Caribbean Soup

Beef Soup is a must for many in various islands throughout the Caribbean. It is almost like a ritual. Take Jamaica for example, Saturday Beef Soup is the meal of choice. You get your bone-in beef and leggings and set the pot bubbling for a delicious bowl of hot beef soup.

Cowheel Soup is a favorite among many. Often if Cowheel Soup and other Caribbean Soups are on offer, the first one to be sold out or eaten would be the Cowheel Soup. It's cooked low and slow until the cowheel becomes tender and the gelatinous meat comes away from the bone. It is so easy to understand why this is a favorite.

All parts of a butchered animal is used in the Caribbean. The meat, offal and other parts of the animal are prepared in sumptuous dishes to be enjoyed. Tripe for example is not only used to make soup but also to make Cook-up Rice (a Guyanese dish of rice cooked with meats, dried beans, coconut milk and fresh herbs). Some people even make a curry with tripe.

Ham and split peas - a winning combination always. I think that each cuisine has its own version of this dish that always gets rave reviews.

This is my take on Chicken Noodle Soup. I wanted to given it an Asian twist and so I used root ginger and star anise to flavor my soup and for the noodles, I used a favorite of mine - rice noodles.