One of the strangest and most polarizing ingredients in all of Hyrulean cuisine is Monster Extract. Created by the eccentric monster researcher Kilton, this curious concoction serves as a spice or flavor enhancer, brewed from who-knows-what monstrous bits and bobs. Kilton insists it brings out a uniquely “gamified” richness in dishes like soups, stews, and curries. Most Hylians will agree, though, that it is indeed an acquired taste. I mean, who doesn’t enjoy a little monster musk in their dinner, after all?
Monster Soup is perhaps the purest expression of this culinary oddity. At its base, it includes milk, butter, and Tabantha wheat, which are common foundational ingredients for many Hyrulean soups. But add in a generous splash of Monster Extract, and the flavor profile veers sharply into uncharted territory. It’s not just a soup anymore. It’s a dare. It’s an adventure in a bowl.
"Using monster extract as a base, this soup's distinct gaminess is either loved or hated."
Since Monster Extract is not a thing in the real world, we need to find another means of arriving at this unusually colored soup. To accomplish this, we will use some purple vegetables as well as some purple ube powder.
We start by sautéing onions in butter until soft, then bloom coriander, cumin, and clove to build a warm, aromatic base. Purple potatoes and red cabbage go into the pot with stock, brown sugar, salt, and pepper, simmering until tender. While the soup cooks, we make a silky béchamel with butter, flour, ube powder, and milk, finishing it with a touch of salt and nutmeg. Once the soup is blended smooth, we whisk in the béchamel to create a velvety, vibrant texture. The end result is a smooth, purple soup which tastes like a vichyssoise enhanced by warm spices. It’s bold, beautiful, and just strange enough to feel a little monstrous… even though it tastes quite the opposite.
Ingredients
4 tbsp butter, divided
1 onion, diced
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground clove
3 ½ cups vegetable stock
3 purple potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups red cabbage, thinly sliced
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 ¼ tsp salt, divided
½ tsp black pepper
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tbsp ube powder
1 cup whole milk
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
2–3 tbsp sour cream (for swirl garnish)
2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
4 tbsp butter, divided
1 onion, diced
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground clove
3 ½ cups vegetable stock
3 purple potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups red cabbage, thinly sliced
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 ¼ tsp salt, divided
½ tsp black pepper
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tbsp ube powder
1 cup whole milk
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
2–3 tbsp sour cream (for swirl garnish)
2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
Place a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and allow it to melt. Once the butter has melted, add the onion. Sauté the onion until it becomes soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the coriander, cumin, and clove and allow the spices to cook for a minute, stirring to blend them in with the onion mixture.
Add the vegetable stock and stir the onion mixture through the stock. Add the red cabbage and the potatoes followed by the brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt, and the black pepper. Stir to blend the sugar and spices through the broth and vegetables.
Bring the soup to a boil and then lower the heat to a low setting and allow the soup to simmer for 20 minutes to soften the vegetables. Place the lid on the Dutch oven while it simmers.
While the soup simmers, we will make the béchamel sauce. Set another smaller pot over low heat. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the pot. Once the butter is melted, add 1 tablespoon of flour and 1 tablespoon of ube powder. Whisk the flour and ube powder into the butter to create a smooth roux. Allow the roux to cook for about 2 minutes, but do not allow it to brown.
After the 2 minutes, start slowly whisking in the milk. Pour the milk in slowly, about 2-3 tablespoons at a time and completely whisk it into the roux before adding more. Continue this process until the full cup of milk has been whisked in. Once all of the milk has been added, add ¼ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg. Whisk the salt and nutmeg into the sauce to fully blend. Turn the heat up to low-medium and allow the béchamel sauce to thicken a little more, about 3-5 minutes. When the béchamel sauce is done, remove it from the heat.
After 20 minutes, remove the lid and remove the Dutch oven from the heat. The vegetables should be completely soft and the broth should be a deep purple color. Use an immersion blender to fully blend the vegetables down into a smooth soup. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can blend it in batches in a food processor or blender.
Once the soup is fully smooth, we are ready to add the bechamel. Slowly poor the béchamel sauce into the soup while whisking. Continue whisking until the béchamel sauce is fully incorporated into the soup. Return the soup to the heat and allow it to simmer for another 5 minutes on low heat, but do not allow the soup to come to a full boil. Season the soup to taste with salt (or more brown sugar) if needed.
After 5 minutes, remove the soup from the heat. It is ready to serve. Ladle the soup into soup bowls. Using a spoon, add 5 or 6 curved streaks of sour cream in a circle around the center. You may need to stir a few drops of water into the sour cream to make it thin enough to streak across the soup. Drag a toothpick in a circular motion through all of the sour cream streaks to create the same design as shown in the game picture. Garnish the soup with some minced parsley in the center. Enjoy!
Learn more about the Monster Soup dish from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild at Zelda Dungeon.