Croatian Creamy Roux Soup - Ajnpren Supa

If you're looking for a hearty soup that will keep your stomach full, look no further. This vegan roux soup, a Croatian classic, is made from simple ingredients like oil, broth, and flour with caraway seeds and paprika.

This creamy roux soup is a breeze to make and will leave your taste buds wanting more. You’ll love how simple it is to whip up this hearty meal that tastes like it took hours of preparation time!

A tasty dish with a silky, nutty flavor (also known as poor man's soup) was usually served to soldiers and prisoners. Still, it has become a part of traditional Croatian cuisine and its neighboring countries that once were a part of Yugoslavia.

What is Roux?

Roux is a classic thickening agent for sauces, gravies, and soups, with roots dating more than 300 years. If you've ever made lasagna or a pasta casserole with bechamel sauce (one of the 5 French mother sauces), you've made a roux.

This paste-like mixture of flour ranges in color from white and blond to light and dark brown. The color of a roux is achieved by the amount of time it's cooked.

The longer you cook your roux, the less effective it will be at thickening!

📃 Why it Works

• It's quick and easy to make.
• Your budget will thank you for making this soup. Not only is it easy on your wallet, but also the ingredients are very commonly found in kitchens around town.
• This nourishing bisque will help to soothe your stomach and digestive tract, including heartburn, bloating, gas and mild spasms.
• It's also a great hangover remedy.
• This soup warms and invigorates you, a perfect dish for the winter, fasting period, and all year round.
• This makes use of only one pot and one cooking utensil which means quick cleanup afterwards!

🛒 Ingredients and Notes

• oil
• flour
• vegetable stock
• paprika
• caraway seeds
• Salt and pepper

🧈 Fat

The following recipe used olive oil, but vegetable or canola oil works just as well. Some other non-vegan options are butter, lard, or bacon fat.

🌾 Flour

All-purpose flour is most commonly used for this recipe. Whole-wheat flour will make the consistency a bit different. If you're gluten-intolerant, use GF flour mix, buckwheat, or corn flour (NOT cornstarch, aka cornflour in the UK).

🥫 Liquid

To add more flavor to the soup and keep it vegan, we used vegetable stock, but you can also use water with Vegeta (Croatian vegetable-based seasoning mix). You can also use chicken stock or bouillon instead.

🧂 Spices

Mild paprika will season and color dishes, but you can use hot paprika if you like your roux soup to pack a little punch. You can also achieve this with cayenne pepper instead.

Caraway seeds are an essential ingredient for this roux bisque. They not only add flavor but many health benefits.

To learn more about what caraway tastes like, its other uses, and what dishes and spices to pair it with, grab this downloadable Spices 101 e-book.

🔪 Instructions

You can easily make this recipe in a few basic steps:

1. Heat the oil in a medium-size pot. Stir in the flour. With a wooden spoon or a whisk, continue to stir flour over low heat until flour is golden in color. Do not burn it!
2. Add in paprika and caraway seeds.
3. Cook, constantly mixing for 30 seconds. Gradually add broth continuing to stir as it thickens.
4. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

• We are looking for a peanut butter color (light to medium brown) in the roux for this dish. The darker the roux, the more intense the flavor but less thickening power it will have.
• Always add cold liquid to the hot roux to prevent clumps. If you're new to making a roux, it's best to use a whisk to mix it.
• You can add more spices and herbs if you wish. Marjoram and thyme are great options.
• If you opt for adding an egg to your soup (as seen in the "variations"), you could beat the yolk separate from the egg white and add each individually to the boiling liquid. It will make the dish more colorful.
• The soup will thicken as it cools down.
• If your soup is too thick, add more broth or water. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.

👉 Variations

This dish is known under different names, depending on the region: prezgana juha, anpren corba, ajpren supa, but they all basically mean the same: flour, roux, or "browned" soup.

• Croatian - ajnpren (read: eye-n-pren), klin, or zapržak supa is sometimes served with a dollop of sour cream, chopped fresh parsley or chives, and croutons or bread slices.
• Slovenian - prežganka: One beaten egg is added to the mix that gives this dish thicker consistency and a more luscious flavor (similar to egg drop soup). In some households, a grated carrot is browned with the flour.
• German and Austrian - Einbrennsuppe or Mehlsuppe: It contains onion, garlic, milk, and dumplings made of a thin mixture of flour and eggs.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

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Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in September 2014 and updated in August 2021 with new photos, recipe video, and recipe tips.