Beat the chaotic weather by making this nourishing ‘cure for cold’ soup with a quartet of healthful ingredients
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 14 — First hot weather, then intermittent downpours, and finally the haze is back. A trio of climate crises and I find myself making a couple of trips to the clinic to see the doctor.
From acute throat irritation to a bit of a cold, it is easy to blame the weather and air pollution for all our aches and agonies. (Pardon that tiny bit of exaggeration above with a far too loose definition of crises.)
But sometimes we fall ill for no discernible reason other than we have been pushing ourselves too hard. Our bodies are intelligent enough to let us know we need to stop working and get more rest.
This is when I return to a basic recipe over and over to heal myself — mind, body and soul. Simple and delicious, this soup is my cure for colds.
True, there isn’t a real cure but when one feels better after a bowl of it, it’s easy to label it a cure, a restorative that happens to taste amazing too.
The approach is straightforward enough: Using ikan bilis (dried anchovies) for the stock deepens the flavour, while ginger is a tried and tested natural remedy. Shiitake mushrooms give the soup some heft as well as extra umami. Leafy greens add a healthy dose of antioxidants.
What a quartet of healthful ingredients!
The result is a nourishing broth that even ol’ out-of-sorts me can relish... and yes, ask for another bowl.
Using 'ikan bilis' (dried anchovies) for the stock deepens the flavour.
‘CURE FOR COLD’ SOUP
The base of your soup will be chicken stock but much of the flavour comes from the infusion of ikan bilis. Note that these dried anchovies are quite salty if they aren’t soaked and drained first. Don’t skip this step.
Beyond being a time assured elixir for colds, ginger has the additional benefit of removing any strong meaty odours (as with the case sometimes with chicken meat). Ginger also helps balance the soup’s overall flavour so that it’s not too one-dimensional.
Ginger is a tried and tested natural remedy.
Dried shiitake mushrooms offer a much appreciated hit of umami. They also add a natural sweetness to the stock.
As with the ikan bilis, dried shiitake mushrooms do have to be soaked in water — not so much to remove excess salinity, but to rehydrate them. Just soak them in a bowl of water, from a few hours to overnight.
Once the mushroom caps are tender and velvety, they are ready to be sliced. Here, go for your preferred thinness or thickness — some prefer very fine slices whilst others enjoy a chunkier bite; if you belong to the latter category, just cut your mushrooms into halves.
Leafy greens are a must-have even on normal days. When one is under the weather though, the requisite dose of healthy green, such as from siu bak choy or nai pak, will brighten up even the most feeble of humours.
Shiitake mushrooms give the soup some heft as well as extra umami.
Ingredients
200 ml chicken stock
50g dried ikan bilis (dried anchovies), soaked for 10 minutes then drained
1 medium sized ginger, julienned
4 cloves garlic, lightly smashed with the back of a knife
A handful of wolfberries
3-4 shiitake mushrooms, sliced or halved
100g boneless chicken, diced
1 small bunch of leafy green vegetables (e.g. siu bak choy or nai pak), rinsed and drained
2 eggs
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Ground white pepper to taste
Leafy greens like 'siu bak choy' or 'nai pak' add a healthy dose of antioxidants.
Method
Begin by adding the chicken stock to a large pot and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add the soaked and drained ikan bilis. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.
At this point, after the stock has been infused with the flavour of the ikan bilis, you might want to remove the spent ikan bilis using a slotted spoon. It’s perfectly fine to leave them in the stock too, if you don’t mind the texture.
Bring the stock back up to a boil, then add the ginger, garlic, wolfberries and shiitake mushrooms. Again, reduce the heat and allow to simmer for another 20 minutes until the mushrooms have softened.
Nourishing broth.
Bring the stock to a boil again and add the chicken. Once the chicken is nearly fully cooked, add the leafy greens. Give the stock a brisk stir to help the leaves wilt, then add the eggs.
Turn off the heat and add the sesame oil. Mix well and check for taste; you may season with some ground white pepper if you like.
Ladle the soup into bowls and serve immediately whilst hot.
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