Újházi tyúkhúsleves
Hen soup with vermicelli
Újházi tyúkhúsleves: slow-simmered hen soup with roots, mushrooms, peas and fine vermicelli
HungarianEde Újházi, a much-loved actor of the Budapest National Theatre at the turn of the last century, was so fussy about his Sunday hen soup that a city restaurant named its version after him, and the name stuck. Today Újházi soup is the standard first course at Hungarian weddings and Sunday lunches: a clear, golden broth simmered for hours from a boiling hen, full of carrot, parsley root and celeriac, with mushrooms, green peas and a tangle of thin vermicelli added at the end. The meat is pulled off the bone and served in the bowl, or eaten separately with the vegetables and a little horseradish. The usual slip is letting the pot boil hard, which clouds the broth; it should only tremble. Chef's tip: cook the vermicelli separately and put it straight into the bowls, so the broth stays clear and the noodles don't swell overnight.
- Total time
- 180 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the broth
To finish
- 7 oz button or chestnut mushroomssliced
- 5 ½ oz green peas, fresh or frozen
- 3 tbsp flat-leaf parsleychopped
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What you'll need
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Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Rinse the 4 lb boiling hen or large free-range chicken, jointed pieces, put them in a large pot with the cold 12 ½ cups cold water and bring slowly to a simmer over a medium heat.
20 minStep 2: Skim off the grey foam as it rises, until the surface is clear. Turn the heat down so the water barely trembles.
10 minStep 3: Add the 2 tsp salt, 12 black peppercorns, 1 onion and 3 garlic cloves and simmer gently, half covered, for 1 hour.
60 minStep 4: Add the 3 carrots, 2 parsley root or parsnip, 5 ½ oz celeriac, 1 kohlrabi, 1 tomato and 1 pale green pepper and simmer for 50 minutes more, until the vegetables are tender and the meat comes away from the bone. The thickest part of the meat must reach 165°F on a thermometer.
50 minStep 5: Lift out the hen and the vegetables. Strain the broth through a fine sieve into a clean pan and discard the onion, tomato and pepper.
5 minStep 6: Pull the meat from the bones into bite-sized pieces and cut the carrots, parsley root, celeriac and kohlrabi into neat slices.
10 minStep 7: Bring the broth back to a simmer, add the 7 oz button or chestnut mushrooms and 5 ½ oz green peas, fresh or frozen and cook over a medium heat for 8 minutes, until the mushrooms are soft.
8 minStep 8: Meanwhile cook the 3 ½ oz thin egg vermicelli (cérnametélt) in boiling salted water for 3 minutes, until tender, and drain.
4 minStep 9: Return the meat and sliced vegetables to the broth and heat for 3 minutes until piping hot. Taste for salt.
3 minStep 10: Put a little vermicelli in each bowl, ladle over the soup and scatter with 3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley. Cool leftovers quickly and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 20 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does újházi tyúkhúsleves take?
- About 180 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 150 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of black peppercorns?
- Ground black pepper, a little less than the amount.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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