Chicken soup is undoubtedly comfort food for everyone, everywhere. In the Caribbean, our chicken soup is hearty and healthy. It's great for rainy days, snowy days, sunny days, Saturdays and pandemic days!
If the chicken is large or whole, cut up into 2 inch pieces. If using chicken foot, remove ends of feet.
Wash chicken with the juice of a lime or lemon and drain, removing skin or excess fat if you wish. You can season in advance with 2 minced scallions, ¼ cup minced bandhania, hot pepper, 1/4 onion, 1 tbs minced garlic, 2 tbs ketchup. 1 tbs soy sauce(not dark), 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper. (I didn’t in the video).
Peel and prep veggies and ground provisions (sweet potatoes, carrot, green fig, potato, corn, eddoes, yuca/cassava, pumpkin). Keep submerged in water to prevent oxidation/getting black.
Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat.
Add sugar and allow it to froth, bubble, expand and darken.
Add chicken, stir until even brown in color, about 2-3 minutes. Cover, lower heat to medium and cook. It will release and cook in its natural juices. Stir every 10 minutes. Once most of the liquid has evaporated and the chicken is half way cooked about 15 minutes, add sweet potato, carrot, green fig, potatoes, eddoes, yuca/cassava, pumpkin, salt, black pepper, green seasoning, ½ celery(reserve other half for finishing), onion, scallions, garlic, chopped hot pepper. Stir fry for 3 minutes.
Add enough hot water to cover by 2-3 inches(usually 10-12 cups), along with a whole hot pepper, and cook until the veggies are tender but still firm, about 30-50 mins. After 30 minutes, you can add the corn and ochro. Stir the pot every ten minutes, adding salt if required.
While the veggies are cooking, knead the flour for the dumplings. Add all ingredients to a small bowl. Mix and gradually add water and knead to form a firm dough, process takes about 5 minutes. You can shape the dumplings and, to do so, pinch of a piece of the dough, shape by rolling between the palm of your hands to form a log. Repeat until all the flour is used up.
Once the veggies are cooked until tender, add the dumplings and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, continuously stirring to combine the flavors and thicken the soup. Add more water if required, to make more sauce/broth.
Finish off with chopped celery and pimento pepper(and/or bandhania/culantro). Taste and add salt and freshly ground black pepper.