Beef Brisket Soup with Basmati Rice and Spices
Soups·Meat Soups

Beef Brisket Soup with Basmati Rice and Spices

For a good, tasty first course, it's best to start with the broth. Everyone has their own preferences about what to make it from. For me, vegetable soups and beef soups always come first. As it happens, I rarely eat pork, though I do allow myself a juicy grilled pork chop now and then.

The base of any soup is the broth. Broth is nothing more than the liquid you get from simmering meat, bones, vegetables, fish, mushrooms and so on for a good while. As a rule, broth doesn't contain much protein, so it defines the flavor of a soup more than its nutritional value. Among other things, broth can also be a dish in its own right, often served with fresh herbs and croutons. I remember from childhood that the broth left over from boiling meat for a salad was always poured into cups at home, lightly salted and peppered, with freshly chopped herbs added. It was almost a treat.

Really tasty soups come from a rich meat broth. Making a beef soup, for example, is very simple. All you need is fresh meat with as few bones as possible, spices and some kind of grain: rice or pearl barley.

There was a time when beef soup made from a bouillon cube or instant concentrate was considered the pinnacle of home cooking. Those who are a bit older will surely remember the small tin boxes of bouillon cubes. I still keep small drill bits in one of those boxes. But a chemical cocktail will never replace a proper homemade broth.

Even though a broth is usually thought of as “plain meat stock with nothing added”, I always cook the meat with spices and coarsely cut roots: carrot, parsnip, parsley root and celery root. This way the broth turns out much more aromatic and concentrated, which matters for a good soup.

When cooking meat, you have to decide what you want: a rich, flavorful broth, into which the meat gives up as much flavor and nutrition as possible, or tasty meat with an “empty” broth.

It's believed that if you drop a piece (or pieces) of meat into boiling water, the protein on the surface sets and keeps the flavorful substances in the meat from getting into the broth. The meat turns out tasty and firm, perfect for salads or main courses. For a flavorful broth, the meat goes into cold water. The piece cooks evenly, giving the broth as much flavor as possible and making it rich, a great base for soup. Beef soup made from a good, rich broth with rice added is a wonderful, tasty first course. Sometimes it's the only course, because after a soup like this you simply don't feel like eating anything else.

Beef soup

More with beef

Megrelian Kharcho: Traditional Veal Rib and Rice SoupMegrelian kharcho: a Georgian soup of veal ribs or brisket with rice, tkemali, lots of herbs and a walnut and garlic dressing. Step-by-step recipe with photos.Kharcho soupIt is not difficult to prepare kharcho soup at home. It is important only to use the right foods and monitor the process.Buckwheat SoupHomemade buckwheat soup on a rich beef brisket broth with potatoes, carrot, onion and parsnip – a light, hearty Ukrainian-style soup, step by step with photos.Sauerkraut Soup with Beef and MilletHearty sauerkraut soup on rich beef brisket broth with millet, potatoes and tomato. Rinse the sauerkraut to tame the sourness. Serve with sour cream and salo.Pork Meatball Soup with Beef BrothHomemade soup with small pork meatballs poached in a rich beef brisket broth, with vegetables, fine vermicelli and herbs. Step-by-step recipe with photos.

Ingredients

2 servings

  • Beef brisket 0.5 kg
  • Celery root, parsley root, parsnip, carrot to taste
  • Parsley, dill 1-2 sprigs
  • Garlic 1 clove
  • Small onion 1
  • Basmati rice 2-3 tbsp
  • Salt, black pepper, allspice, chili pepper, bay leaf, saffron (marigold) to taste

Step-by-step recipe

  1. Beef brisket is the best choice for a rich broth. Choose one that isn't too fatty, with some cartilage and as few bones as possible. You can cook the broth from a whole piece of brisket or from portion-sized pieces.

    Beef brisket.
  2. Peel the celery and parsley roots, the carrot and the parsnip. If you don't like one of the vegetables for some reason, you can leave it out. Cut the peeled roots into large pieces. Peel the onion and cut a cross in it, about a third of the way through, so it doesn't fall apart.

    Peeling the celery and parsley roots, the carrot and the parsnip.
  3. Wash the brisket and put it in a pot. Add 1-2 allspice berries, a few black peppercorns, 1-2 bay leaves and a pinch of saffron (marigold). It's worth adding a small pinch of salt too, so the meat is lightly salted as it cooks. Add 1-2 sprigs of fresh parsley and dill. Pour 5-6 cups of cold water over the meat and vegetables and put the pot on the heat.

    Brisket, spices and vegetables in a pot.
  4. Bring the water to a boil, then immediately turn the heat down. The broth should barely simmer and never boil hard. Just a gentle simmer. Meat usually throws a lot of foam at the very start. Brisket is much less prone to this. But if foam does form, carefully skim it off the surface with a slotted spoon, taking care not to remove the peppercorns and bay leaf. If you're worried about that, you can add the spices after skimming.
  5. 15-20 minutes after it comes to a boil, remove the bay leaf and herbs from the broth.
  6. Cook the broth for over an hour at the gentlest simmer. We usually cook beef for at least an hour and a half, so the broth is rich and the meat tender.

    Basmati rice.
  7. Rice is what we'll use to fill out this beef soup. For soups with meat broth I prefer long-grain basmati rice. Basmati cooks well, doesn't stick together and has a very pleasant aroma. I read somewhere that in translation from some language, the word “basmati” means “fragrant”. The amount of rice in the soup is entirely up to you. I like thick soups, very thick ones, so for this amount of liquid I add more rice. But for a regular soup, 2-3 tbsp of rice is enough. Rinse the rice until the water runs clear.
  9. Take all the vegetables and peppercorns out of the broth. You don't need them in the soup. If the brisket was cooked in large pieces, cut them into small, portion-sized pieces. It's also best to strain the broth. Return the meat to the broth and bring the soup to a boil.

    Adding the rice and stirring, then cooking for 10-12 minutes.
  10. Add the rice, stir and keep cooking for about 10-12 minutes. Basmati cooks fairly quickly.
  11. Crush one garlic clove in a mortar with a pinch of salt. Add the garlic and salt to the soup. Cook the soup until the rice is done. Add 1-2 pinches of coarsely ground dried chili pepper.

    Adding 1-2 pinches of coarsely ground dried chili pepper.
  12. The total cooking time after adding the rice should be no more than 20 mins. It's best if the rice is cooked but hasn't started to swell from the liquid. For this, just taste it and judge by eye.

    Sprinkling with pepper.
  13. Let the finished beef soup stand covered for a few minutes. Ladle the beef soup into bowls. You can add more heat if you like, but the heat is up to you.
  14. Sprinkle the soup with finely chopped dill.

    Beef soup
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Recipe facts
Yield:2 servings
Calories:42 kcal per 100 g
Prep:1 h 30 mins
Cook:45 mins
Total:2 h 15 mins
Category:Soups › Meat Soups
Cuisine:European
Rating:
4.6 (5)
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