Supă de chimen
Supă de chimen: Banat caraway soup with a browned roux, croutons and egg
Banat Swabian families around Timișoara, the German-speaking farmers settled on the plain in the 18th century, called it Kümmelsuppe, and their Romanian and Hungarian neighbours took it up as supă de chimen. Caraway seeds are fried in butter with flour until the roux turns the colour of hazelnuts, then whisked into stock and finished with ribbons of beaten egg and crisp croutons. It is a cheap, warming soup for cold mornings and for the morning after a feast, nutty and toasty with a gentle aniseed note. A common mistake is browning the roux on a high heat, where it burns and turns bitter in seconds; keep the heat medium and stir without stopping. Chef's tip: lightly crush the caraway first to release more flavour.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Soup
- 1 ⅜ oz butter
- 2 tsp caraway seedslightly crushed
- 1 ⅜ oz plain flour
- ½ tsp sweet paprika
- ½ tsp saltto taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 eggsbeaten
- 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley (optional)chopped
Croutons
- 3 slices day-old white breadcut into cubes
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Toss the 3 slices day-old white bread with the 1 tbsp sunflower oil and toast in a dry frying pan over a medium heat, turning, until golden and crisp all over. Set aside.
6 minStep 2: Melt the 1 ⅜ oz butter in a saucepan over a medium heat and fry the 2 tsp caraway seeds for 1 minute, until fragrant and starting to pop.
1 minStep 3: Stir in the 1 ⅜ oz plain flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 4–5 minutes, until the roux turns a light hazelnut brown and smells toasty.
5 minStep 4: Take the pan off the heat, stir in the ½ tsp sweet paprika, then whisk in the hot 5 cups hot vegetarian vegetable stock a ladle at a time until smooth.
2 minStep 5: Return to the heat, bring to the boil and simmer for 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until lightly thickened. Season with the ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp black pepper.
8 minStep 6: Stir the soup so it swirls and pour in the 2 eggs in a thin stream; leave for 30 seconds, then stir gently so the egg sets into soft ribbons.
1 minStep 7: Serve hot, topped with the croutons and 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 18 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does supă de chimen take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
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