Undaz Soup

One of my husband's frequently used Hindi words is "undaz" (pronounced un-THE-az), which is best translated as "estimate" or "approximate". He learned the word while he was listening to a conversation between my sister and I. From what I recall, I was recounting a cooking experience and I remarked, "You know, I'm such an 'undaz' girl." My sister nodded in understanding while my husband looked puzzled. "What does undaz mean?" he queried. I chuckled and realized I had slipped a Hindi word into an English sentence without a second thought.

My cooking experiences tend to be undaz moments (unlike times of baking where I meticulously follow a recipe to ensure success). In honor of such moments, I will share one of my favorites: Undaz Soup! The absent of specific quantities is intentional.

Ingredients

leftover roasted chicken, including bones
3 - 5 peeled garlic cloves
whole peppercorns
bay leaf
coarsely chopped onion (or green onions)
additional spices of your choice
chopped vegetables of your choice
pasta (optional)
can of soup (either cream-based, tomato, or broth)
salt and pepper
water

Procedure

1. Remove leftover chicken from the bones. Chop and set aside.

2. Place chicken bones into a large pot, cover with water. Add garlic cloves, peppercorns, bay leaf, onion, and additional spices into the pot (I added basil). Bring to a boil and then let the mixture simmer at low heat for at least an hour. Once finished, drain solids from the liquids and set aside the broth.

3. Chop a variety of vegetables such as carrots, celery, zucchini, potato, and red pepper. Place in a large pot and cover with water. Add a bit of salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium. Cook until vegetables are tender.

4. Add broth and chopped chicken to the vegetable mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Add a can of soup to enrich the flavor (I added tomato). You may add pasta at this point. Cook at medium heat until pasta is tender.

6. Enjoy! Feeds several people! :)

Popular posts from this blog

Is God Good?

During "at home learning", I helped my daughter design an experiment on plants. She set up four identical pots with the same amount of soil in the same location on our deck (controlling her variables, right?). She planted two bean seeds in each pot. She watered three out of the four plants with various amounts of water (1/4 cup, 1/2 cup and 1 cup). The fourth plant only received whatever water naturally fell from the sky. At the end of one month, her hypothesis was partially verified. She thought the 1/4 cup water plant and 1/2 cup water plant would grow the best, which was true in the end. On the other hand, she guessed the others would not germinate at all. Interestingly enough, while the one that was drench in water (1 cup) did not germinate, the one she did not water at all actually grew! It germinated late but had the most steady growth. Is God good? I have been thinking about this question a lot these days. A global pandemic is still raging over our planet decimat...
Read more

Daunting {But Not Impossible}

I rarely watch the news. I catch up on the world's happenings -- where often the horror is reported -- via Google News. Or the brief blurb before classic rock on our favourite radio station. But very occasionally, at the end of the day, I take in the images of national and global headlines. Yesterday I watched the masses trek across Europe, searching for a safe haven away from war-torn Syria. I witnessed little kids crying as they tried to rub away tear gas sprayed by unrelenting border police. The message? You are not welcome in this country. I choked up as a father and his son fell to the ground after being tripped up by guards. The look of desperation on people's faces was heart breaking. Our country is nearing a Federal Election in October. Many voters are curious how the next Prime Minister will address the Syrian Refugee Crisis. Here is an excerpt from The Globe and Mail : Mr. Mulcair [NDP] and Mr. Trudeau [Liberal] condemn Mr. Harper [Conservative] for lacking...
Read more

Banking in the Now

This month we are trying something different: banking in the now instead of the tomorrow. Oh, it is nothing new, really. I used to operate like this in my single days. But then the lure of credit cards with reward programs persuaded me otherwise. While I never gave Visa the joy in collecting any interest payments from our bank accounts and I always payed our credit card bill before the 21 days of grace were up, I probably spent more than I should have some months. Why? Because I didn't have to pay for it immediately . It was not until last year that my credit card habits started to bother my conscience. Up to that point, I felt proud of the fact that the credit card company was paying me to use their plastic. I received stuff for free, even after paying my annual fee. Free fuel. Free flights. Free hotels. Free is good, right? My perspective started to change after I read a blog post penned by my sister. Her and her husband cut up their credit cards after a series of events, o...
Read more