Beef & Rice Soup

Ok, this photo isn't exactly something I'll send to Tastespotting, but the soup was good and I think it's well worth trying even though it wasn't photogenic. I've been wanting to try a soup with ground meat and rice ever since I had a fantastic one at a little tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurant. That one had lamb, lentils, spinach, rice... and well, I had no idea how to make something similar. I still really don't, but when I saw this soup in Jaden's Steamy Kitchen cookbook, I knew I had to try it. And now at least I have a base to work with - it's definitely not very similar, but it's tasty, filling and satisfying when it's cold outside!

Think of this as a base, to which you can add a lot more flavors.

Beef & Rice Soup
(printable recipe)
Serves 2-3

250 g ground beef
2 tsp dry sherry
2 tsp dark soy sauce
black pepper
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp cooking oil
1 litre water
50 g rice, uncooked
1 carrot, thinly sliced
handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
100 ml green peas (frozen and thawed)
salt

Heat the oil in a pot. Mix the beef, sherry, soy sauce, black pepper and sugar. Fry on medium heat for a few minutes while stirring to break up any clumps of meat. Add water, rice, carrots and tomatoes and boil for abut 25 minutes, or until the rice is fully cooked. Add the peas, and season with salt.

Recipe in Swedish:
Köttfärssoppa med ris