You must have recently seen several ‘Swamp Soup’ videos on your TikTok ‘For You’ page. Moving on from sweet and creamy treats like candy salad, green soup has gained much attention online. Does the verdant soup have any relation to Shrek? What does it even taste like? How did the trend come about? We’ll answer all these questions in this article. Let’s get right into it.
How did the Swamp Soup trend start?
Like many other food trends, the Swamp Soup trend started on Instagram and TikTok. To be clear, the soup has nothing to do with Shrek, despite its green color.
Courtesy: TikTok
The viral soup recipe was developed by Meredith Hayden, also known as Wishbone Kitchen, on her socials. The soup is another way to consume more vegetables without compromising on taste.
Where did the name come from?
The unappetizing name, Swamp Soup, is only a nickname for the viral soup; it was originally named Green Garlic and Ginger Chicken and Rice Soup, which is a mouthful to say.
Courtesy: COURTNEY KASSEL
The nickname comes from the deep green color of the soup. What other name would we call a chunky bowl of green mush? So, the appearance is what birthed the Swamp Soup name. It looks like where Shrek would live.
What do you need to make the soup?
Calling the Swamp Soup a flu shot wouldn’t be wrong, as it features a myriad of immune-boosting ingredients. These healthy ingredients are garlic, ginger, jalapeños, and spinach.
Courtesy: Taste Of Home
Other ingredients required are chicken broth, cooked rice, cooked and pulled chicken, two stalks of scallions or green onions, soy sauce to taste, and packed parsley for garnish.
How to make Swamp Soup
Just as shown in the viral TikTok videos, making Swamp Soup is easy. Start with cooking spinach in boiling bone broth until it shrinks, then take the spinach out to cool and add rice to the broth. Cook until the broth starts to thicken (15 minutes).
Courtesy: Taste Of Home
Along with the cooled spinach, put ginger, parsley, garlic, scallion, ¼ cup water, and one teaspoon salt in the blender and blend for a minute. Fold your chicken into the broth and gradually add the blended puree- you might not need it all if the garlic is too pungent for you.
So, does it live up to the hype?
Most of the Swamp Soup videos are about the excellent taste– even non-soup-eaters say the taste has converted them. So does this soup really taste better than it looks?
Courtesy: Wishbone Kitchen
Turns out the answer is a resounding ‘Yes.’ Whether you use some leftover rice or a packet of cooked rice, you can expect a mind-blowing delicacy in about 30 minutes. The soup is filling, but it doesn’t weigh you down.
