This Romanian Radauti soup recipe is a lighter chicken “soup “ciorba” that packs quite a punch in terms of flavour. It is one of those soups that is dressed with sour cream, which are some of my favourites. The taste is tangy but addictive, garlicky, with a slight sweetness.
Radauti soup comes from the town of Radauti, which is situated in the north of Romania, and was firstly invented sometime in the 1970s, by a local chef. None of the members of her family liked the tripe soup because of the meat inside it, but wanted a light soup with a similar flavour profile. As she had plenty of poultry in the yard, she used turkey breast to create the Ciorba Radauteana. After high praises from her family, she introduced it to the restaurant where she was working, and the rest is history. Radauti Soup has become one of the traditional Romanian soups that you must try at least once in your life.
The Ingredients for the Romanian Radauti Soup Recipe
Ciorba Radauteana is a chicken based soup. Originally, the soup was made with turkey breast but the recipe has been modified many times since it was first created, and families usually adapt it to their own taste. You can use either chicken or turkey, whichever you prefer. The vegetables used to make the stock for this soup are onions, celery, carrots, and peppers. To flavour the soup, I also added a few bay leaves and some peppercorns.
To dress the soup, I used garlic, sour cream, and egg yolks. Lastly, this is a sour soup, so to obtain that slight tangy taste, I used white wine vinegar.
How to Make the Romanian Ciorba Radauteana Recipe
I started making the Romanian Radauti soup recipe by boiling the chicken. As the water starts to boil, you will notice a foam forming on top. Whilst it is not harmful in any way it isn’t pretty to look at, and by removing it you will guarantee a beautiful, clear soup, rather than a cloudy one. Once the foam stopped forming, I added the rest of the vegetables, whole, the peppercorns, and the bay leaves. Simmer until the chicken and the vegetables have cooked, for about 40-50 minutes.
Strain the soup clear.
To dress the soup, I mixed the sour cream with the garlic, the egg yolks, and salt, to form a paste. Then, whilst whisking continuously, I started to add ladles of soup into the mix, one by one. You will need a big bowl for this step. The idea is to gently bring the sour cream and egg mixture to the temperature of the soup. If you pour the dressing into the hot soup without bringing it to temperature, it will split. Bring the soup back to boil.
The original recipe discards the vegetables, but I don’t like waste. So, once the vegetables have cooked, I kept the carrots and added the rest in a blender and mashed them. Then, I put them back into the soup. I also shredded the chicken, and cut the carrots in small pieces, before transferring back into the soup. The last step is to add the vinegar to the soup.
Serve the soup hot, topped with your favourite herbs. I used dried dill, but you can use parsley or lovage as well.
Notes:
- Don’t add all the vinegar at once. Add a little bit and taste the soup, to make sure it is to your taste. I like it quite sour, so for me, 3 tablespoons of vinegar were not enough. But for you it may be different, so always taste. You can always serve the vinegar on the side as well, when you serve the soup, so everyone adjusts it to their liking.
- Some people throw away the first water, once the chicken starts to boil. I don’t, as that’s where the flavour of the soup is.
- The original recipe requires for the vegetables to be discarded. I don’t like to waste anything, so I blended them and put them back into the soup. You can choose if you want to throw them away or put them back into the soup.
Romanian Radauti Soup
Ingredients
- 1 large onion
- 2 carrots
- 1 celery stick
- 1 red pepper
- 2 egg yolks
- 350 boneless chicken breast of thighs
- 150 gr sour cream
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1-2 tbsp white wine vinegar to taste
- 10 peppercorns
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Put the chicken in a pot with about 4L of water, and bring to a boil.
- When the water starts to boil, a foam will form on top. Clear it.
- When there is no more foam forming, add the vegetables.
- Simmer for around 40 minutes, until the meat and the vegetables have cooked.
- Strain the soup in another pot, through a sieve.
- Blend all vegetables, except for two carrots.
- Cut the carrots into small pieces, and shred the chicken.
- Make the dressing for the soup. Mix the sour cream with the garlic, egg yolk, and salt. Whilst whisking continuously, start adding ladle after ladle of hot soup. Do so until the temperature of the sour cream mixture reaches the same temperature as the soup. Then pour it over.
- Bring the soup back to boil, and return the blended vegetables, the carrots, and the shredded chicken.
- Add the vinegar, mix well, and turn the heat off.
- Serve the soup hot, topped with the herb of your choice, with additional vinegar and sour cream on the side.
FAQ:
Can you make the Romanian Radauti Soup in advance?
I don’t recommend making this soup in advance because it won’t last for a long time due to containing egg.
How to store the Romanian Ciorba Radauteana?
You can store the Romanian Radauti soup for a maximum of 3 days in the fridge, in a closed Tupperware container.
How to reheat the Romanian Radauti Soup?
Don’t put the soup in the microwave, as it will split. Heat it in a small pot, on the stove, over a low heat stirring continuously. Don’t let it boil, to avoid splitting.
For more delicious traditional Romanian soups, check out my recommendations below:
- Romanian Cabbage and Smoked Pork Soup Recipe
- Romanian Beef Soup Recipe
- Romanian Meatball Soup Recipe
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