Creamy Chicken & Brown Rice Soup

This is a very filling soup that my family love - great for a quick winter meal.  Serve with some fresh bread and a green salad, and it will feed about six people for a main meal.  The soup becomes quite thick as it cools down, and could be thinned down a little more with some rice-almond milk if you like.  (We like it thick.)

If you have a big family, or like more veges in your soup, you can add more chicken to the soup (leaving the peas out) and cook at Varoma temperature with the peas and other veges steaming on top. Place the steamed veges in individual bowls and spoon the soup over the top.

1. Grind rice in Thermomix bowl for 1 minute on speed 9. Add almonds and grind 20 secs on speed 9, or until fine. Set aside.
- 50g of raw brown rice
- 50g raw almonds

[Note: raw cashews can be used instead of almonds for a smoother soup]

2. Place onion, garlic cloves, celery and carrot in bowl and chop for 3 seconds, speed 5.  Add oil (or butter) and cook for 3 minutes, 100 degrees, speed 1.
- 1 onion, halved
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 stalk of celery, quartered
- 1 large carrot, quartered
- 30g olive oil or butter

3. Add chicken and cook 3 minutes, 100 degrees, speed 1.
- 300g cubed chicken

4. Add water, stock paste, rice, and ground rice and almonds, and cook for 30 minutes, 100 degrees, reverse, speed 1.
- 1 litre water
- 2 Tblspns chicken stock paste (made in TMX - see below) or vege stock paste
- 100g raw brown rice
- ground rice & almonds

5. Add parsley and peas, cook another 5 minutes, 100 degrees, reverse, speed 1. Adjust seasonings if needed, and serve.
- handful fresh parsley, chopped
- 100g frozen peas

[Note: if you like it saltier, just add another spoonful of stock paste.  If you're using bought stock powder, you may want to add some tamari for extra flavour.]

Chicken Stock Paste

To make the stock paste, mince up 300g of raw chicken.

Add 300g veges (leek/onion/shallots, carrot, garlic, celery, celeriac - your choice), and a few sprigs fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, parsley). Chop for 10 seconds on speed 5.

Add 150g coarse sea salt, 1 bay leaf, 50g white wine (or 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar), 1 clove and 5 coriander seeds (or a dash of ground cloves and a dash of ground coriander).

Cook for 20 mins, Varoma temp, speed 2, with simmering basket on top instead of cap.

Replace cap and blend 1 minute, speed 10.

Use 1 tsp in 500g water for chicken stock.