Good for the body & soul

A couple of weeks ago, I was really ill with a nasty stomach flu that was going around. I happened to get it from my preschooler and then so did the rest of the family. When I was finally up to eating, the only thing I wanted was chicken soup. And boy did it make me feel nice! It was like a warm bowl of healthy goodness.

This got me to thinking about the other times I had been under the weather. Most of them started the road to recovery with a bowl of chicken soup in one form or another. I usually make myself a yummy bowl of soup that I’ve spiked with cooked rice & cilantro. It is so delicious. 

Another chicken soup I love & infuses me with well-being is a Thai version called Tom Yum soup. The very best I’ve had is from a Thai restaurant near me called Lemongrass. Their Chicken Tom Yum soup is spicy, rich & makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

Soup is generally something I don’t follow a recipe for since I’ve made it so many times. I normally look at the ingredients & wing it from there without looking at amounts. Making soup is a simple and wonderful thing. It is versatile and forgiving. And one of the best things about soup is that everyone loves it and it makes you feel wonderful eating a great soup too!

So I did take the time to write these favorite soups down and here they are. The Tom Yum soup might have a few unusual ingredients not found in the average American’s pantry or spice cupboard. It may take a trip to the local oriental market to get things like galangal, kaffir lime leaves or bitter melon; trust me, it is well worth it.

I hope you find these recipes as edifying to you as they were for me.

 

Chicken & Rice soup with Cilantro

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 40 Minutes
Ready in: about 1 Hour
Servings: 6

Ingredients
1 tsp butter
2 medium onions, small dice
2 carrots, small dice
2 ribs celery, small dice
2 tsp garlic, minced
½ cup sherry wine
1 tsp poultry seasoning
½ tsp granulated garlic
½ tsp granulated onion
4 cups chicken stock*
1 ½ cup chicken, chopped
1 cup cooked rice
1 bunch cilantro, minced

Directions

In a large pot, melt butter on low heat.
Sweat onions, carrots & celery until tender.
Add garlic & cook for about 1 more minute. * If using chicken base instead of stock, add base with garlic.
Deglaze with sherry. Add spices. Cook for 5 minutes until alcohol is burned off.
Add chicken stock. Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer.
Add chicken & simmer for 10 minutes.
Add rice, then simmer for 2-3 minutes or until rice is hot.
Remove from heat & add cilantro

Tom Yum Koong Soup  

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 40 Minutes
Ready in: about 1 Hour
Servings: 6

"This Thai soup with straw mushrooms starts with a stock made from chicken combined with slices of galangal, kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass and fish sauce. Garnish with cilantro."

INGREDIENTS:

1 tsp sesame oil
4 white onions, julienne
2 bitter melon, seeded & julienne
1/2 cup oyster sauce
4 cups chicken broth
2 lemon grass
4 kaffir lime leaves
4 slices galangal, minced
4 bird's eye chiles (*optional)
12 green onion, diced
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 1/2 limes, juiced
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon thai chile paste (like sriracha)
8 straw mushrooms, halved
15-20 cilantro leaves

DIRECTIONS:

Trim lemongrass and cut into small matchstick size pieces. Or leave in larger pieces to remove later.
In a large pot, sauté white onions in sesame oil until translucent, add bitter melon. Sauté for about 2-3 minutes
Add oyster sauce, stock, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, bird eye chilies*, green onions, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and chili paste to a pot then bring to a boil, simmer 25 minutes.
Bring to boil, after boiling for 5 minutes, add mushrooms. Cook for further 10 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and heated through.
Remove lemongrass (if not soften and tender enough to eat) and lime leaves.
Garnish with cilantro.