Tired of the chest cold and looking for Souper ideas. Yours?
I find that when I have a cold, chest colds in particular, that soup is the only thing that soothes that burning, raspy ache in my chest. (Yes, I have seen a doctor and have been on an antibiotic; no it's not swine flu, just a month of bronchitis that's been aggravating my asthma.) I generally like chicken stock with lots of veggies, garlic, thyme and bay leaf. Nothing too heavy with protein or noodles. I'm tired of that and was wondering what soup ideas you guys have to soothe a cold.
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26 Comments:
Ginger and beef rice porridge. It's Vietnamese. The heat will warm and clear you up.
puravidalaurat at 9:35AM on 11/04/09
I was going to suggest ginger as well. A chicken stock base, plenty of black pepper, ginger, corn, sprouts if you have them, mushrooms, cilantro, a few drops of sesame oil.
BananaMonkey at 9:53AM on 11/04/09
Chicken coconut soup with spinach...epicurious recipe. So soothing and tasty. I made some last week and already want it again.
PoorOldMama at 10:15AM on 11/04/09
My favorites are sweet potato soup, and nothing beats a great clam chowder. Here are a few more I've been making:
http://wickedgooddinner.blogspot.com/search/label/Soups%20and%20Stews
WickedGoodDinner at 10:15AM on 11/04/09
When I'm sick, I favor the asian soups
Hot and sour - the spicy clears congestion
Miso- all around healthful, I think the seaweed is a super food
Chicken egg drop
KtMc24 at 10:26AM on 11/04/09
@dhorst - ["Souper" LOL]
I adore hot and sour soup when I'm sick too. I've never managed to make a pot that I like so I go down the street (get my sick arse outta bed) to my favo-northern-chinese place. The owners' always so concerned when I come in sick....haha they're pretty cool.
Make a nice turkey soup with some egg noodles maybe? Traditional cure.
hungrychristel at 10:59AM on 11/04/09
When I am sick I crave Mexican food. I order posole from a place nearby. It is super spicy, and it's one of the only things that tastes "right" to my sick tastebuds.
eeels at 11:04AM on 11/04/09
How about a not too thick chicken tortilla soup? A little kick of spice might clear you up some.
jlbrach at 11:05AM on 11/04/09
I agree with the suggestions for ginger.
I just made a spicy kind of malaysian-style noodle soup last night, with red curry paste and shrimp. It was quite satisfying, but that has protein...
What about a brothy, vegetarian Momofuko/Wagama- style ramen?
yayfood at 11:21AM on 11/04/09
Tom Yum soup from the Thai place always makes me feel better. Is that the same as hot and sour soup?
erinlovestoeat at 11:49AM on 11/04/09
I love a homemade chicken broth with just pastina the best. But I'll also make tortilla soup, sopa de lima, minestrone, portuguese kale soup, yellow split pea, Rick Bayless's fava bean soup. None of these are too heavy so they are soups that are in my sick rumanddiet rotation.
rumanddiet at 11:54AM on 11/04/09
When really under the weather, I crave hot and spicy.
Sopa de Lima does the trick for me.
Chicken stock, lots of garlic, carrot, celery, onion, cooked chicken, hot pepper flakes or pepper sauce, cilantro, a big squeeze of lime and a few tortilla chips.
Hot, soothing, full of vitamins....lime for vitamin C, hot pepper to open airways, broth for hydration...and it just tastes Sooooo good.
CJ McD at 12:06PM on 11/04/09
Along with chicken soup, I like tomato soup. Something a little tart with a nice thickness to it and maybe some little chunks of tomato. Rice is a good addition if you're tired of noodles.
I've learned that making soup when I'm sick is a bad idea, so if I don't have anything made or frozen, I'm pretty much stuck with Campbell's.
dbcurrie at 12:11PM on 11/04/09
Whatever soup, best to rub your chest with goose grease, lay a towel over it, and slurp away.
Anne Argula at 12:24PM on 11/04/09
Ginger, here, too. Sick or not, I always put a good-sized knob of it in the pot of chicken rice soup, and then garnish it with green onions.
