Gently spicy chicken, red lentil & apple soup
Please don’t be put off by the longish list of ingredients for this soup, it really is very simple to make, and if you like you can spread the work by cooking the chicken one day, then making the soup the next. It’s surprisingly light and utterly delicious, and like so many spicy dishes the flavour becomes even better after it has sat in the fridge for a couple of days.
6 generous serves
1.8kg (or thereabouts) chicken
About 3 litres water
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely diced
3-4 nice fat cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small red chilli, finely chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and finely diced
2 stalks celery, finely sliced
2 heaped tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
3 heaped teaspoons freshly ground cumin seeds
1 heaped teaspoon freshly ground coriander seeds
1 ½ teaspoons sweet Hungarian paprika
2 teaspoons curry powder (I like Clive of India)
1 tablespoon sea salt, or more to taste
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (200g) red lentils, thoroughly washed and drained
250g orange sweet potato, peeled and finely diced
⅓ cup (65 g) brown rice
2 large pink lady, Fuji or gala apples, peeled and finely diced
¼ cup (60 ml) freshly-squeezed lime juice, or more to taste
Large handful of tiny chervil or coriander leaves, plus extra to garnish
Lime wedges, to serve, optional
Sit the chicken in a very large saucepan or stockpot, then pour in enough of the water to completely submerge it. Bring the water to the boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and leave it to simmer (only a few slow bubbles should rise to the surface) for 1 ¼ hours, skimming off any foam that forms on top. You may find that the chicken bobs to the surface, if it does, just balance a heatproof plate on top to keep it submerged. When it’s ready, turn off the heat and leave the chicken to cool in the liquid for 30 minutes, then remove it from the pan to a plate to cool, reserving the stock. Strain the stock into a bowl and blot up any fat with paper towel. If you’re not using it immediately, let it cool then pop it into the fridge.
Give the pan a really good rinse to remove any scum from the sides, then return it to the cooktop. Add the olive oil and warm it over low-ish heat. Scrape in the onion, garlic and chilli, and cook them, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir in the carrots, celery and ginger, and cook for another 3 minutes. Mix in the cumin, coriander, paprika, curry powder, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring constantly, for a minute or so until they release their wonderful fragrance. Now stir in the lentils, sweet potato and rice and cook for another minute. Measure out 2 ½ litres (10 cups) of the reserved chicken stock and add it to the pan (there may be a little stock left which you can freeze for another use). Increase the heat to high and bring the liquid to the boil, then reduce the heat to low let the soup simmer (there should be a few bubbles rising constantly) for 30 minutes, or until the rice is nearly cooked.
While the soup is cooking, skin the chicken, remove the meat from the bones and tear or cut it into bite-size pieces. (If you’re not using the chicken straight away, pack it into a container and pour a little of the leftover stock over the top, then cover it and put it in the fridge.)
Add the apple and lime juice to the soup, give it a good stir, and continue to cook for about 10 minutes until the apple is just tender, then slip the chicken into the soup and warm it through. Taste the soup and add more salt, pepper or lime juice as needed. Finally, stir in the chervil or coriander leaves so they retain their vivid green colour.
To serve the soup, ladle it into warm bowls and sprinkle a little more chervil or coriander over the top. I like to serve it with a bowl of lime wedges for those who want to add a little extra tang to it. Leftover soup keeps well for 4 days in the fridge.