Turkey Broth with Ginger and Star Anise
A clear, hot soup built from bouillon, dried aromatics, and a pouch of turkey.
- calories
- 320
- weight
- 3.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 91
- protein
- 30 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total time
- 12 min
- water
- 600 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Lunch
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Liquid fuel
- Backpacking
- Basecamp
- Winter / snow
- Canoe / raft
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Chicken bouillon | 2 cubes or 2 tsp powder | enough for 600 ml |
|---|---|---|
| Pouched or freeze-dried turkey | 3 oz | chicken works the same |
| Star anise | 2 whole pods | |
| Dried lemongrass | 1 tsp | cut, not powdered |
| Ground dried ginger | 1 tsp | |
| Garlic granules | 1/2 tsp | |
| Chili flakes | 1/4 tsp | more if you want it hot |
| Dried carrot | 1/4 cup | shredded rehydrates fastest |
| Dried onion | 2 tbsp | |
| Olive oil | 1 tsp | |
| Salt and pepper | to taste |
Method
- Bring 600 ml of water to a boil. Add the bouillon, star anise, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, and chili.
- Cut the heat to a low simmer and leave it five minutes. This is the part that makes it taste like anything.
- Stir in the dried carrot and onion. Simmer another three or four minutes until the carrot bends instead of snaps.
- Add the turkey and the oil. Heat one more minute, no longer, or the meat shreds into threads.
- Fish out the star anise and the lemongrass before you eat. Salt and pepper at the end.
The original is a leftovers dish: roast turkey dropped into stock with fresh chili, lemongrass, and ginger. Nothing about that survives a pack, so the fresh aromatics become dried ones and the leftover meat becomes a pouch. Dried ginger and garlic granules are blunter than grated fresh, but in a broth simmered ten minutes the difference mostly closes.
The star anise and lemongrass are the whole point. They need real steeping time in hot liquid, which is why they go in first and the vegetables go in second. Skipping the simmer leaves you drinking salted water with meat in it. This is a light dinner by trail standards, around 320 calories, so pair it with something dense or double the meat.
Packing
Bouillon, aromatics, and dried vegetables go in one bag. Star anise and lemongrass go in a second small bag so you can pull them out of the pot without hunting. Meat pouch rides on its own.
Variations
- A block of ramen in the last two minutes turns it into a full dinner and adds no longer a gluten-free dish.
- Swap the turkey for a foil packet of tuna or salmon.
- A squeeze of lime, if you carried one, cuts the anise.
https://www.matprat.no/oppskrifter/sunn/kalkunsuppe-med-ingefar-og-chili