This way the chicken doesn't dry out, it's moist and delicate like poached chicken should be.

EDITED TO ADD: The chicken breast is added raw, that's why I wrote "poached" not reheated. This recipe doesn't contain any spices, but the different vegetables give the finished product a delicate aroma of spices. Remember, an experienced Algerian cook thinks of almost every ingredient as a "spice". Vegetables and fruits, for example, are added to dishes for the sweet, bitter, sour, peppery, etc... flavor profiles.

This recipe is also perfect for people who are on low-sodium diets. I made a big batch of this soup less than a teaspoon of salt and it was very tasty. Normally I would add much more salt, but all things considering it was still a delicious soup.

An Italian influence in Algerian cooking is adding a little grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese to chorbas. This recipe is perfect for this.

*I used Rancho Gordo Runner cellini runner beans. I soaked the beans for several hours and cooked them in plain water until they were tender. I'm getting into the habit of keeping pre-cooked beans as a regular pantry item.

Comments

[djamila]

Je suis un peu decue! je m'attendais a la veritable recette de chorba algerienne, celle preparee avec de l'agneau, differents legumes dont des pois chiches, de la vermicelle et surtout de la coriandre fraiche...!

[Isabelle]

Oh, cette soupe a l'air delicieuse! J'ai creve de faim maintenant :( Peut-etre je l'essayerai chez moi plus tard, ce n'est pas seulment pour le Ramadan, n'est-ce pas? Quand j'ai demenage, c'etait difficile de trouver un bon "slow cooker" mais j'ai fait un peu de recherche sur un site, et un peu plus tart j'ai achete un "slow cooker." Voici le site pour les autres qui voudraient les acheter.

Un site extraordinaire pour rechercher

[Hayden]

Nice soup..I love it...!

[Assia]

Si on pouvait avoir les mesures presque exacte ce serait bien. Je veux essayer toutes tes recettes mais j'ai mal a suivre des fois quand les ingredients sont melanges dans le texte.
Bon courage.

[Buip]

Also looks like it can be a hearty meal

[S]

THE SOUP LOOKS SO LIGHT AND HEALTHY , IS THE CHICKEN CUBES ALREADY COOKED OR NOT.

[jilal]

Salut chef zadi et sahha f'tourek.
A propos de cette soupe je crois qu'on l'appel aussi MINISTRONI en italie.c'est une soupe a base de legumes coupés en dés.c'est ma préféré d'ailleurs.je rajoute toujourd quelques zeste de citron quant je l'a mange.
Greetings from paris.