INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 onion sliced thinly
1 head of garlic peeled and crushed
Thumb of ginger peeled and crushed
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
1kg chicken (we used boneless chicken breast)
(Poach or roast your chicken and then cut into soup size pieces or shred the chicken if you’ve used breast. Roasting adds a nice additional flavor to the soup. If you can’t do either of this, you can cook the chicken in this recipe.)
500g pumpkin peeled, deseeded, and cut into 1 cm cubes
500g kumala peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
500g yam peeled and cut into 1 cm cubes
1L chicken broth
1 breadfruit (whole, unpeeled)
1 cup of bele

METHOD

1. Heat oil in a pot big enough to hold all ingredients, once oil is hot add the onions, garlic, a bit of the ginger, cinnamon stick and star anise seeds. Cook until onions are translucent, constantly mixing and moving all spices around to bring out the flavor and aroma of each spice.
2. Add chicken (precooked or uncooked) and toss with all the spices so it absorbs some of the flavor. (If you are using raw chicken ensure that it is well browned)
3. Throw in cubed pumpkin, kumala and yam and mix in well before adding enough broth to cover the ingredients.
4. Bring to the boil then turn heat down low and let simmer until everything is cooked, stirring, and tasting regularly. Add salt, pepper, and more ginger to taste.
5. Bring water to a rolling boil in two other pots – one for the breadfruit and one for the bele. Place whole unpeeled breadfruit into boiling water and allow to cook for 10 – 15mins until you can easily poke a skewer through it. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of breadfruit. Once breadfruit is cooked, remove from pot and cut into quarters, allowing it to sit and cool for a while before removing the seeds and skin. Slice into pieces that can be served alongside the soup.
6. In your other pot of boiling water, blanch the bele and then remove and place in a strainer allowing all excess water to drain. Place your bele in a bowl.
7. Serve your soup into bowls and add bele into each serving bowl. Place sliced breadfruit on a side plate and enjoy!

NOTE: Bele is added separately at the end as it gives off a slimy texture when cooked and this will spread through your soup.

 

Team Tonga Recipes Ricky & Randall