Chilli Chicken Soup

This soup is a meal in its self. It makes a large quantity and is better the next day. For those of you who were ardent fans of Seinfeld, you may remember the Soup Nazi. A New York soup stand vendor who had people queuing for his fabulous food. However he was a cantankerous man and refused to serve anyone who annoyed him or didn't follow the ordering procedure and he frequently ejected people from the queue. This character and his soup were the inspiration for this recipe. It is almost like a Mexican minestrone, rich and hearty. I always serve it with a big dollop of sour cream, some fresh coriander and corn chips.



2 onions
4 cloves garlic
4 chicken breasts (you could also use a ready cooked chicken )
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
2 carrots peeled and cut in discs and cut again in half
1 small capsicum, diced
1 can kidney beans
1 can corn kernels or 1cup of frozen kernels
2 tins tomatoes
2 cups chicken stock
10 cups water
 freshly chopped coriander
freshly chopped parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons ground chilli or fresh chillies
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
canola oil

Fry the chopped onions and garlic in a little oil, till opaque. Remove and in the same pot saute the chicken pieces until cooked. Chop the chicken and return to the pot, with the onions and garlic. Add the stock and all of the other chopped ingredients. Add as much chilli as you think you would like, but I use at least 2.
Bring the pot to the boil and turn down and simmer for 2-3 hours. Stir the pot at least every 20 minutes, to stop the chicken catching on the bottom of the pot. The soup will reduce, thicken and become dark
when it is done. Serve it with a sour cream, chopped coriander and a side of corn chips.