Maker Monday: Magic Healing Soup

So I’ve caught the plague…

Almost certainly due to a herd of little kids coughing in my face, high-fiving me with their germy hands, and general spreading their germs in my direction, I’ve been struck down with illness.

This has featured:

• a sore throat
• a kind of spooky episode of chills
• body aches
• so much sleeping
• an uncomfortable amount of television
• magic healing soup

Magic Healing Soup is something my mom invented, and I continue to make, with additional tweaks. It may or may not be actually magic, or healing, but it makes me feel like I’m doing something for my health. 

The recipe is malleable, because you’re almost universally making it when you’re sick, so it’s not like you planned to have any of these ingredients around. At its simplest, it includes:

• Garlic
• Onion
• Broth

Everything else is just to fancy it up. When my mom made it, she usually added carrots, potatoes, and green peas. I go a little more Eastern, and  usually whisk in some miso and hot pepper, and I just started adding turmeric. I’ve added noodles and tofu in the past. I used to regularly add homemade kimchi, and that was superb. However, in the interest of a happy relationship, I haven’t made any kimchi in a while. (Bob objects to me summing this up as, “My boyfriend doesn’t let me make kimchi anymore” because that makes him sound like a controlling monster.) I added some vegetable protein  to this batch, just to bulk it up a little. I suppose you could add chicken or something, but I don’t know how meat works anymore, so don’t quote me on that.

Here’s my sort-of recipe:

Ingredients

Garlic, at least six cloves. (The garlic is key, here. Throw in some more. As much as you have.)
Half an onion
One carrot
One potato
1 quart + 1 cup or so  water
1 T. vegetable broth base (What? You thought I was going to use homemade veg stock? Did you miss the “I’m sick and didn’t plan, and I have a small freezer and rarely store stock in it anyway” part?)
Approximately 1 T. turmeric
Several shakes of red pepper
1 t. miso
2 T. lemon juice
couple tablespoons olive oil

Optional add-ins that I used this time:
quarter cup carne de soya
quarter cup green peas

 Directions

1. Roughly chop the garlic, onion, potato and carrot. This is not the time to use your fancy chopping techniques, you’re sick. Just get them into manageable pieces.
2. Pour the olive oil into your pot. Turn on medium heat.The pot should be medium sized, you’re not making a ton of soup here. It should also have a lid, but that’s not required. Don’t stress about it, you’re sick.
3. Saute the garlic, onion and carrot in the oil for a couple minutes.

   

4. Add the turmeric and pepper and potato. Stir it around for a couple minutes. Notice how the turmeric makes the mixture look like delicious Indian food. Wonder why you didn’t just order Indian food, instead of making soup which requires standing up.
5. Add one quart of water, and the broth base. Stir it about until broth is dissolved.
6. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Cook for as long as you can. Everything should be mushy, the garlic should permeate the entire thing. Simmer for at least 40 minutes. Do not take a nap. I know you want to, but this is not safe soup-making practice. The broth will reduce some. This is ideal.

   

7. Add in any add-ins. If your add-ins are the kind that soak up water, like soya de carne or rice, add your additional cup or so, to stop them from turning your soup into a pilaf or something. No one has even heard of Magic Healing Pilaf, I’d like to point out.
8. Cook an additional 10-15 minutes, turn off heat. Whisk in miso and lemon juice once the soup is no longer bubbling. (Boiling kills the bacteria in the miso, and we want it here.)
9. Eat your soup, take a nap, wake up healed. *

*Not a medical promise.