Zeama — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

A light, nourishing chicken broth soup with homemade noodles, finished with a generous squeeze of lemon juice that gives it the characteristic sour tang beloved across Moldova.

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, about 1.5kg
2 carrots, diced
1 onion, quartered
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 parsnip, diced
200g homemade egg noodles
Juice of 3 lemons
1 egg
Fresh lovage leaves
Fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and black pepper
2.5 liters water

Instructions

1 Place whole chicken in a large pot with cold water. Bring to a boil, skim foam, then reduce heat and simmer gently for one hour.
2 Add carrots, onion, celery, and parsnip to the broth. Continue simmering for twenty minutes until vegetables are tender.
3 Remove chicken, shred the meat, and return it to the pot. Discard skin and bones.
4 Add homemade egg noodles and cook for five minutes until tender but still firm.
5 Beat the egg with lemon juice. Temper by slowly adding a ladle of hot broth while whisking, then stir the mixture back into the pot.
6 Add chopped lovage and parsley. Adjust salt and pepper. Serve immediately while piping hot.

Did You Know?

Zeama is considered the ultimate Moldovan hangover cure and is traditionally served the morning after weddings and large celebrations.