What's your favorite soup?

[wannabe]

Previously, and maybe still my favorite pre-meal soup is lobster bisque. YUM!

But, a while back I experienced the most amazing flavor...totally new to my pallet. At The Clubhouse in Las Vegas, The watermelon gazpacho soup is amazing! Incredibly delicious! If ever in Vegas, give it a try!

[Cytoplasm]

My aunt makes this fantastic homemade wild rice soup during Thanksgiving. I love it so much.
My second is between clam chowder, some sort of potato and cheese&broccoli (depending on my mood).

[Bakemaster]

This is a difficult question to answer. I think perhaps it depends on the season. That gives me four options, at least, so...
- My egg drop soup (everyone else's sucks)
- My wife's sopa de tortilla (lots of lime, avocado chunks, none of that tomato bullshit)
- A really good restaurant New England clam chowder
- Matzo ball soup with chicken and kale

[Mirelle18]

It used to be tomato, but after having it almost daily for a few months, it started losing it's novelty, to say the least....
To be honest, I'm still kind of off soup in general. Except for Spaghetti- O's....do they count as soup?
Maybe I'll try some of the soups mentioned above me...

[PAstrychef]

Overall, it's cream of mushroom. Then chicken with matzoh balls. Then thom ga, a Thai chicken soup.

[Nath]

Probably rasam (a.k.a. chaaru), a spicy tamarind, tomato and lentil soup from South India. Sometimes poured over rice, but also great on its own in a mug or bowl. Hmm; I should try stirring in a bit of egg and rice for a South Indian avgolemono.

But I've rarely met a soup I didn't like. Tom kha gai and tom yum. Pho. Clam chowder. Broccoli and cheese. Mushroom, with some crumbled crackers. But you know, it's hard to beat a good, simple tomato soup with buttered bread.

pallet.

Why is this becoming a thing?

[Amarantha]

pallet.

Why is this becoming a thing?

I read an article the other day in which 'palette' was used.

As for soup, ya, too many awesome ones to pick a favourite. Pho, roasted cauliflower, tomato mung dal, greek fish, chilli oil dumpling... I'll stop now or I'll be here all night.

[wannabe]

pallet.

Why is this becoming a thing?

I read an article the other day in which 'palette' was used.

Darn auto correct...s/b palete of course


Saw Tom Kha Gai on someone's list...ya, that's a good one. A really good homemade chicken soup is pretty good too, especially with homemade noodles. Also a place here that during the fall makes a butternut squash that is pretty darn good.

SOUP IS GOOD FOOD!

[AvatarIII]

i'm not a massive soup fan, i like a few types of lentil soup (carrot and lentil or bacon and lentil etc), brocolli and stilton and oxtail, but beyond that i don't really eat much other soups. maybe i just haven't found the right soup for me, it doesn't help that a lot of types of soup contain mushrooms, of which i am allergic

[podbaydoor]

pallet.

Why is this becoming a thing?

I read an article the other day in which 'palette' was used.

Darn auto correct...s/b palete of course

It's "palate."

I don't eat soups very often, so no soup is jumping immediately to mind. I tend to like the Western heartier, chunkier soups involving sauces or creams over the thinner water-based Chinese soups...but then I love wontons, so it's all good.

[Bakemaster]

thom ga, a Thai chicken soup.

Dammit, you've destroyed my satisfaction with having narrowed it down to only four!

[natraj]

Tom yum and tom kha are both so delicious. Also rasam. Although I tend to only eat it when I am sick. It is like my chicken noodle. Sinigang is also delicious. I think I am particular to tamarind though.

Curses. Now I want soup and I have none.

[Mighty Jalapeno]

My wife's French Onion soup, complete with sourdough crouton and broiled Swiss cheese. Om nom.

Second, my own clam chowder, which is almost as much clam as it is chowder. It also has bacon, anchovies and garlic. Unfortunately, I can't eat it for a little while (the nine million calories per serving is a little much.)

Third, Get It Up Ya Gumbo, which is: 1 can Campbell's Condensed Gumbo, and enough Louisiana Hot Sauce to turn it bright red. I ate this daily when I was living on my own.

[Sandry]

I think my favourite is probably something red lentil-based.

I like mulligatawny soup quite a bit, and a potato leek that's done well makes me really happy. Pho chay is also a happy, happy thing. I've also occasionally had tomato soup with a bit of bleu cheese in that's been quite nice. Odd because independently I'm not a huge fan of either tomato soup or bleu cheese.

