Category: Soups

My pimped Chicken & Sweetcorn Soup

8/7/2017

We almost made it through winter without being sick! But not quite! So I made this last night (and just ate my leftover portion for lunch!)
This super easy and fast soup is a great pick-me-up any time of year. I've boosted the traditional soup by adding a good serve of greens, and some coriander. I usually have some chicken thighs, bone broth and some frozen corn in the freezer, so it can be pulled together quickly without a visit to the shops!
You can freeze the soup once made and its also great for lunchboxes (well lunch-thermoses!)

6-8 Serves
Ingredients:
1.5 - 2cm sq piece of fresh ginger
1 small brown onion or 1/2 bunch of shallots
3 tsp olive oil
1200ml liquid - water, bone broth, stock or combination
600ml water
1 tablespoon of Thermomix stock / 1 tsp vegetable/chicken stock powder (if bone broth is not salted. Omit if your bone broth/stock is already salted)
2 tablespoons of tamari
500g skinless chicken thighs or breasts cut into thin slices (1cm x 5cm)
3 cobs of corn (kernals removed), or 1.5 cups of frozen corn kernals
2 bok choy (finely sliced), or 3-4 handfuls of baby spinach
1/4 bunch coriander - stems and leaves chopped

To make:
Thermomix:
Place ginger in mixing bowl and chop 2 sec/sp 7. Scrape sides of bowl.
Add Onion/Shallots & chop 2 sec/sp 7. Scrape sides of bowl.
Add olive oil and saute 2 mins/120/sp 1
Add water/stock/broth, tamari & chicken & cook 10 mins/90/sp 1
Add corn and cook 7 min/ 90 / sp 1, add chopped bok choy* & coriander stems and cook 1 min / 90 / sp 1
(if using baby spinach, I add this at the end and don't cook it - it will wilt enough in the hot liquid)
Serve topped with coriander leaves.

Stovetop:
Finely grate ginger and chop onion/shallots.
Heat oil in a large saucepan and add ginger, onion/shallots - saute for a couple of minutes until soft and fragrant.
Add water/stock/broth, stock powder/paste (if using) & tamari & sliced chicken and bring to just before boiling, then simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
Add corn and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add bok choy, stir through while simmering for 1 minute.
Serve topped with coriander leaves.
(if using baby spinach, I add this at the end and don't cook it - it will wilt enough in the hot liquid)

Keep leftovers for lunch tomorrow or freeze for later!

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Supercharged Asian chicken soup

6/3/2015

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OK so mum was right....researchers have proven that chicken soup does actually help colds, it is anti-inflammatory and can help loosen congestion. Soups and plenty of liquid are always recommended in colds as they are easily digested , prevent dehydration and aid a faster recovery.
This is a supercharged immune boosting soup and perfect if you have a cold or just want to keep colds away, it is loved by the whole family. I love it any time.
Bone broth is wonderful in healing our gut and thereby boosting our immune systems, recipe and notes here.
Shitake Mushrooms have been used by the Chinese for 6,000 years or so, and have long been a favourite for boosting immunity. They are high in bioavailable iron, B Vitamins, selenium and zinc, which are all important for healthy immune systems. In Chinese Medicine they are a symbol of longevity...perhaps because they support heart health, help lower cholesterol and are beneficial to prostate health. And they are delicious.

I often do the chicken cooking part at lunchtime or the night before and pop it all in the fridge to throw together quickly for a 5 minute delicious dinner. It makes wonderful lunch the next day and also freezes well.

You’ll need a stock pot big enough to hold a whole chicken plus liquid.

Ingredients
½ tablespoon of coconut, sesame or olive oil
2 cloves of garlic – finely chopped
sprinkle of chilli flakes (optional)
2 onions – diced
1 organic chicken (whole)
1 cinnamon quill
4-5 star anise stars
2-3 tablespoons of fish sauce
a handful of dried shitake mushrooms (you can use fresh, just add later in the cooking process – after you have returned the chicken to the pot to heat up)
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
½ teaspoon of seasalt
1 bunch of bok choy / choy sum or your favourite Asian green – water spinach is great too.
About 1/2 litres of liquid. I use half chicken bone broth and half water, but you can also use water or chicken stock and water (use less salt if using chicken stock)

To make
Lightly sauté garlic and onion in the oil for about 2-3 minutes and add chilli flakes if using, stirring for another minute.