CJ McD--If I'm making sopa while I'm sick, I stand over the pot and inhale the vapors. I think it works better than Vicks. Smells better, too.
betteirene at 12:32PM on 11/04/09
Pho is great...I love it when I'm healthy, hot, cold, have a head cold, chest cold, upset tummy. It always clears my congestion issues year round, and the fresh veggies always lighten things up.
Cassaendra at 12:36PM on 11/04/09
@erinlovestoeat: I thought they were "the same" but I looked into it and Tom yum is characterized by its distinct hot and sour flavors, with fragrant herbs generously used. The basic broth is made of stock and fresh ingredients such as lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, lime juice, fish sauce and crushed chili peppers.
From what I know of a traditional hot and sour of China the profile is very different from this....probably because its another country :)
""Hot and sour soup" is a Chinese soup claimed variously by Mandarin and Sichuan cuisines as a regional dish. The Chinese hot and sour soup is usually meat-based, and often contains ingredients such as day lily buds, wood ear fungus, bamboo shoots, and tofu, in a broth that is flavored with pork blood. It is typically made hot (spicy) by red peppers or white pepper, and sour by vinegar."
BUT the Tom Yum appears to be the hot and sour of Thaï :D
Learn sumthin new every day
hungrychristel at 12:45PM on 11/04/09
@erinlovestoeat: Tom yum is different from "hot and sour" soup, even though tom yum is hot and sour.
Hot and sour soup has corn starch to thicken, jews ear (or however you call the black fungus in your neck of the woods), chicken, mushrooms, etc.
Tom yum is very fragrant, I think lemon grass, galangal, and fish sauce is used. From what I've always had, it's not as viscous as hot and sour soup. I usually eat it with prawns and/or scallops, but I do know it can come with other stuff.
Cassaendra at 12:45PM on 11/04/09
@CJ McD - is Sopa de Lima the same as chicken tortilla soup? Similar? I love soups but am a very lazy cook. However, I cannot find many soups I like. In the middle of a cold now and need help! This is a great thread, thanks.
nycgrl71 at 2:45PM on 11/04/09
@dhorst-poor you!! You're still sick!? I knew this was your post before I even opened it...
I love a good tomato soup..rich and chunky....
Hot and sour soup hits the spot as well as Tom ka gai...the Thai chicken soup is super yummy when I"m not feeling well..
@BananaMonkey and PoorOldMama had great ideas too!
Italiancupcake at 3:37PM on 11/04/09
@dhorst: firstly--feel better soon!
I like anything you can throw a lot of garlic into (and sometimes grate a raw clove into the bowl for good measure). This is a veggie-heavy pasta e fagioli that always satisfies: http://themanhattanfoodproject.wordpress.com/2009/04/03/032409-dinner-on-eating-more-vegetables/
ElizabethS at 4:11PM on 11/04/09
I made cilantro chicken soup tonight (included onions, corn, salsa, a bit of sour cream, garlic and s&p to chicken broth and topped with crushed tortillas chips).
It's no secret that I am a huge fan of kimchi. If you like spicy, I highly recommend you make kimchi chigae (soup). It's delicious and full of garlic and spice and really cleans out the sinuses.
yankeesgal at 10:13PM on 11/04/09
A nice hot bowl of pho would help loosen that chest congestion.
Mares at 12:59AM on 11/05/09
"If I'm making sopa while I'm sick, I stand over the pot and inhale the vapors. I think it works better than Vicks. Smells better, too."
@betteirene-
I do that too. But only over my bowl.... cuz...you know. ;o)
--
"... is Sopa de Lima the same as chicken tortilla soup? Similar? I love soups but am a very lazy cook. However, I cannot find many soups I like. In the middle of a cold now and need help! ..."
@nycgrl71-
My version is basic chicken soup (chicken, carrots, celery, onion) and to that I add the hot sauce or pepper flakes, lime juice to taste, chopped cilantro and crush a couple of tortilla chips into it. Probably not authentic. I just kind of wing it, but it tastes really good and makes me feel better too.
CJ McD at 10:10AM on 11/05/09
Thanks to all for the great suggestions. I have stock going in the slow cooker and will be trying out the different soups for breakfast and lunch for the next week. That should clear out my dang chest and stop me from whining!
dhorst at 3:29PM on 11/05/09
I hope you don't still have the chest cold but another great suggestion would be Beef and Barley Soup.
Chew on That at 10:54PM on 11/08/09