My Healing Soup

Uh-oh! I’m tired, I’m aching and the back of my sinuses are starting to feel raw. All signs that a cold or flu might be imminent.

Ten Mothers’ Garlic Soup (Basic soup)

Whenever Hubby or I seem to be coming down with a cold or flu, I start making soups and adding some of my favourite herbs: garlic, pepper, ginger, chilli. And although the best thing for a cold or flu is rest, I find adding these warming herbs to soups help loosen the mucous and relieve congestion.

This soup, which I call Ten Mothers’ Garlic Soup, is my go-to for colds and flus. The name comes from a folk saying “Garlic is as good as ten mothers”. I usually bulk up the basic soup with additional vegetables, noodles, meat or tofu, and maybe even a poached egg, to make a light dinner.

Ten Mothers' Garlic Soup

Servings

Serves 4 as a basic soup or bulk it up to make a meal for 2

Ingredients for basic soup

• 4 cups (1 litre) of vegetable stock
• 4-10 garlic cloves, crushed or grated
  The amount depends on your taste—and maybe the number of people you are meeting the following day? 😉
• 2cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated
• 4 cups of silverbeet (spinach) or English spinach
• 1 cup of shitake mushrooms, sliced
  Substitute with other mushroom varieties, if you wish.

Method

1. Place all ingredients in a large saucepan.
2. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Bulk it up

Consider adding the following:

• Chilli
• Silken tofu and/or meat
• Other vegetables
• Noodles

A bulked-up version for a main meal: Basic soup with chicken, poached egg, chilli, black pepper, turmeric and udon noodles. Make sure you have tissues handy for watery eyes and runny noses.