Bushwalk Australia

I would like to make my own version of Cuppa soups.

I have tried making soups, dehydrating and then powdering them in a spice grinder or food processor, but this hasn't worked because i couldn't grind it fine enough and ended up with a lumpy rehydrated soup.

I started thinking that it would be better to go for a broth and vegetable pieces soup texture rather than a blended one. There are a few recipes on the net, including this recipe from a bushwalker (scroll down towards end of page):
http://www.massel.com.au/category/gluten-free/

Has anyone had any experience with this and is able to share tips? I don't carry any 'wet' food like fresh veg or pastes and am aiming for a lunchtime soup that you simply add water to and do not cook. i suspect that the smaller the vegetable pieces, the better for fast rehydration.

I've done cuppa soups a couple of times and they worked well. I blended the already dehydrated chunks with a Thermomix so that they were a fine powder.

I then add a little arrowroot flour (or cornflour) so that when they are rehydrated, it gives them a thicker consistency. I find this helps as sometimes it ends up being a bit watery with small particles in suspension that can then sink to the bottom. A thicker consistency keeps the suspended powder particles more... umm... suspended.

I've done pumpkin soup and tomato soup this way, and have been happy with the results.

From a cooking standpoint, I've had good success with zucchini, it doesn't keep much texture, but once reconstituted it tasted pretty good. Might be a good veggie, since you can dehydrate it straight up. I just salted fresh cut, and dehydrated it. Could have eaten it like chips.

Someone (on this forum I think) mentioned recently using creamed coconut powder as it re hydrates quickly in boiling water and I imagine will add a lot of body to a soup.

I love the Knorr chicken booster you can find at most asian shops - great flavour of roasted chicken as a base for anything you're making, better than the usual stock cubes.

I had a fortuitous accident recently, a few leaves of tuscan kale got left in the oven after steaming and turned to beautiful crisps. These would surely be great ground down and re hydrated for a very nutritious addition (fibre, vitamins).

I use coconut cream powder together with bacon bits and ground up dried pumpkin mash to make a delectable (almost) instant pumpkin soup.

icefest wrote:I use coconut cream powder together with bacon bits and ground up dried pumpkin mash to make a delectable (almost) instant pumpkin soup.

That sounds rather good!

You could also add a small amount of instant potato mash as a thickener.

Some good suggestions so far, thankyou.

I am still playing around with combinations and drying different components with the aim of making some cuppa soups for my walk in Nadgee next week. The aim for me is to make a warming beverage that is part of a meal, rather than a thick chunky meal in itself. So after arming myself with some good quality stock powders and reading that 1 tsp will make 2 cups of stock I got myself some jars. Each jar will make about 2-3 cups of soup (i imagine using 1-2 Tb of the mix, but this depends on how thick and flavoursome you want the soup) and these are my combinations so far:

Beef and vegetable: 1 tsp beef stock powder, 1/2 tsp dried parsley, 1 tsp dried peas, 1 tsp dried brocolli, 1 tsp dried cauliflower, 1 tsp dried mushrooms
Chicken and noodle: 1 tsp chicken stock powder, 1 Tb crushed brown rice noodles, 1 tsp dried zucchini, 1 tsp dried peas, 1/2 tsp dried chives, pinch of dried lemon rind, 1 tsp dried kale
Minestrone: 1 tsp veg stock powder, 1 tsp dried capsicum, 1 tsp dried peas, 1/2 tsp dried tomato, pinch of paprika, parsley, basil, oregano, rosemary (all dried and crushed), 1 Tb crushed brown rice noodles, 1 tsp kale, 1 tsp broccoli.
Asian style: 1 tsp chicken stock powder, 1 Tb crushed brown rice noodles, 1/2 tsp shiitake mushrooms, pinch of chilli flakes, 1/2 tsp fried dried shallots, pinch of lime rind powder, dried coriander leaves, ginger powder, 5 spice powder.

From here, I am planning a Carrot and coriander version and chicken and lemongrass. I think the key is to keep the components quite fine and i have been using a spice grinder to blitz (not quite to powder for the veggies) after dehydrating. Some things i have cooked before drying (broccoli, cauli, peas), but some, as mentioned previously, can be dried from raw (zucchini).

The advantage is that I can choose my ingredients, dry my own from my garden, but also i can cut down on packaging as i will keep the mix in one snap lock bag and just take a spoonful out at a time. I'll report further down the track.

Would be interested to hear how they turned out, Michele.

Someone earlier reported that hummus dried and rehydrated well. I wonder if cooked chick peas or lentils would work as a thickener? Yes, please report back. BTW when I was experimentting with the dryer... mushrooms dry well, and leeks are faster and easier than onions because the layers are already thin, and of course they are the basis of lots of soups. My plan - which worked well - was to use them to add more body and flavour to readymade instant soups tho

I have also been told that adding chickpea flour improves the grind ability (my word for it) and allows the finished product to be thicker. i have not yet done it as I've been waylaid with a dicky back for some years now so have not been out with a pack on to try it out.
I would be interested in the results which people have had.

I can report back on the cuppa soups being a big success. Of course they will never be similar to the preservative and emulsifier laden shop bought ones. The trick is not to compare them. Notes further to my last post are as follows:

- use a very good quality stock powder, if you can afford it, buy a bone broth powder as the flavour and nutrition surpasses a mere stock powder
- coconut milk powder is an excellent thickener
- as above, grind ingredients fine in a spice grinder
- a particularly good combo has been Sweet potato and ginger (makes 2 cups): 1 tsp chicken stock powder, 1 Tb dried and ground sweet potato, pinch of cumin, ginger, dried lemon zest, ½ tsp dried coriander leaves, 1 Tb coconut milk
- keep it simple

I've used a coffee grinder on my dehydrated vegies and dehyd minced chicken (cooked in frypan with spices).
Do you have a Thai laksa recipe and a miso soup recipe?