We've been feeling a little...lousy in this household for the past few days. Blame it on the change of seasons, other sick people, kids starting school and creating little colds that fly around in the cooling air of early- to mid-September. We've got it, whatever it is, and it's no fun. The image of curling up on a couch with your love, mugs of tea or coffee in-hand, ready to put your feet up, watch some TV, and recover isn't nearly as enjoyable when you're actually sick.
So this weekend, to fix ourselves up a bit, I set about making a cure-in-soup-form. Having never actually made homemade chicken soup before (gasp!), I didn't have a go-to recipe for sick days. I did, however, remember reading a recipe from the Bon Appetit website calling itself Chinese Noodle Soup. I used this as my inspiration, and used what I had around the house to make the soup (because no one wants to go to the grocery store when they're sick).
I have to admit, it was very easy to make, and so much more nourishing that anything I could have heated up in a can. If you're feeling lousy, but still feel up to, well, being upright, give this soup a try. Placebo effect or not, Jim and I both felt better for it.
*(Note: These photos are the first on what, I am sure, will be a long and exciting project of learning to use my DSLR. I've not edited them in any way, so things can only get better from here!)
First, you'll want to marinate your chicken. I used soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, and sesame oil.
If you have an Asian grocery store within reasonable driving distance, it's worth your time to pop over and poke around. Sesame oil, for one, is an expensive ingredient, but if you go to the source, it's amazing the deal you'll get. That bottle cost me $8, and is four times the size of the $8 bottle I would get in my local supermarket.
Slice the chicken up into thin strips, and pour the flavorings overtop. I used about a tablespoon of each.
At this point, put the chicken in the fridge and migrate over to the couch. Recover a little, have some tea.
When you're feeling better, head back to the kitchen to start the soup. Mince some garlic (I used two cloves) and ginger (about 2 tablespoons), and mix it with some tahini (2 tablespoons), rice vinegar (1 tablespoon), and chili garlic sauce (about 2 teaspoons). We need some ginger to cure us, and some spice to clear us out.
Ahem. Sorry for that.
I used my microplane on the garlic and the ginger because it makes fast work of mincing. When you're sick, you need fast work.
Garlic. Love it.
Mix this paste up and keep it ready. This is going to flavor the broth a lot, and give you the kick that you'll need. Spice is part of the cure.
Now, I used bok choy as the greens of this soup, but I think you could really use anything sturdy enough to stand up to a soup.
Rinse out the grit and chop it up into ribbons.
Saute the bok choy in a little sesame oil, then add some chicken broth or stock, really whatever you have. I had some stock and then added water to get enough liquid, I would say at least 6 cups.
Cooking when you're sick is alllll about estimating.
Bring this to a boil and then add in the chicken, with the marinade, and that wonderful, flavorful paste. Now the broth just looks like it can cure you.
I boiled some soba noodles and added them to the soup. Simmer everything together for a few minutes and you're ready.
See, that wasn't so hard, was it?
Scoop yourself out some nourishing goodness.
If you're me, you'll stir in some more chili garlic sauce to pack a bigger punch. Get that blanket, get on the couch, and get better.
I know we can all use a soup like this during the changing of the seasons, when our immune systems are a bit on the flimsy side. You can find the recipe I used here and mold it to what you have in the kitchen. I really enjoyed how flavorful the broth was, it cut through any lack of my sense of taste caused by my sickness, which is invaluable. No one wants to eat food that can't be tasted!
Another something invaluable? Leftovers. I'll be okay for the rest of the weekend, staying in and recovering (and yes, completely jealous of the gorgeous weather and longing to be at an orchard or a farm). Until next weekend...
So this weekend, to fix ourselves up a bit, I set about making a cure-in-soup-form. Having never actually made homemade chicken soup before (gasp!), I didn't have a go-to recipe for sick days. I did, however, remember reading a recipe from the Bon Appetit website calling itself Chinese Noodle Soup. I used this as my inspiration, and used what I had around the house to make the soup (because no one wants to go to the grocery store when they're sick).
I have to admit, it was very easy to make, and so much more nourishing that anything I could have heated up in a can. If you're feeling lousy, but still feel up to, well, being upright, give this soup a try. Placebo effect or not, Jim and I both felt better for it.
*(Note: These photos are the first on what, I am sure, will be a long and exciting project of learning to use my DSLR. I've not edited them in any way, so things can only get better from here!)
First, you'll want to marinate your chicken. I used soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, and sesame oil.
If you have an Asian grocery store within reasonable driving distance, it's worth your time to pop over and poke around. Sesame oil, for one, is an expensive ingredient, but if you go to the source, it's amazing the deal you'll get. That bottle cost me $8, and is four times the size of the $8 bottle I would get in my local supermarket.
Slice the chicken up into thin strips, and pour the flavorings overtop. I used about a tablespoon of each.
At this point, put the chicken in the fridge and migrate over to the couch. Recover a little, have some tea.
When you're feeling better, head back to the kitchen to start the soup. Mince some garlic (I used two cloves) and ginger (about 2 tablespoons), and mix it with some tahini (2 tablespoons), rice vinegar (1 tablespoon), and chili garlic sauce (about 2 teaspoons). We need some ginger to cure us, and some spice to clear us out.
Ahem. Sorry for that.
I used my microplane on the garlic and the ginger because it makes fast work of mincing. When you're sick, you need fast work.
Garlic. Love it.
Mix this paste up and keep it ready. This is going to flavor the broth a lot, and give you the kick that you'll need. Spice is part of the cure.
Now, I used bok choy as the greens of this soup, but I think you could really use anything sturdy enough to stand up to a soup.
Rinse out the grit and chop it up into ribbons.
Saute the bok choy in a little sesame oil, then add some chicken broth or stock, really whatever you have. I had some stock and then added water to get enough liquid, I would say at least 6 cups.
Cooking when you're sick is alllll about estimating.
Bring this to a boil and then add in the chicken, with the marinade, and that wonderful, flavorful paste. Now the broth just looks like it can cure you.
I boiled some soba noodles and added them to the soup. Simmer everything together for a few minutes and you're ready.
See, that wasn't so hard, was it?
Scoop yourself out some nourishing goodness.
If you're me, you'll stir in some more chili garlic sauce to pack a bigger punch. Get that blanket, get on the couch, and get better.
I know we can all use a soup like this during the changing of the seasons, when our immune systems are a bit on the flimsy side. You can find the recipe I used here and mold it to what you have in the kitchen. I really enjoyed how flavorful the broth was, it cut through any lack of my sense of taste caused by my sickness, which is invaluable. No one wants to eat food that can't be tasted!
Another something invaluable? Leftovers. I'll be okay for the rest of the weekend, staying in and recovering (and yes, completely jealous of the gorgeous weather and longing to be at an orchard or a farm). Until next weekend...
