The story below is from our January/February 2020 issue. For the full issue Subscribe today, view our FREE interactive digital edition or download our FREE iOS app!
Sip, slurp and savor your way to comfort.
In The Soup Book, chef and author Louis P. De Gouy writes: “Soup is cuisine’s kindest course. It breathes reassurance; it steams consolation; after a weary day it promotes sociability...there is nothing like a bowl of hot soup, its wisp of aromatic steam making the nostrils quiver with anticipation.”
It’s a beautiful tribute to a humble dish—after all, soup rarely attains marquee menu status, except for ramen or pho. But the possibilities are endless, and soup is a dish that you’ll find in every corner of the world. Soup—slurping it from a spoon, cradling a cup of broth or tipping a bowl to one’s mouth—is a universal symbol of comfort and nourishment, even if the flavors are ones that we aren’t familiar with.
We can’t think of a better time than during January’s winter doldrums to explore the restorative and transportive power of soup at restaurants around town.
Aush at Bamyan Afghan Cuisine
At Bamyan Afghan Cuisine, start with a bowl of aush, a hearty noodle soup that owner Nawid Hassanzada says is often eaten as an appetizer in Afghanistan. Aush means “noodle” in Afghani; here, the noodles in question are short, flat wheat noodles that Hassanzada sources from an Afghan grocery in Fredericksburg. At home, Hassanzada starts his aush base with ground beef—many traditional versions start with ground beef or lamb—but he omits it to keep Bamyan’s version vegetarian.
The noodles are served in a tomato broth thickened with lentils, robustly seasoned with garlic and black pepper and scattered with dried mint. Yogurt often accompanies meals in Afghanistan; here, aush is served with a creamy garlic-cilantro sauce that really wakes up the other flavors.
Hassanzada says that aush can be enjoyed anytime but is especially good when you feel a cold coming on. Your move, chicken noodle.
Black Bean Soup at Cuban Island Restaurant
Black bean soup is a quintessential part of Cuban cuisine and every household has their own way of making it. Some are thick, others broth-y, some flavored with ham or kept vegetarian. Most start with a trio of bell peppers, onions and garlic, plus spices like bay leaf, cumin and paprika. Cuban Island’s version is on the brothier side, and while it’s wonderful slurped solo, it works well as an accompaniment, too.
For an inspired soup-and-a-sandwich combo, pair it with a Cubano, a pressed-ham-and-cheese sandwich that will forever ruin you for ham-and-cheese paninis. Dunking a corner of the sandwich in the soup is also a good move, as is spooning it over rice to complement plantains or a plate of ropa vieja.
Kimchi Jjigae at Wonju Korean Restaurant
In Korean cuisine, jjigae refers to a category of stew-like dishes. At Wonju Korean Restaurant, kimchi jjigae is a feast for the senses. You’ll hear it first—it arrives bubbling hot in an individual cast-iron dish that calls to mind a cauldron—before taking in the broth’s striking fiery red hue, a hint at the spice to come.
Kimchi is a spicy fermented cabbage dish that no Korean meal is complete without (no wonder it’s the national dish) and at restaurants, it’s served as part of banchan, a medley of small sides that accompany a meal (as it is here). But aged kimchi is what’s responsible for the broth’s deep funk and nuanced heat.
Peek beneath the generous slabs of tofu on top and you’ll discover a whole treasure trove of goodies: kimchi, strips of pork, noodles and dukbokki, delightfully chewy rice cakes. The dish has the power to clear your sinuses and make your eyes water, both from the literal heat (be sure to let some of the steam escape) and the spiciness, which can be tempered with a bite of accompanying white rice.
Kimchi jjigae is available on the regular menu as well as the house lunch special, alongside sundubu jjigae, an equally spicy number made with soft tofu, seafood and egg.
Rasam at Taaza
Rasam is a fragrant, sour, sometimes spicy, broth-y soup that is a specialty of south Indian cuisine and a mainstay on the menu at Taaza. Tamarind, which comes from the pulp of pod-like fruits, gives rasam its distinct sour-tangy undertone. It is one of the main ingredients, along with tomato, ginger and garlic. From there, other ingredients can be added; for Taaza’s daily rasam, flavors include the likes of black pepper, mango, pineapple or lentil.
Rasam can be ordered a la carte but is often served as part of the lunch buffet, where a recent iteration included a fiery number seasoned with chili, cumin, coriander and turmeric, tempered with mustard and cumin seeds.
Taaza’s co-owner Sara Radjou says that most households drink rasam daily to aid with digestion, particularly with midday meals which tend to be the biggest of the day (as a result, it’s also served on most restaurant menus in India, too). It’s also well-known as a comfort food and Indian mothers’ first line of defense for all manner of ails; Radjou remembers her own mother serving it to her with rice whenever she was sick.
Red Lentil Soup at Zorba
At Zorba, Adel Eltawansy imbues his Greek-Mediterranean fare with plenty of heart and soul—and the soups are no exception. You might be swayed by seasonal flavors like butternut squash or cream of mushroom, but don’t overlook standbys like the black bean and red lentil.
The slow-simmered black bean has long been a favorite since Zorba’s Roanoke Market Building days, but the red lentil is the menu’s sleeper hit. Onion and garlic get nice and toasty in hot oil before Eltawansy adds in red lentils, fresh diced tomato, cumin and a healthy dose of paprika, which helps the soup maintain its namesake color after the lentils cook. Once the flavors meld and the soup simmers, it’s blended by hand to create a thick, almost creamy texture.
Ask for a wedge of fresh lemon on the side; a squeeze really brightens up the dish and is how Eltawansy likes to eat it, too. And don’t forget pita for mopping up the last dregs.
Sopa de Res at Rincon Catracho Restaurant
There’s beef stew, and then there’s Rincon Catracho’s sopa de res, a Honduran beef stew that’s like soup on steroids. First, it’s huge (so don’t fill up on the complimentary chips and salsa); the bowl is so large and the plume of steam so inviting, it makes you wish you could literally dive right in. The stew is brimming with hearty chunks of carrot, potato and yucca, half a cob of corn and two generous beef shanks.
Squeeze the fresh lime wedge over the top, then dig in, spooning up some broth, a piece of meltingly tender beef and perhaps a chunk of starchy yucca or tender-sweet carrot for a composed bite. The soup also comes with rice and a short stack of warm, homemade corn tortillas, making for a complete meal. It’s large enough to satisfy hearty appetites but can easily be shared, particularly when paired with a tamale.
Put Rincon Catracho in heavy rotation on your winter soup hit list: there’s also a Honduran-style chicken soup, sopa de mariscos, seafood soup in a coconut broth, or mondongo, tripe soup.
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