[PatrickRsGhost]

My favorites would have to be:

1. Homemade chicken noodle soup - the best cure-all for what ails you.

2. Tomato soup - especially when mixed with milk (creamy), and served with grilled cheese sandwiches.

3. Seafood chowder at Gumbeaux's in Douglasville, GA

4. Broccoli cheese soup from either Quizno's or Panera Bread

[poxic]

One of my favourites used to be the ultra-weight-gain formula of Campbell's Tomato, plus a package of instant ramen (without flavour MSG packet), and a bunch of grated cheddar cheese melted in. I don't make this anymore.

These days, a good cream of mushroom and/or broccoli is nice. Corn chowder is good, as is asparagus. A worthy pea soup (minus animal parts) will never be refused. If I'm making my own, mixed fall veggie with some pumpkin blended into the broth will keep me happy for days.

[Nath]

I think my favourite is probably something red lentil-based.

I like mulligatawny soup quite a bit...

Funny thing about mulligatawny: it started as an Anglicized version of rasam. The name comes from a British attempt to pronounce 'molliga tanni' (roughly), Tamil for 'chili water'.

Come to think of it, I've never actually tried the British version.

[Thesh]

I've never met a clam chowder I didn't like. Well, except for the one time I made homemade; I winged it instead of following a recipe. I should try again and get it right.

[Sandry]

I think my favourite is probably something red lentil-based.

I like mulligatawny soup quite a bit...

Funny thing about mulligatawny: it started as an Anglicized version of rasam. The name comes from a British attempt to pronounce 'molliga tanni' (roughly), Tamil for 'chili water'.

Come to think of it, I've never actually tried the British version.

I don't believe I've ever had rasam, and I think this is likely a Thing To Be Corrected.

[Nath]

I don't believe I've ever had rasam, and I think this is likely a Thing To Be Corrected.

Two ways to Correct This Thing: long way, short way. Don't think I've tried the instant stuff, but I've heard that 777 is a good brand. (It's probably at your local Indian grocery, if you don't want to pay ridiculous shipping costs.)

Semi-on-topic: a local banh mi place has started selling a 'pho dip'. This is a banh mi with rare roast beef and the usual pickled vegetables, dipped in pho broth. This was the first time I've tried pho broth without all those herbs and meats and noodles, and I had to stop myself from drinking it straight before I dipped the sandwich in it. Savory, onioney, almost like a particularly beefy French onion soup.

[cerbie]

- My egg drop soup (everyone else's sucks)

Amazing how that works. I would have to go one a egg drop soup binge if I went halfway around the world, but I've only had any anywhere near as good as my own at a pho place, and that's just because of the mysterious power of pho joint broth...and mine is still better.

It's hard to pick a single favorite. I mean, it's soup. But, in approximate order of personal nominess:
- Leftover from-scratch gumbo (variety matters less than a dark roux, a real broth made for it, and having been reheated 2 or 3 times).
- Cream of Vidalia (strong onions aren't so good for this one).
- New England clam chowder (milkfat, milkfat, milkfat, and clams).
- Miso soup, with fresh green onions, slivers of cabbage and radish, and using dry shiitake in the broth. I am unbearably critical of Korean restaurants' attempts at miso soup, now (Japanese style restaurants mostly seem to be owned and run by Koreans, where I am). I'm sure it's nowhere near as good as a proper Japanese preparation, but it's delicious to me.
- Sambar (I have not been successful at making a good--as in a recipe worthy of serving to guests, that I can predict will be good before I start--batch as of yet, and the restaurant that made me love it is gone).
- Bean/lentil/pea soup, despite always being a pain to clean up after, and taking so long to get really good.
- Cabbage soup (see XKCD cookbook thread).

- Matzo ball soup with chicken and kale

P.S. Kale is a highly-underrated leafy green.

[PatrickRsGhost]

My egg drop soup (everyone else's sucks)

Doth a recipe exist somewhere? I've been looking for a good recipe for egg drop soup. Likewise my mom's been looking for a good hot & sour soup recipe, since all of the Chinese/Asian cuisine restaurants within a 15-mile radius of us have been a major disappointment.

I once winged an egg drop soup using vegetable broth, chicken broth, a few seasonings, and of course egg. I beat the egg, and ran it through a slotted spoon to get the little strips or "ribbons". As memory tells me, yea, it was good. Goes better with some chopped scallions. Most people call them green onions, but they're really scallions.

And +10 Internets to the person who can identify the source of that last sentence. WITHOUT Googling.

[Bakemaster]

There once was a recipe, and if I had to take a wild guess I'd say it probably came from the Joyce Chen Cook Book, but my egg drop soup evolved over many years of trial and error. Which is not to say it's complicated, and it sounds like you already know the fundamentals. You can use your broth of choice; because I so often eat with vegetarians, I've taken to using vegetable bouillon, prepared a bit more thinly than directed, rather than the more traditional animal-based broth or stock.

