Magic soup comes to the rescue again!

Sorry to feel so sorry for myself, but I feel rubbish…. and as any working mother knows… you just have to keep going. I did keep going all week, including going into school even though I had a temperature as Year 6 had a practical assessment! My martydom had its consequences… I had to cancel going out on what promised to be a wild girl’s night out on Saturday… thank goodness I could just sit on the sofa, watch Eurovision and tweet to my heart’s content!

Anyway I have now been suffering with this cold/cough nastiness for 10 days and after a day off from work (v unusual for me) I knew I had to get myself in order. Can’t believe I haven’t thought of it before… but it struck me – MAGIC SOUP! A soup which is homemade, but made from chopped up packets of things from the supermarket and takes little more than 5 mins to make. Oh and it’s MAGIC – it cures my family every time. I base it loosely on a combination of Nigella’s ‘Sunday Night Chicken Noodle’ and her ‘Noodle soup for Needy people’ and needy I definitely am!!

So you will need the easiest instruction ever – here is most of what you need…

Some stuff in packets and other storecupboard bottles

For one poorly person
1) Boil kettle, cut veg stock cube in half and put into a jug
2) Add 200ml boiling water and pour into pan – add big splash soy and sake, small splash mirin, small blob honey, 2cm squirts of ginger and garlic
3) Chuck in handful sugar snaps, one bag of udon noodles from the packet, 1-2 handfuls stirfry veg and beansprouts
4) Lid on, cook for 3 mins, stir and serve – I top with corriander and chilli flakes (decongestant effect)

Chilli flakes (decongestant) and corriander (am sure it has some health benefits)

A bowlful of goodness for whatever ails you!

Summer cold…. BEGONE!

Do you have a foodie cure for colds and coughs??

Chicken noodle for my soul… and ‘magic soup’!

I have felt quite poorly today… frankly I have been ‘sponsored by unbranded cold and flu tablets’! So this soup was a must! There are only two soups which cut the mustard with me when I am feeling coldy…. Nigella Lawson’s ‘Sunday Night Chicken Noodle’ from ‘How to Eat’ and also what we call ‘Magic Soup’ in my home – this recipe (also Nigella’s from ‘Nigella Express’ – actually called ‘Noodle soup for Needy People – here is the link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/noodle-soup-for-needy-people-recipe/index.html )

‘Magic soup’ is reserved for when you don’t have enough energy to cook (you literally open packets), but you need something nutritious and comforting – it should be on prescription as always cures my family quicker than any medicine – I add a bit of garlic puree to mine as in old ‘remedies’ garlic was supposed to help colds.

I made the ‘Sunday Night Chicken Noodle’ slightly differently as I used cooked chicken left over from our roast, added some sugar snaps and left out the dried chilli pepper for a child-friendly version – Jon and I then added chilli flakes to ours at the end – see later pic. So here is my version:

Feeds 2 plus at least one child (prob 2)

Marinade: 8 tblspns sake, 6 tablspns mirin, 2 tblspns Tamari soy sauce, 2 cloves sized squirts of garlic puree

3 handfuls of shredded cooked chicken

2 heads of bok/pak choi, sliced into mouth sized pieces

Small handful of sugar snap peas

Splash sesame oil

1 packet ‘ready-to’wok’ udon noodles – there are 2 bags of noodles in one packet

800ml chicken stock – I make mine from cubes and boiling water

small hanful of corriander (cilantro) chopped, chilli flakes (opt)

• Mix up the marinade ingredients and stir in the cooked chicken – leave for 10 mins
• Boil water and add the bok choi for 3 mins and then the noodles for an extra minute – drain
• Add sesame oil to a deep pan, heat and then stir fry the sugar snap peas for a minute
• Take out the chicken from the marinade with a slotted spoon and add to the peas – stir fry for a min and then add the marinade, let it bubble down until everything looks golden and sticky
• Add noodles and bok choi, stir and then add chicken stock – bring to the boil and then turn off heat
• Serve topped with a little chopped corriander and chilli flakes (if you want it to clear the nasal passages!)

The child's version...

..... and the adult's version

Slurping is a must!