Pop the chicken in the pot (Did you ever watch the Muppet Show?…think the chef), add the bone broth/stock and water – enough to just cover the chicken. Add the cinnamon stick, star anise and shitake mushrooms cover and bring just to the boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and simmer for 45 minutes (covered), be careful not to boil as it will make the chicken tough.

Remove chicken from pot and put on plate and refrigerate for about ½ an hour – until cool enough to pull apart, (you can leave it as long as you want really and return to it later. If you do that, put the soup in the fridge too.

When chicken is cool enough, or you are ready, return the soup to the stovetop and pull apart chicken and shred meat. Return the chicken to the soup, warm through, if any of the chicken was still a little pink give it a few minutes to cook through. Add half of the seasalt and fish sauce and taste, adding more if needed . Cut the Asian greens into fine stii and add to the soup just as you turn off the soup. Serve and enjoy!

Variations
-        Add buckwheat noodles for a chicken noodle soup
-        Add extra shitake mushrooms for extra flavor and to give your immunity a big kick.

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Bone Broth

11/2/2014

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Bone broth is wonderfully simple and so nutritious. The addition of the apple cider vinegar leaches the minerals and nutrients from the bones into the water. It is one of the best remedies for healing hyperpermeability of the gut (leaky gut), and boosting the immune system.
Good gut health is the naturopathic key to good health - strong immune systems, good absorption of macro and micronutrients, mental health and general well being.

Bone broth is packed with goodies including:
·       Calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and trace minerals.
·       Gelatin for connective tissue, particularly important for gut health, which in turn boosts immunity
·       Glycine – one of the most important amino acids for liver detoxification (lets face it, when we humans evolved we didn’t have the toxic load we have today, and are bodies are yet to evolve that far!)
·       Glucosamine and chondroitin for joint health, even helping arthritis sufferers
·       Collagen – your skin will love you, as will your hair and nails, it helps wound healing

It forms the basis for many of my meals, it can also be delicious (with a pinch of sea salt), on its own for a light meal, breakfast or tonic when someone is not well. I always have some available in the freezer as the base for a quick soup or casserole. This is based on the Nourishing Traditions bone broth…

Use the best quality produce you can – grassfed/organic meat, organic vegetables wherever possible. For chicken bone broth, simply replace the beef with organic chicken carcasses – your organic butcher will usually have these available.

Ingredients
1kg beef marrow bones and a knuckle bone, grassfed
1kg beef meaty bones (oxtail is great), grassfed
or instead of both of the above - 2kg of organic chicken carcasses (the beginnings of chicken bone broth are pictured above)
3-4 whole carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
3-4 stalks celery, roughly chopped
2 onions, peeled and
8 heads of garlic peeled (optional)
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
bunch of fresh parsley

Instructions
You will need the largest stockpot you have. Place the bones and meat in a large roasting pan and roast at 180 degrees for about 15 minutes each side.
Place the browned bones in the pot with the vegetables and seasonings and fill with water and add vinegar (leave about 2cm from top of pot)
Bring to a boil and quickly lower to a simmer. If using a slow cooker put on low.
Remove scum from the top every 15 minutes or so for first hour. You can cook beef broth for 12-48 hours (I usually do 24 hours), chicken broth should be cooked for 6-12 hours add the parsley about an hour before you finish cooking it.
Remove from the heat and carefully remove the bones with some tongs.
Pour the broth through a sieve into another pot to cool. When making chicken broth I use a piece of muslin over the sieve and squeeze the muslin to get all the juice out.
When the broth is cooled fill the mason jars, cover and refrigerate. Beef broth can stay for 1 -2 weeks in the refrigerator as long as there is a layer of fat on top. This protects and seals it. Chicken broth I only leave for a couple of days.

For what I can't use in the fridge I reduce down by continuing to simmer broth - and freeze in small blocks

Uses:
- Soups -add vegetables and some meat if you like,
- casseroles - use instead of water/stock
- babyfood - wonderful addition instead of water into baby purees, and can be added early as it is so easily digested and gives their digestive system a wonderful start.

1 Comment

My pimped Chicken & Sweetcorn Soup

Supercharged Asian chicken soup

Bone Broth

Alexandra Luffman

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My pimped Chicken & Sweetcorn Soup

Supercharged Asian chicken soup

Bone Broth

Alexandra Luffman

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