Recipe Description
After the two-month holiday season, we want to take a break from feasting and fall back on some comfort food. What makes us feel more at home than soup!
ABC soup is one of those dishes that are so easy to make that many parents teach their children to make it from an early age. It is also the go-to recipe for many students studying overseas where all the ingredients are quite cheap and readily available.
One of the reasons it is called ABC soup is because it is so easy to prepare, as simple as ABC. Another reason is that it supposedly contain all the vitamins A (carrots), B (potatoes) and C (tomatoes).
Although some families customarily use green tomatoes in this soup, which will acquire a bit of tartness from the tomato, I prefer to put in ripe tomatoes instead because it makes the soup sweeter and add a certain fragrance to it.
I’ve used ayam pencen, or spent hen, for this soup because of its superior flavour and ability to hold up to prolonged cooking. I’ve also added two chicken carcasses to add more meaty flavour to the soup. You may substitute with pork bones and ribs, the traditionally favoured meat for this soup.
Don’t forget the white peppercorns, which I’ve added in whole. You may pound them coarsely before but I find the whole peppercorns are easier to pick out and discard.
For this simple soup, all the ingredients are cooked together simultaneously. You may make a more refined preparation if you were to boil the bones separately for the stock, then add the other ingredients after the broth is strained out.
But that may be a bit too complicated for a homely meal that you want to cosy up to on a rainy day.
Recipe Ingredient
- 2 chicken carcasses, cut into pieces
- 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
- 2 large carrots, cut into large chunks
- 3 medium potatoes, cut into large chunks
- 2 large tomatoes, cut into wedges
- 1 large onion, cut into wedges
- 2 litres water
- 1 teaspoon white peppercorn
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Clean chicken of all innards and feather stubs. Wash vegetables and cut them all to about the same size.
- Place all ingredients into a pot and fill with cold water until it just covers all the chicken and vegetables. Add whole peppercorns and about 1 teaspoon salt.
- Simmer over medium heat for about 3 hours, or in pressure cooker for 1 hour.
- When ready, adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.
