Mexican Dried Lime Soup

Mexican Dried Lime Soup:

Dried limes are pretty foreign to the Western lexicon as far as cooking goes. And why wouldn’t they be? Dried limes are primarily found in Middle Eastern cuisine. In Persian cooking, you pretty much cannot cook any stew without them, they provide a flavor that adds a sour tang to your dish that lemon juice or lime juice can’t quite do.

As a kid growing up, oddly enough, I hated dried limes. They were like stew landmines in my journey to stuff my little fat face. God help you if you actually eat one of these things, your whole face will pucker up and you’ll wish you had access to some sort of culinary time machine to go back before you ate it.

But now as a cook, I see their purpose and value in a Persian dish. But just because they are popular in Middle Eastern cooking, doesn’t mean you can’t take the same principals of their usage and apply it to Western cooking. That’s what I did here, in Mexican cuisine limes play a key role.

Limes are either served with or squeezed into tons of Mexican dishes, so I thought why not bring dried limes to the party. Think of using them like you would a bay leaf. Would you eat a bay leaf? No. But would you use one in your soup? Yes.

This Mexican Dried Lime Soup only uses 2 dried limes, but they provide enough of a flavor punch to carry the dish. I mixed in some fresh ingredients and a jar of salsa to give this soup a south of the border flavor. This dish is healthy, but not healthy in the way that it makes you want to binge on hamburgers later. Healthy in the way that it satisfies your hunger and makes you want to come back for seconds.

Recipe – Mexican Dried Lime Soup

Ingredients

1 Cup of Diced Red Onion

4 Cloves of Garlic

1 Tbsp. Butter

1 Tbsp. Cumin

2 Tsp. Chili Powder

1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder

1 Tbsp. Coriander

1/2 Tbsp. Oregano

2 Chicken Breasts (cubed)

1 Jar Salsa

2 Cups Chicken Broth

2 Dried Limes

Method

Heat butter in a large pot, then add your onions, as they soften then add the garlic. Then add your chicken cubes, brown them and then add the rest of your spices. Stir on medium heat, then add your salsa, stir for another 5 minutes.

Now add your dried limes and chicken broth. Cook on low heat for 2 to 3 hours. Remove the limes from the soup before serving. If you do not have access to dried limes, use squeeze some fresh lime juice into the soup (about 2 limes worth).

Top with some fresh cheese and enjoy!