Habanero Basil Sour Soup

    This soup has a nice spicy background flavor with that fresh garden basil taste up front.

    Ingredients

    • 1 Bunch Basil
    • 3 Onions
    • 20 Cloves Garlic
    • 7 Carrots
    • 15 Habaneros
    • 3 Inches Ginger
    • The stem from a head of cauliflower
    • 1/2 Pound Shaved Steak
    • The tops from that cauliflower from earlier
    • 2 Teaspoons Cumin
    • 1/2 Cup Rice Vinegar
    • Rice Noodles

    Instructions

    1. For the stock I put a bunch of basil, 3 onions, about 20 cloves of garlic, 7 carrots, 15 habaneros with none of the seeds, 3 inches of ginger, and the stem from one head of cauliflower into a stockpot and covered them with water. Boil covered for about an hour. Strain, then reduce for another hour lightly simmering. When it's time to eat, sear about a half pound of shaved steak, then add the tops of the cauliflower that you used the stems of in the stock. Pour the stock in and 2 teaspoons of cumin, 1/2 cup of rice vinegar. Simmer about 10 minutes before serving. Cook the rice noodles separately and mix together as you make your bowl.

    Notes

    We interrupt regularly scheduled programming here on The Food in my Beard for an impromptu habanero week. You see, at work last week, this huge box of habaneros were sent to my restaurant by accident, and the supplier didn’t want them back. I was extremely happy about this mistake, until I realized I had hundreds of habaneros to use up before they all went bad! I vowed to do my best and not be wasteful with this gift, so I have been eating super spicy food for all my meals since then. I guess regularly scheduled programming isn’t THAT interrupted though, cause here we are on a Monday with yet another soup.


    It was like Christmas when I realized I could take this home with me.

    The stock ingredients are ready to be boiled.

    Beef and cauliflower to start the soup, then pour in the stock.

    Some more basil and pickled habaneros on top. I’ll show you how to make those pickled peppers later this week.

    The stock when it was first done boiling was crazy hot and pretty bland to the point that I thought it would be inedible. After it reduced for another hour or so, the spice toned way down and the flavor came way up.

    When I first made the stock, it was super spicy and didn’t have much flavor, but after reducing it for the hour the heat mellowed out and the deep veggie flavors were more pronounced.