The steam, smells and stirs of a long-simmered soup can be therapeutic, but so can a warm bowl of soup that’s on the table as soon as possible.
Making soup doesn’t need to take hours to be soothing and fortifying, as these tips for classic soups, stews and other brothy numbers prove. Each smart trick delivers deep flavours in less than 40 minutes. You’ll still cosy up to something delicious and fill your house with good aromas – it’ll just be sooner rather than later.
1. Start with a sizzle
To build a sturdy foundation, sizzle big-impact ingredients such as chopped vegetables, cured meats, dried spices or pastes in fat before adding any liquid.
This step rids the ingredients of flavourless liquid, wakes up slumbering spices and intensifies the savouriness of vegetables and proteins.
Bloom a few choice ingredients to not muddy the waters: A version of shiro, a silky chickpea stew beloved in Ethiopia and Eritrea, starts by simmering 10 cloves of garlic, an onion and two whole tablespoons of berbere, a red chili-based spice blend, in a shallow pool of oil. That fat then becomes infused with their flavours and carries them through the broth.
Remember that the fat adds flavour, too: Butter or olive oil are often go-tos, but to create the toasty nuttiness essential to panang curry, Naz Deravian warms Thai red curry paste, chopped peanuts and spices in thick coconut cream. Once the liquid from the cream evaporates, the aromatics sizzle in the remaining coconut oil, staining it bright red. The fat then carries their essences throughout the curry, much farther than they could have travelled on their own.
2. Choose flavourful liquids
Samin Nosrat, chef and author of Salt Acid Fat Heat, writes that “if you have water around, you can have soup”. Water is essential, but pantry and fridge staples such as broths, stocks, dairy, wine, pickle brines and tinned tomatoes offer far more flavour – and faster.
Broth and stock can be the backbone to any soup: Keep frozen home-made broth, shop-bought box broth or bouillon on hand. Chicken, beef and mushroom are all great, as is dashi, either home-made from seaweed and bonito flakes or from instant granules. It contributes enough savouriness to keep a breakfast udon soup satisfying but not so rich that you’ll want to crawl back under the covers.
Milk of the dairy or coconut variety can add silkiness without heft: Milk provides a sweet backdrop to the cheese, eggs and bread in Colombian changua. Moqueca, a Brazilian seafood stew, is buoyant thanks to juicy tomatoes and peppers and the sea spray that seeps from cod and prawns, while coconut milk gives it lusciousness and a floral undertone.
3. Thicken with starches, not time
A soup that hasn’t simmered long enough might be so thin, it drips and dribbles like water. For one that’s just thick enough, you could reduce the liquid for longer. Or, quicker yet, pick a recipe that incorporates a starchy ingredient, such as bread, potatoes, pasta, beans, lentils, nuts, tortillas or rice. As they cook, they’ll add body to the soup.
Rice is an especially gentle addition: The tender grains will fray at the edges, releasing starch.
Red lentils are another good choice, since their starches easily and quickly dislodge into their cooking liquid.
And two starches are better than one: In a sopa de fideo y frijols, thin noodles and puréed beans simmer with chicken broth, tinned tomatoes, crisp chorizo and other aromatics for just 12 minutes, but the result has the stewy consistency and deep flavour of a much longer game.
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4. Finish brightly with an acid
A finishing squeeze of lemon or lime, dribble of vinegar, dollop of sour cream or yoghurt, or scatter of pickled onions or jalapeños teases out the nuances you so diligently, if expeditiously, created in the pot. Acid also balances richness and enhances the overall flavour.
Lemon or lime juice beams sunshine on to everything it touches: Wake up earthy flavours with a final squeeze of lime, as well as fresh scallions and coriander.
A teaspoon of vinegar can transform a ho-hum soup into so much more: Intensifying chicken broth for wonton soup, for example, might just take a few drops of vinegar, soy sauce and chili oil.
Top bowls with tangy garnishes: While sour cream and cheddar add creaminess to baked potato soup, they’re also sneaky sources of acidity, cutting through the richness of the potatoes, milk and bacon for more balanced bites.
– This article originally appeared in the New York Times.
2025 The New York Times Company
