The Persian version of the medicinal chicken soup. Our version is made with vegetables cooked with shredded chicken and pearl barley to create a creamy and comforting soup.
Soup for the Soul
Many Iranians are more familiar with our turnip soup for illnesses (Ash-e Shalgham) but for me it will always be our version of the classic concept of chicken soup that I turn to when in need.
Creamy, hearty and comforting – essential components for a medicinal chicken soup.
Ingredients
In Persian (Farsi) ‘Jo’ (pronounced ‘joh’) means barley – so we have simply named this soup ‘barley soup,’ despite the additional ingredients required to make this divine soup. This soup is easy to cook and as you can see below, the ingredients can be easily sourced from most local supermarkets.
- Olive oil: Use extra virgin olive oil to cook the vegetables.
- Onion or medium leek; garlic; celery sticks: The base vegetables which provide the aromatic flavours for this soup.
- Carrot: Coarsely grated carrot is added to the soup giving flecks of orange in each spoonful and a lovely slightly sweet flavour profile to the soup.
- Pearl barley: The easier and quicker type of barley to cook. If using hulled barley you will need to soak it overnight and cook the soup for longer to ensure it is tender.
- Bay leaves: A soup essential, imparting a nuanced peppery and tea like aroma and flavour.
- Chicken stock: Use good quality chicken stock (low salt preferably), either shop bought or home-made, for the liquid base of the soup.
- Chicken: Chicken breast is cooked by poaching in the soup, then removed, shredded and added back in.
- Single cream: A little is added to enhance the creaminess of the soup. Not necessary if you prefer a dairy free version or are making a vegetarian version of the soup. Alternatively use a plant based cream like soy cream.
- Fresh coriander: Finely chopped fresh coriander is added to the soup to add a fresh taste to the soup.
- Fresh lemon juice, salt & pepper: Used to season and flavour the soup.
Traditionally this soup is thickened with a roux, which I feel is unnecessary and makes the soup too thick and gloopy. With the availability of the handy stick-blender you don’t need to use a bechamel and can thicken the soup by blending a little bit of it. Also cream makes for a luxurious addition to the soup so my variations to the traditional recipe actually results in a velvety and lighter soup.
Variations
If you are not a fan of coriander, then replace with parsley, which is the herb more commonly used in this recipe.
You can convert this into a vegetarian recipe by using vegetable stock and using mushrooms as an alternative to the chicken. I recommend frying the mushrooms in a little butter and garlic and then adding them to the soup for the last 10 mins of simmering and before serving.
Serving Soupe Jo
It is such a hearty soup you don’t need to have bread with it but do feel free to have a buttered crusty roll or whatever you fancy to dip into the soup.
Other Soup Recipes
- Eshkeneh (Persian Onion & Egg Drop Soup)
- Mercimek Çorbası (Turkish Lentil Soup) Recipe (simplyrecipes.com)
Soupe Jo
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion or medium leek (finely diced)
- 3 cloves garlic (crushed or minced)
- 2 celery sticks (finely diced)
- 1 large carrot (or 2 medium carrots grated)
- 200 g pearl barley (washed and then soaked in cold water for a minimum of 1 hr)
- 2 Bay leaves
- 1.8 litres chicken stock
- 2 chicken breasts
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 3 tbsp single cream
- Small bunch of fresh coriander (finely chopped)
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Take a large stock pot or saucepan and place on medium / high heat. Add olive oil and follow with onion and cook until it turns golden.
- Add garlic, celery and 1/2 grated carrot to the pan and stir. Cook for 5 mins, stirring occasionally to ensure it doesn't stick to the pan.
- Drain pearl barley and add to pan with bay leaves and stock. Bring to the boil and then lower heat to allow the soup to simmer.
- Add chicken breast to the soup and place a lid on the pan. Poach for approximately 15 mins, or until the juices run clear in the thickest part of the breast. Remove chicken breasts from the soup and set aside to cool. Once cooled, shred the chicken and put to one side.
- Add juice of a lemon to the soup and leave to simmer for a further 30 mins or until pearl barley has cooked with the lid of the pan partially off. Check and stir the soup on occasion.
- Remove bay leaves and take a stick-blender and blend a little of the soup on one side of the pan to thicken. Add cream, shredded chicken breast, remaining grated carrot, chopped fresh coriander and season to taste. Simmer for a few minutes to ensure the shredded chicken is warmed through.
- Ladle into bowls and drizzle with a little more cream, chopped fresh coriander and olive oil to serve.
