Bouillon Soup

Haitian Bouillon Soup (Bouyon)

A hearty, one-pot Haitian soup built on a rich tomato–beef broth thickened with flour and loaded with root vegetables, cabbage, peppers, and dumplings. It is traditionally a Sunday-festive dish, eaten with rice or dense bread to soak up the deeply seasoned broth.

Prep

25 min

Cook

90 min

Total

115 min

Serves

6 to 8

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •900 g (2 lb) beef shank or chuck, bone-in, cut into pieces, bone-in gives the traditional depth
• •2 tbsp neutral oil
• •1 large onion, finely chopped
• •4 cloves garlic, minced
• •2 tbsp tomato paste
• •400 g (14 oz) crushed or diced tomatoes, canned is fine
• •2.5 L (10 cups) water
• •2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• •1 tsp black pepper
• •1 tsp dried thyme
• •1 bay leaf bay leaf
• •1 whole Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper, left whole for heat; pierce once if you want more heat
• •1 whole bell pepper, sliced, any color
• •450 g (1 lb) potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• •200 g (7 oz) carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
• •150 g (5 oz) cabbage, cut into wedges, leave the core in to keep wedges intact
• •2 stalks celery, sliced
• •3 scallions scallions, chopped
• •3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• •120 g (1 cup) all-purpose flour, for the dumplings (formailles)
• •120 ml (½ cup) cold water, for the dumplings
• •salt, ½, for the dumplings
• •60 g (¼ cup) all-purpose flour, for the dough (pâte); mixed with a little water to make a stiff paste
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) water, for the dough
• •1 lime lime, cut into wedges, for serving

Steps

1. 1 Make the dumplings (formailles): in a bowl, mix 120 g flour with 120 ml cold water and ½ tsp salt to a smooth, pourable batter; set aside to rest.
2. 2 Make the dough (pâte): in a small bowl, work 60 g flour with about 30 ml water to form a stiff, dry dough; knead briefly until smooth, then set aside.
3. 3 Pat the beef dry and season with 1 tsp salt and the black pepper.
4. 4 Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in batches, 2–3 minutes per side, until well seared. Transfer to a plate.
5. 5 Reduce heat to medium. Add the chopped onion to the pot and cook, stirring, 3–4 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
6. 6 Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute to darken. Add the crushed tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf, and the Scotch bonnet/habanero (whole). Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens slightly.
7. 7 Return the beef and any juices to the pot. Pour in the 2.5 L water and add the remaining 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Skim any foam that rises.
8. 8 Cover and simmer gently for 45 minutes, until the beef is tender and cooked through (internal temperature 85°C / 185°F for well-done braised beef; 71°C / 160°F is the safe minimum, but a longer simmer is needed for the traditional texture).
9. 9 Add the potatoes, carrots, celery, and bell pepper. Simmer uncovered 12–15 minutes until the roots are nearly tender.
10. 10 Add the cabbage wedges and scallions. Simmer another 5 minutes.
11. 11 Pinch off teaspoon-sized pieces of the stiff dough, roll into small pea- to marble-sized balls, and drop them into the soup. Stir gently so they do not stick.
12. 12 Pour the dumpling batter in a thin stream into the gently simmering soup while stirring in a circular motion; small irregular dumplings will form. Simmer 5–7 minutes until the dumplings are cooked through (they should feel firm, not doughy, when bitten).
13. 13 Fish out the whole Scotch bonnet if you left it in. Stir in the parsley. Taste and adjust salt.
14. 14 Serve hot in deep bowls with a wedge of lime on the side and traditional Haitian white rice or dense bread alongside to soak up the broth.