Zeamă (Moldovan Chicken Noodle Soup)
In short: A clear, sour chicken soup with homemade egg noodles, carrot and peppers, brightened with borș or lemon and fresh herbs. It takes about 1 h 45 min in total and makes 6 servings.
- Prep
- 45 min
- Cook
- 1 h
- Resting
- 20 min
- Total
- 1 h 45 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 270 kcal
Zeamă is the Moldovan chicken noodle soup, cooked for Sundays, holidays and anyone feeling unwell. The broth is clear and light, built on chicken, onion and carrot, and it gets its sharp edge from borș, a sour liquid made from fermented wheat bran, or from lemon juice. Thin homemade noodles cook right in the pot, and fresh parsley and lovage go in at the end. A fresh green hot pepper on the side is optional.
Instructions
- Put the chicken, onion, carrots, peppercorns and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a large pot with the water. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam and simmer partly covered for 45 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through to 74°C (165°F).
- Meanwhile, make the noodles. Mix the flour, eggs and salt, knead for 5 minutes into a firm dough, adding the water if it is dry, and rest for 20 minutes.
- Roll the dough out as thin as you can, about 1 mm (1/32 in). Dust it with flour, fold it loosely and cut it into 3 mm (1/8 in) strips. Toss the noodles with a little flour and spread them on a tray.
- Lift out the chicken and let it cool slightly. Discard the onion, skin and bones and shred the meat.
- Add the bell pepper to the broth and simmer for 5 minutes. Return the chicken to the pot.
- Bring the soup to a gentle boil, drop in the noodles and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until tender.
- Take the pot off the heat and stir in the borș or lemon juice, parsley and lovage. Taste for salt and sourness and serve hot.
Tips
- No borș? Use lemon juice, or a spoonful of sauerkraut brine plus lemon. Add it off the heat so the sourness stays fresh and bright.
- Short on time? Dried egg noodles work well. Cook them in the soup for about 5 minutes.
Questions and answers
What is borș and where can I buy it?
Borș is a sour liquid made by fermenting wheat bran with water. It is sold in bottles in Romanian and Moldovan shops, and lemon juice is an easy substitute.
Can I make zeamă ahead of time?
Make the broth up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate it. Cook the noodles fresh when you reheat the soup, because they turn soft if stored in the broth.
Can I freeze zeamă?
Freeze the broth and chicken without the noodles for up to 3 months. Thaw, reheat and cook fresh or store-bought noodles in it.
How long does it take to make Zeamă (Moldovan Chicken Noodle Soup)?
About 1 h 45 min in total: 45 min of preparation and 1 h of cooking.
How many calories are in Zeamă (Moldovan Chicken Noodle Soup)?
About 270 kcal per serving, with 23 g of protein, 29 g of carbohydrates and 7 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 270 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 23 g |
| Carbohydrates | 29 g |
| Fat | 7 g |
| Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 5 g |
| Sodium | 800 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
