Improving Soup Water - Cooking thread

Hi

Last night I was bored and couldn't be bothered to go out and buy food so I decided to throw a bunch of stuff together for dinner. This basically consisted of a red pepper, a sliced carrot, broccoli, spring onions, stir fried for a couple of minutes, then chucked into some boiling water prepared with oregano and chilli flakes. After boiling for a couple of minutes I threw some ramen noodles and an egg in there.

It came out ALRIGHT. The noodles and veg were great but the soup itself left a bit to be desired, kind of flavourless but not off putting. Not bad for a first time making soup. I've named it Obel's Veg and Noodle Roulette Soup.

I'd like some help to improve the flavour of the soup. How is your soup kung fu WATMM? Which ingredients/spices should be added to improve the flavour of the soup?

Also general cooking thread.

you need a stock of some kind, i usually use this for pretty much everything (including plain rice and pasta).

but if you want something with a bit more kick tom yum paste is good which you can get at more supermarkets.

Yeah, you need chicken stock or a bouillion cube or something.

A soup that is very easy to make that is also delicious is tom yum

Worcester Sauce is an ace addition to any broth

bouillon or your own stock.. the magic ingredient is CELERY. parsley and bay leaves also important.

for asian soups it's all about the fish sauce

of course there's millions of things you can use to make a soup nice but those are important for flavour depth

After sautéing the veggies try deglazing the pan with some wine and scrape up the fond off the bottom of the pan before adding the stock. Lots of flavor.

Try to use less water if you are using ramen noodle powder then you'll have more flavour. If you are doing a noodle thing but want more water, then miso paste can be used. Also, try beef stock, it's a very bold flavour that bounces nicely off noodles and veges. 1/2-1 of the cubes will do. Once you get more confident then you can make actual soups using bases. If only secret santa had known, he/she could have gotten you a soup recipe book.

just throw some fucking butter and garlic in there

I believe the answer you are looking for is tom yum.

'That Spanish fer tommy sauce ?

It's Thai. Weirdly right after I made the soup I googled tom yum, as tom yum goong is my favourite soup. Couldn't stop eating that shit in Thailand! Didn't expect nearly everyone to recommend it too!

  On 12/30/2013 at 5:57 PM, Obel said:

It's Thai.

Put a roux and some bitters in it.

you build flavors through the maillard reaction. brown as much as you can. roast bones, brown it all. deglaze the browned bits on the bottom of pot with stock or water. stuff as much veggies (some chefs even use egg shells) as you can in the stock. cover everything about an half inch with water or store bought broth. use clean filtered water. bring to a boil reduce to simmer and cover except for a small crack to release steam and let it simmer for 4 to 5 hours. that's how to make a good stock

you can also alternate by using green or red thai curry paste, maybe chuck in a bit of coconut milk.

LOL @ "soup water" - it's called broth(er).

Here's all you need - don't bother making stock, etc. - this stuff (if it's available where you are) is all you need:

http://www.superiortouch.com/retail/products/better-than-bouillon

They have lots of different bases as well, for all you needs - I use this when I am making dishes as well as soups - a bit mixed into a sauce or as a marinade gives it a good flavour.

oh i almost forgot

  On 12/30/2013 at 6:03 PM, marf said:

you build flavors through the maillard reaction

not necessarily...for a hearty winter soup, sure that's great and it is a good flavour but all kinds of delicate flavours that you can get from soup that wouldn't work if you caramalise yr onions etc

dayum im getting too serious here soz

  On 12/30/2013 at 6:50 PM, Joyrex said:

don't bother making stock, etc.

sure use that if you're not buying big on the bone meat but if you need veg stock it's a piece of piss to make

Make stock you lazy bastard

If you make chicken you can use the leftovers to make stock out of it.

I'm sort of weird about anything processed these days so if I was looking for something to simplify the process with this store bought stuff I would be very stringent about what would qualify as a good substitute.

That being said I've heard that making vegetable broth requires a shit ton of vegetables, but as far as I know any leftover meat products (bones, fat, etc) can be used to make nice broths.

I like using the slow cooker with some purchased broth to make soups personally. Home made ramen is good as well. I found brown rice noodles at the Whole Foods near me so I can eat all the pasta I want and avoid gluten/shitty carbs.

  On 12/30/2013 at 10:33 PM, AdieuErsatzEnnui said:

If you make chicken you can use the leftovers to make stock out of it.

 

I'm sort of weird about anything processed these days so if I was looking for something to simplify the process with this store bought stuff I would be very stringent about what would qualify as a good substitute.

 

That being said I've heard that making vegetable broth requires a shit ton of vegetables, but as far as I know any leftover meat products (bones, fat, etc) can be used to make nice broths.

 

I like using the slow cooker with some purchased broth to make soups personally. Home made ramen is good as well. I found brown rice noodles at the Whole Foods near me so I can eat all the pasta I want and avoid gluten/shitty carbs.

They sell organic and kosher versions of their stuff too.

Sure, making chicken stock is easy - IF you are cooking chicken and have the leftover parts to do so - plus you have to skim off the fat if you're making clarified broth, so while being easy, it takes time - something not a lot of us have.

I used the leftover fried turkey carcass from thanksgiving and made awesome homemade turkey stock which I then turned into turkey pho. best thing I've ever made.

  On 12/30/2013 at 8:17 PM, tauboo said:

 

  On 12/30/2013 at 6:03 PM, marf said:

you build flavors through the maillard reaction

not necessarily...for a hearty winter soup, sure that's great and it is a good flavour but all kinds of delicate flavours that you can get from soup that wouldn't work if you caramalise yr onions etc

 

dayum im getting too serious here soz

 

fair enough. i just wanted to use the phrase "maillard reaction", tbh

My gf makes her own stock for soup. It is a tricky, time consuming business, but well worth it in my experience.