Ye Ocholoni Ina Doro Shorba (Ethiopian Peanut-Chicken Soup)
This recipe for Ye Ocholoni Ina Doro Shorba, a rich and satisfying peanut-chicken soup from Ethiopia, is adapted from The Chicken Soup Manifesto by Jenn Louis. We wrote about the book in November 2020, in a story about chicken soups from around the world. Whi
In the book, Louis — a well known Portland, Oregon chef – suggests using either homemade chicken stock or water for the soups in the book. While we agree with her that no commercial broth compares to the real homemade deal, not everyone has the time, patience or freezer space to keep homemade broth on hand for recipes, and I usually find a decent store-bought organic chicken broth to be a better substitute than water for homemade stock. I used store-brought broth for this one, rather than the home-made stock or water the book called for, and the result was delightful.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 yellow onions, cut into big dice
2 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch-long rounds
1 large-ish sweet potato (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into large dice
2 tablespoons Berbere spice (see below), plus additional for garnish
1 ½ teaspoons salt
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup natural smooth peanut butter (no sugar added)
1/3 cup basmati rice
1 ounce chopped roasted peanuts, for garnish
Serves 6.
Instructions
1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot and sweet potato and cook about 5 minutes, until the onion becomes translucent. Stir in the Berbere spice and salt, then add the chicken broth and bring to a gentle simmer.
2. Place the chicken in the soup and cook gently until just cooked through, about 8 minutes. Remove the chicken from the soup, then continue cooking at a gentle simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, until all the vegetables are very tender. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
3. Add the peanut butter to the soup, and using an immersion blender if you have one, or a blender if not, purée the soup until very smooth. If using a blender, take care to remove the center piece on the blender cover — the hot soup will splatter without a vent. Pour the soup back into the pot if you used a blender.
4. Add the rice and cook at a very low simmer, stirring with a whisk, until the rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Make sure the rice does not stick to the bottom of the pot, and the soup does not become too thick and burn. If necessary, thin the soup with a little water.
5. Adjust the seasoning, adding salt if necessary, and ladle into bowls. Divide the chicken pieces among the bowls, then sprinkle them with the peanuts and a little more Berbere.
Berbere Spice
Makes 1 1/4 ounce
Ingredients
6 green cardamom pods
8 cloves
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
½ teaspoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon chile powder, such as ancho or New Mexico
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
1. Remove the cardamom seeds from the pods and discard the pods. Place the seeds in a small pan with the cloves, coriander and fenugreek and toast over medium heat, making sure not to burn the spices, until fragrant. Set aside to cool.
2. When the spices are cool, grind them in a spice grinder, coffee grinder or mortar, then transfer to a small bowl and stir in the allspice, chile powder, salt, ginger and cinnamon. You’ll use most of it for this recipe; stir the remainder in an airtight container for up to 6 months.