Interested in making processed stews or European-style soups? In contrast to Indonesian-style soups which are generally runny in texture, European soups must be cooked until the texture is thick to produce the best taste. Unfortunately, the right consistency is often difficult to achieve, especially for those of you who are still new to cooking. If you feel that the texture of the soup is too runny, don't worry! In fact, you only need to thicken it by adding cornstarch, wheat flour, mashing some of the soup's contents, or evaporating some of the liquid to thicken the soup's texture. Voila, a delicious and healthy bowl of soup is ready to eat!
Step
Method 1 of 3: Adding Flour
Step 1. Use cornstarch or cornstarch
Mix 1 tbsp. (5 grams) cornstarch or cornstarch with 1 tbsp. water, then mix the two together to form a paste. Add the pasta to the soup, then stir until the pasta is dissolved and well combined. Then, cook the soup for 2 minutes over medium heat to allow the flour to completely dissolve in the soup.
- Check the consistency of the soup again and add a measure of pasta if necessary. Don't forget to cook the soup for 2 minutes each time you add the flour paste to it.
- Ararut can be used to replace cornstarch or cornstarch. These bulbous plants have a more neutral taste than cornstarch or cornstarch, and can be cooked in a wide variety of temperatures without risking their ability to thicken foods.
Step 2. Sprinkle some breadcrumbs or dip slices of bread into the soup to thicken the texture quickly
Stir in the breadcrumbs or breadcrumbs, then let sit for a while so they can absorb some of the surrounding liquid. After a few minutes, check the consistency of the soup again. Because bread has a very soft and light taste, it should not be used excessively will not change the taste of the soup.
- If the texture of the soup is still too runny, add the amount of breadcrumbs or slices of bread used. However, don't add too much so that the taste of the soup doesn't change too drastically.
- You can use fresh, dry, or frozen breadcrumbs.
- If you want to use fresh bread, you should use white bread.
Step 3. Add mashed potatoes for a creamier soup
If you don't want to bother, you just need to remove the potato pieces from the pot and mash them. Want to add more potatoes to the soup? Try making a pot of mashed potatoes by boiling peeled potatoes and then mashing them. Pour a spoonful full of mashed potatoes into the soup, then stir until the potatoes are mixed with the soup and the soup has a thick texture.
- Another option that is no less easy is to pour instant mashed potato powder into the soup. Do this process a little at a time while continuing to stir to make sure the soup thickens to your liking.
- Potatoes have a neutral taste and there is no risk of changing the taste of the soup significantly.
Step 4. Add 1 tablespoon (5 grams) of oats to the soup
After that, wait a few minutes while occasionally stirring the soup until the oats absorb some of the surrounding liquid. If after that the texture of the soup is still not thick, add a measure of oats. However, don't use too much oats to keep the soup's flavor from changing!
- Instead, use quick-cooking oats that have been ground until smooth.
- The amount of oats that doesn't risk changing the taste of the soup really depends on the amount of soup you make.
Step 5. Make a roux from a mixture of flour and butter
To make it, you just need to mix one part butter and one part flour in a saucepan. Cook both over medium heat, stirring constantly so they don't burn, about 10 minutes or until the roux turns reddish brown. Then, add a small amount of the roux to the soup, stirring constantly until you reach your desired consistency.
- Make sure you add the roux a little at a time so it doesn't stick together in the soup.
- Supposedly, the roux will strengthen the flavor of the soup when eaten.
- If you want, you can also replace butter with vegetable oil.
Step 6. Make a flour paste to make it easier to thicken the soup
Mix one part flour and one part water to make a flour paste. Then, slowly pour the pasta into the soup, stirring constantly until the pasta is completely dissolved. After that, bring the soup back to a boil so that the flour taste is gone.
- If necessary, increase the amount of pasta until the soup reaches your desired consistency.
- Since flour can change the taste of soup, don't use too much flour paste. Not necessarily your tongue will like it, you know!
- Plus, excessive amounts of flour paste can also clump together in the soup! That's why, you have to add it little by little while continuing to stir it.
Method 2 of 3: Puree Part of the Soup Isi
Step 1. Take some of the contents of the soup
Do this with the help of a large vegetable spoon so that the hot soup doesn't hurt your hands. Start by taking about 250 to 500 ml of soup first. After all, if it's not enough, you can always puree more of the soup later.
- While any ingredient can actually be pureed, understand that root vegetables like carrots and potatoes are the easiest to puree.
- Refining soup fillings is the perfect option to preserve the soup's flavor without going through the hassle of chopping up the solid ingredients.
- Be careful when doing this step because the temperature of the soup is very hot! If you don't want to burn your skin, especially when processing soup fillings, it's best to hold the surface and cover the blender or food processor with a fairly thick towel.
Step 2. Pour the soup contents into a blender or food processor
Slowly pour in the soup until it fills half of the blender. Since the soup is very hot, don't forget to cover the surface of the blender with a towel.
If you want to smooth more of the soup filling, it's best to take the process gradually. Remember, overfilling your blender or food processor will only make it harder for the soup to blend evenly
Step 3. Process the soup filling until the texture is smooth
If necessary, turn off the blender periodically to stir all the ingredients in it for better processing. Keep doing this until the contents of the soup form a thick, puree-like liquid.
If your blender is equipped with complete settings, select the "pure" button
Step 4. Put the soup puree into the pot
Slowly pour the soup puree into the saucepan so that no hot liquid is splashed. Then, stir the soup to allow the puree to mix with the soup.
If the soup is still not thick, take back some of the soup and repeat the process listed above
Method 3 of 3: Evaporate Part of the Liquid
Step 1. Open the lid of the pot
To use this method, you'll need to cook the soup without covering the pot to allow the steam to evaporate and thicken the soup's texture, instead of getting trapped in the pot and keeping the soup runny.
This method will make the soup taste more concentrated and strong. For example, soup can end up being too salty after some of the liquid has evaporated
Step 2. Bring the soup to a boil over low heat
To prevent the soup from boiling too quickly and keep the temperature steady, use the lowest setting. Also, make sure you keep a close eye on the process so the soup doesn't end up burning.
Reduce the heat if the soup boils too fast
Step 3. Stir the soup until it reaches the desired consistency
With the help of a plastic spoon or a large wooden spoon, stir the soup periodically to avoid the risk of scorching. Apart from that, stirring the soup is also necessary to better monitor its consistency.
Keep your face away from the mouth of the pot. Be careful, the hot steam escaping can burn your skin
Step 4. Immediately remove the pan from the stove once most of the liquid has evaporated
Turn off the heat, then transfer the pot to a cool part of the stove or place it on a special placemat. Let the soup sit for a few minutes until it cools down, stirring occasionally.
Tips
- Don't pour the flour directly into the soup. Doing so can cause the flour to clump together and spoil the taste of the soup!
- For those of you who are gluten intolerant and can't eat wheat flour, try making a roux from rice flour, coconut flour, tapioca flour, or almond flour.
- If you don't mind changing the recipe, try adding raw pasta to the soup. For example, you can cook elbow pasta, clam pasta, or rigatoni until the soup boils and the pasta is cooked through. However, understand that in all likelihood, doing so will significantly change the taste of the soup.
