4 easy soup recipes to warm you up from the inside out

1. In a 4–5-quart heavy pot, combine the onions, thyme, bay leaves, salt and butter. Cook over moderate heat, uncovered, stirring frequently, until onions are very soft and deep golden brown, about 45 minutes.
2. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in wine and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in broth, water and pepper, and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
3. While the soup simmers, put an oven rack in the middle position and preheat oven to 350 F.
4. Arrange the bread in one layer on a large baking sheet and toast, turning over once, until completely dry, about 15 minutes.
5. Remove the croutons from the oven and preheat broiler. Put crocks in a shallow baking pan and fill each crock with soup, leaving a space at the top. Place a crouton on top of each soup and cover with cheese.
6. Place under a broiler and melt cheese until it forms a golden crust. Serve immediately.

1. Add the butter to a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add in the leeks, garlic, bay leaf and thyme. Cook until soft, stirring occasionally, roughly 8–10 minutes. You want it to soften but not brown.
2. Add in the potatoes and broth, and bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, cover and reduce to a simmer, and cook until the potatoes are soft, roughly 15 minutes.
3. Remove the bay leaf and then in batches (depending on the size of your blender), purée the soup until smooth.
4. Return the soup to the pot, add in the heavy cream and bring back to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Garnish with crushed up Sour Cream and Onion Chips and green onions.

Standard Meat Marinade (Nham Mhak Nua Sud) Method

1. In a medium bowl, combine the water, vegetable oil, tapioca starch and salt. Stir until the salt and starch have fully dissolved.
2. Add the meat to the bowl and mix well. Chef Nuit Regular likes to stir the meat in a clockwise motion, massaging until all the liquid has been absorbed. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Tamarind Paste (Nham Mha Kham) Method

1. In a small saucepan over high heat, bring the water to a rolling boil. Break the tamarind into small pieces and drop them into the boiling water. Boil for 3–4 minutes. The heat breaks down the tamarind pulp and makes it easier to separate the fibres. If using dried tamarind, it will start to expand. If using a tamarind block, it will absorb the water and start to soften.
2. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve placed over a large bowl, pressing out every bit of liquid and paste. Chef Regular recommends using a large bowl to help minimize the mess. Make sure to scrape the paste off the bottom of the sieve and mix it into the liquid. Discard the pulp in the sieve. Allow to cool before using. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Coconut Soup (Tom Kha Gai) Method

1. In a medium pot, combine the coconut water, lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves and shallots. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the coconut milk and salt and simmer until the coconut milk starts to boil, about 3 minutes.
2. Add the marinated chicken, mushrooms, tomatoes and chili. Poach the chicken for 8–10 minutes or until the chicken floats to the surface. If the soup starts to simmer, reduce the heat a bit. Once the chicken floats up, cook for another 2 minutes.
3. Add, to taste, the fish sauce, lime juice and tamarind paste for a balance of sour, salty and sweet. Simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and taste the soup. Coconut milk and mushrooms provide a natural sweetness. If there is not enough sweetness, add the cane sugar. The best way to do this is by scooping about ½ cup of the soup into a small bowl and stirring in the sugar until it dissolves completely. Stir into the soup, mix well, and taste again. If it still needs more sweetness, add a little more sugar the same way.
4. Stir in the green onions, sawtooth coriander and cilantro. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.

1. Place the olive oil, leeks and garlic in a large pot over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the leeks and garlic are soft but not browned, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the carrots and celery, and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have softened but not browned, about 8 minutes.
3. Add the potatoes and zucchini, and cook, stirring, until softened, about 8 more minutes.
4. At this stage, add the kale, cabbage and chard, and cook — always stirring! — until the greens are very soft, about 8 minutes.
5. Stir in the red pepper flakes.
6. Add the tomatoes and their juice, squeezing the tomatoes between your fingers to break them up.
7. Add 2 quarts of water, the bay leaf, the thyme and all of the beans. Season to taste with salt.
8. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
9. Add the bread cubes to the soup, and simmer until the bread is breaking apart and the soup is very thick, about 10 minutes.
10. Let the soup rest off the heat for several minutes, and then ladle into warmed bowls. Drizzle a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil over each portion before serving.