Chicken soup is delicious and nutritious, and it has the effects of relieving fatigue, improving beauty, and nourishing the skin, making it a long-time favorite. Now that people's economic conditions have improved, whether dining out or hosting a banquet at home, people always enjoy having chicken soup. But do you know how to stew chicken soup for the most nutrition and flavor? Are there people who should not drink chicken soup? With these questions, let's learn how to stew chicken soup with the editor!
(1) Use a live chicken or a frozen chicken
It goes without saying that buying a live chicken is mainly to ensure the freshness of the meat. However, after buying a fresh chicken, you should first put it in the freezer for about 3 hours before taking it out to thaw and cook. This method is similar to the principle of "aged meat." When an animal is suddenly slaughtered, its body naturally releases various toxins. Moreover, the body temperature of a freshly killed chicken is suitable for bacterial growth. Freezing it at this time can both kill bacteria and allow the chicken to naturally transition from the "rigor mortis" stage to the "maturation" stage. Only then is the chicken meat at its best, and the soup made from it will be more delicious.
(2) Essential Step: Blanching
Nutritional research shows that before stewing any meat, the main ingredient should be boiled in hot water. This not only removes the raw, gamey smell but is also a thorough cleaning process for the meat. It can make the stewed soup clear and not cloudy, and fragrant without any off-flavors. This process is called blanching.
There are also techniques to blanching. If you cook the meat in cold water, the nutrients will be severely lost as the water heats up to a boil. The best method is to add the meat to warm water, then cook for seven to eight minutes, turning the meat pieces from time to time. Of course, you can also add it to boiling water, cooking for only three to five minutes.
(3) Start Stewing, with Water and Fire
After blanching, you must immediately rinse the meat pieces with cold water before placing them in the pot to stew. This is because stewing is best done with cold water. As the water temperature slowly rises, the ingredients will fully release their nutrients. Ingredients that are at the same temperature as the water will yield a better flavor.
(4) Controlling the Heat is the Key to Stewing
The main purpose of stewing is to drink the soup, with the meat being secondary. Therefore, we do not recommend using a pressure cooker to stew soup, because nutrients are slowly released with low heat over a long period. A pressure cooker's short cooking time cannot achieve the desired effect. Therefore, chicken soup should be stewed in a clay pot. First, bring it to a boil over high heat for 10 minutes, then reduce to low heat. The boiling should be kept at a simmer, just below a full boil, because clay pots have excellent heat retention. If the heat is reduced after a full boil, the subsequent boiling will damage the "umami" of the soup. During the stewing process, try not to lift the lid, as it can cause the soup to lose its original flavor.
(5) The Art of Adding Seasonings
When stewing chicken soup, the order in which you add seasonings is crucial; otherwise, the final soup will be much less flavorful. Some people like to put all the seasonings in at the very beginning, which is not scientific. When making chicken soup, adding salt too early will cause the proteins in the chicken to coagulate, significantly reducing the soup's nutritional value and flavor, and can result in a bland soup with tough meat.
So, when should you add the seasonings? Salt and other seasonings should be added when the soup is almost ready. After adding salt, do not stir, as this can leave a raw salt taste. After adding the salt, turn the heat up to high for another 10 minutes without lifting the lid. This will result in a more flavorful chicken soup.
(6) These People Should Not Drink Chicken Soup
Although chicken soup is a nourishing delicacy, it is not suitable for everyone. The nutrients in chicken soup are small, water-soluble proteins, fats, and inorganic salts that are dissolved from the chicken oil, meat, bones, and skin. Furthermore, most of the fat in chicken soup is saturated fatty acid. If you suffer from hyperlipidemia, peptic ulcers, weak kidney function, or stomach ulcers, you should try to avoid drinking chicken soup. It will not only increase your body's burden but also worsen your condition.