Soup

Sinigang is a soup from the Philippines with a tangy broth, often made using sour fruit like tamarind or unripe guava. For her sinigang na hipon (prawn sinigang) chef Melissa Miranda uses fresh grapefruit and lemon juice for the sour notes in the full-bodied fish broth that bathes succulent, grilled head-on Argentinean prawns and earthy charred shishitos. "Citrus is perfect accent to the prawns, and also adds a brightness that might not come from the tamarind," Miranda says. The recipe is from her restaurant Musang in Seattle, and is inspired by the sinigang her father used to make for her family. "Growing up, I always loved all the different ways that sinigang could be prepared. Usually it would be pork sinigang in the fall and winter time, and sinigang with fish and seafood in the spring and summertime. It always would make me laugh that we'd eat soup during the summer but the balance of acidity in sinigang just made it right." For the perfect grilled head-on prawns or shrimp, place the head on the part of the grill that has the least heat — "the head cooks faster and you can also maintain the beauty of it without it burning," Miranda advises.  

"This recipe came about as a happy accident, when my nephew mistook zucchini for cucumbers when we were making a cold cucumber soup," chef Vishwesh Bhatt says of the origins of this dish. More than a decade later, he stands by the result, which has a tangy buttermilk broth that gets subtle vegetal sweetness and a wonderfully smooth, creamy texture from the zucchini. Small, tender zucchini are perfect for this soup. If you're using bigger ones, remove the seeds, which harden a little as the squash matures, Bhatt notes.  "It becomes a little less fun if you get those in the soup, as you have to chew on them, or they get stuck in your teeth." Bhatt tops the soup with vaghaar, a garnish of tempered spices and aromatics, for a final burst of aroma and flavor.

"The soup all abuelitas make their grandchildren, cooking a ojo, or by feel, with a million variations," says 2019 F&W Best New Chef Kwame Onwuachi of this comforting recipe. "I didn't have a Puerto Rican grandmother, so this version is a re-creation of the flavors I remember from places like Caridad and Louie's on Gun Hill Road, 188 Cuchifritos, and all the other lechonerias, cuchifritos, lunch counters, full-on restaurants, and street food vendors that nourish and restore the Bronx's massive Nuyorican population. The soup is a festival of comfort. At its base are the annatto and sofrito that define much of Puerto Rican cuisine, plus a touch of cumin and, because it's me who's making it, a bit of house spice to give just the merest hint of heat."

This is a vivifying soup, good in warm or cold weather. The chile and ginger gently warm your mouth, while acidic tomatoes and tart tamarind come together in the delicate and fragrant broth, which, while light, is full of flavor and satisfying. The fish gently poaches in the broth during the last minutes of cooking, which infuses both the soup base and the fish itself with aroma and flavor, leaving the fish tender, flaky, and moist.

This rasam has the tangy flavor profile you expect from the South Indian favorite, but gets its punchy brightness from lemon juice stirred in at the end instead of the traditional tamarind. The broth may appear to be simple, but boasts great depth of flavor from warm spices like cumin and coriander and the blend of ginger, garlic and chiles mixed in, plus the fried curry leaves, turmeric and mustard seeds. The chopped cilantro added before serving add green herbal notes, especially as they meld into the warm broth. Rasam can be served as an accompaniment to rice or dosa or eaten on its own; it's especially soothing on a chilly night or when you are feeling sick.   

André Mack's silky white asparagus soup is buttery and creamy with a mild sweetness from the asparagus and a touch of acidity from the pickled ramps that brightens the entire dish. Roasted hazelnuts and hazelnut oil lend a deliciously nutty body to the soup and make a beautiful garnish. If ramps are out of season, spring onions make a good substitute here. Straining the soup thoroughly is key to its final, silken texture. Winemaker and restaurateur André Mack serves this dish at & Sons, his ham and wine bar in Brooklyn.