Boil your broth of choice and add to it:
- A generous thumb-sized piece of ginger, finely chopped*
- Several shakes of fire oil (can substitute crushed red pepper flakes)
- Soy sauce to taste (unless your broth or bouillon is already very salty)

In a measuring cup or small bowl, mix a bit of corn starch and water. I usually prepare about 1/4 cup of corn starch when making one to two quarts of soup. The water is to keep the corn starch from cooking in lumps when you add it to the boiling broth; you just need enough so that you can easily pour the mixture in a bit at a time. The corn starch is a thickener which affects the way the egg cooks. If your broth is very thin, your egg will tend to cook in wispy strands or large chunks. A slightly thicker broth enhances the delicate ribbon shape which should be your goal. I don't really know how to explain how to tell when your broth is thick enough except to use trial and error, and in my opinion it's better to be too thin than too thick (my wife prefers it thicker, so this is a matter of taste).

Beat your eggs (1-2 large eggs per pint of broth, as you like) and add a splash of Chinese rice wine if you've got it, dry sherry if you haven't. Don't use sake unless you can find a particularly dry variety, definitely don't use mirin (which is too sweet) or rice wine vinegar (which is vinegar, for crap's sake, not wine!), and be sparing with it. I'd say a tablespoon per two large eggs is about right.

Remove the broth from the heat and give it a good, steady stir in one direction with a wooden spoon or a ladle. While stirring, slowly pour the beaten egg into the broth. Provided you do this right after taking it off the boil (a heavy-bottomed pan helps by retaining heat), the egg will cook almost immediately and you can just let it sit for a minute before garnishing with chopped scallions and serving. Pouring the egg through the tines of a fork, held at a certain height above the broth, can help control the shape and thickness of the egg when it hits the broth; but if you're using two hands for the egg and fork, you can't stir, and stirring helps to keep the egg from clumping. If you ask some people, making the egg bits just the right shape and consistency is 99% of making a good egg drop soup, but I think as long as you've got the taste right the eggs don't have to be perfect. As long as you avoid the two pitfalls which are large clumps of scrambled eggs from pouring too fast or wispy, mushy strands from broth that has cooled down so it's not cooking the eggs before they can fall apart.

*Rule of thumb: If your thumb might be smaller than my thumb, add two thumbs of ginger instead of one. Universal truth: There is never any such thing as too much ginger.

[Amarantha]

...Most people call them green onions, but they're really scallions.

And +10 Internets to the person who can identify the source of that last sentence. WITHOUT Googling.

Sounds kind of IronChef-esque to me. Like the sort of thing Doc Hattori would say (or his voice-over guy, at least).

[PatrickRsGhost]

...Most people call them green onions, but they're really scallions.

And +10 Internets to the person who can identify the source of that last sentence. WITHOUT Googling.

Sounds kind of IronChef-esque to me. Like the sort of thing Doc Hattori would say (or his voice-over guy, at least).

Nope. It was from Stan Freberg's "Christmas Dragnet". One of the repeated lines was about a relish made with a few ingredients, and scallions being one of them. "Everybody calls them green onions, but they're really scallions."

[Coffee]

Varies.
Summer? Gazpacho
Winter? Ham & cheese chowder

But normally I'd take chile con carne over most soups

[gloriacollins]

my favorite is chicken soup...

[darthchazza]

My absolute favorite to make is onion soup, plus it's a great gateway dish to convert people to onions. Cheese and sour dough are a must.
But I still have a massive soft spot for my mom's lamb shank soup, sooo meaty with plenty of barley and celery.
Also ham and pea soup can be amazing but it is always a bit hit and miss for me.

[merelydicta]

Chanced upon this topic...and now I'm acutely hungry.

My favorites are:

1) French Onion
2) Borscht (Russian)....although I did try Macanese Borscht soup (they add spam instead of beef...genius!)...and thought well of it too.
3) Home-made mushroom potage
4) Laksa (technically not a soup...since it comes with noodles but damnit I'm hungry).

[dcb2011]

My grandmother's vegetable soup is my favorite; nobody can make it like her.
(I think her secret is that she makes her own chicken broth instead of using the store-bought powder stuff)

My other favorites include French Onion, vegetarian Borscht, my own homemade Clam Chowder, and Lentil and Bacon.

[Anonymously Famous]

Chicken noodle (from scratch, of course)
My wife's clam chowder
Cheese and broccoli

[Kevin88]

Mushroom soup. My mother makes a wonderful soup, with over fifteen different types of mushrooms and some other vegetables to boot. Wonderful, wonderful taste...Something a hobbit would certainly appreciate.