How about something cozy to get you through these chilly winter days! This week we’re taking a look at another iconic soup from the Legend of Zelda series, the Elixer Soup from the Wind Waker. This one goes out to all you supportive grandmas out there!
Welcome to the very first lvl.1 Chef recipe collaboration! That’s right! A couple weeks ago, I was approached by pwnappelz, a super cool dude who does video game recipe videos on Youtube for charity (among other things, seriously check him out!) about the prospect of working together. It was really fun to throw ideas back and forth as we developed what would become the Elixir Soup recipe we have today. So thanks, Peter! I’d call this Jamaican/Outset Island fusion cuisine experiment a success! See his recipe video tutorial right HERE. He even got his grandma to help out :].
I’m a almost afraid to count up exactly how many soups from the Legend of Zelda I’ve made recipes for so far, but there certainly can’t be many left! (It’s seven, this makes seven soups.) No sense in stopping now!
This recipe is special because it’s inexorably tied to Link’s Grandmother right from the beginning of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. You begin the game on the aptly named Outset Island living in a modest shack with your sister and Grandma. When adventure calls and Link must abandon his island home, we’re shown a very touching scene of the farewell between them. Truly, the Elixir Soup his Grandma packs with him on his journey becomes a tangible memory of his home and family and there’s no wonder why it completely replenishes all life and magic energy when consumed.
When we started brainstorming the recipe, Pwnappelz and I were determined to make an Elixir Soup like no other. We drew inspiration from many places including what ingredients are available on Link’s Outset Island as well as what kind of cuisines are typical of island cultures in the real world. We were also adamant about using pear, certainly an unexpected addition to a soup, in reference to the Hyoi pears Link uses in the game to attract seagulls. (I also snuck some of these pears into my Deku Nut Cake recipe from the same game!)
In order to achieve the color and look seen in the game, we based the recipe largely on Jamaican corn soup. In addition to the pear, we’ve also added coconut milk (from the island’s palm trees) as well as chorizo based on the presence of a pig farm on the island.
Stuff like this is what makes developing video game recipes a lot of fun and it’s even better when it ends up tasting great as well. Let me tell you that this soup does not disappoint, so why not give it a try for yourself! This soup will warm your body and soul just as Link’s Grandma intended.
+ Elixir Soup +
makes about 3 quarts
ITEMS
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Olive Oil | 2 tsp |
| Ground Chorizo | 8 oz |
| Onion | 1 medium, chopped |
| Garlic | 2 cloves, minced |
| Cooking Sherry | 3 Tbsp. |
| Chicken Stock | 8 cups |
| Corn | 4 cups of kernels, fresh or frozen |
| Creamed Corn | 1 can |
| Salt | 2½ tsp |
| Ground Pepper | ½ tsp |
| Anjou Pears | 4, peeled, cored, and chopped |
| Coconut Milk | 1 cup |
| Corn Starch | 4 Tbsp |
| Ground Ginger | 2 tsp |
| Curry Powder | 2 Tbsp. |
| Garlic Powder | 1 tsp |
| Apple Cider Vinegar | 1 Tbsp. |
| Lime Juice | 1½ tsp |
EQUIP
- Sharp knife and a cutting board
- Large stock pot
- Spatula or wooden spoon
- Medium cook pot
- Whisk
- Immersion blender or food processor
WALKTHROUGH
1) Begin by heating the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat, Add in the ground chorizo and use a spatula or wooden spoon to break it up into bite sized pieces and cook for one minute. Next, add in the chopped onion and garlic to the pot and cook until the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes.
2) Deglaze the pot with the sherry, then add in the chicken stock, corn kernels, creamed corn, salt, and pepper. Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes.
3) In a separate pot, combine the chopped pear and coconut milk and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes to soften, then use an immersion blender to buzz it into a puree. Alternatively, you can use a blender or food processor for this step. Pour the puree into the soup and stir to combine.
4) We’ll thicken up the soup a bit by preparing a slurry with 4 Tbsp of cornstarch and mixing it with just enough water to dissolve it. Add the slurry to the soup and bring it to a boil one last time for one minute to tighten it up and cook off the starchy flavor. Finish up the Elixir Soup by stirring in the remaining ingredients and adjusting the seasoning to your liking if necessary.
Hey! Thanks for reading all the the way to the end! You’re awesome :D! If you haven’t already and are looking for more nerdy food stuff, consider following me on Twitter, Facebook, tumblr and Instagram. I post a lot of work in progress pictures for the blog as well as stuff from my Twitch streams. If that sounds like something you’d be into, please check out those links above! Anyway, take care everyone and I’ll see you next time with an all-new recipe!
Did you know? I also have a Patreon page where fans like you can help support me directly! There are some pretty cool rewards in it for you as well so you’ll definitely want to check it out :].
A huge thanks to everyone who has supported me so far! And Happy New Year!
Chets Y., Charlotte G., Tyler S., Derek R., Dan S., Victoria , Kurt P., Fox Corp., Archy Dan, The Gluttonous Geek, Josh M., Val C., Katharina, Daniel L., and Amanda B.
– Bryan
