Curry Chicken and Paneer Noodle Soup

Plus, chili-garlic naan croutons.

First things first: Welcome…to my new Substack. That was meant to be read in the style of Dr. John Hammond.

I just barely learned what a “Substack” is yesterday, so please bear with me as I navigate the next chapter of our lives together. My hope is this can be a new way to hang out, talk shit, share recipes, travel and restaurant guides, plus whatever else pops into my mind. I’m open to suggestions in the comments! I think there are comments here. You all will also be the first to know when my cookbook (!) is dropping along with a few other fun projects I have in the works.

Anyway, let’s get started with a soup recipe. Living in Florida, I reject the idea of “soup season,” but I know many of you elsewhere observe this and are in the thick of it.

I first had crispy paneer in soup at Sanaa restaurant in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge and it was a coming-of-age moment for me. So while it’s technically optional (this soup is still great without it), I highly recommend giving it a shot…if my little island grocery store has it, yours probably does too. Get the full recipe below! Please also bear with my photography as I’m really more skilled at video than photo content.

Ingredients

For the soup:

• 1 small onion, roughly chopped

• 1-inch piece ginger root, peeled and roughly chopped

• 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

• 1 fresno chile, roughly chopped

• 2 Tbsp. butter

• 2 tsp. curry powder

• 1 tsp. paprika

• 1 tsp. turmeric (optional)

• 1 rotisserie chicken, meat shredded

• 8 cups (two 32-oz. boxes) chicken broth, divided

• 3 Tbsp, cornstarch

• 1 cup heavy cream, half and half, or coconut milk

• 2 cups egg noodles

• 2 cups chopped spinach

• 1 lime, juiced

• 2 tsp. neutral oil (optional)

• 12 oz. paneer cheese, cut into bite-size pieces (optional)

For the croutons:

• 1 package store-bought naan, cut into bite-size pieces

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 fresno chile, seeded and minced

• Handful of fresh parsley, minced

• 4 Tbsp. butter

Cooking Instructions

For the soup:

1. In a food processor, add onion, ginger, garlic, and chile pepper; grind into a paste (alternatively, you can skip the food processor and just finely chop all these ingredients.)

2. In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter and add that paste along with the spices. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes.

3. Add chicken along with 7 cups of the chicken broth. In a measuring cup or bowl, whisk together remaining cup of broth with cornstarch to create a slurry. Add that to the soup and bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low.

4. Finish with cream, noodles, spinach and lime juice and simmer an additional 7-8 minutes, until noodles are cooked and spinach is wilted. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

5. If adding the paneer, heat oil in a medium non-stick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add cubed cheese and cook until crispy on all sides. Add to the soup to finish.

For the croutons:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Place cubed naan on a dry baking sheet and put in the oven until crispy, about 10-12 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, add garlic, chile and parsley to a large bowl. Melt the butter and add while hot. Toss the crispy naan in the garlic butter and serve with the soup.