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Chicken Noodle Soup for the Common Cold

Categories: Asian, Chicken, Gluten-free, Soup, Wei Qi Vacuity, Wind Cold Invading Lungs, Wind Invasion (External)

chicksoup

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP FOR THE COMMON COLD serves 4

  • 2 tbs coconut oil
  • ¼ lb chicken, shredded
  • ¼ c preserved mustard greens, soaked, rinsed, and shredded
  • 4 slices ginger, shredded
  • 2 green onions, sliced thinly
  • 1-2 tbs fermented black beans, soaked, rinsed, and chopped
  • 4 c chicken stock
  • 1 tbs soy sauce
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 oz rice vermicelli, presoaked in hot water until soft, drained
  • Fresh perilla leaves (or substitute with cilantro or basil)

1) Heat oil until smoking. Add chicken for 30 seconds. Add ginger, onions, greens, and black beans and stir fry for a few seconds.

2) Add chicken stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 min. add the soy sauce and sesame oil.

3) Divide noodles between 4 bowls, top with a handful of perilla leaves, and ladle the hot soup over the top.

 

EARLY WIND COLD INVASION

Coconut oil: warm, sweet; strengthening, moistening

Chicken: warm, sweet; tonifies Qi and Blood

Preserved Mustard greens: warm, acrid, salty; relieves common cold, ventilates Lungs, reduces swollen glands

Ginger: warm, acrid; LU, SP, ST; promotes sweating, expels pathogen, opens LU

Green Onion: hot, acrid; LU, ST; promotes sweating, expels external pathogen

Fermented Black beans: warm, sweet, slightly bitter; LU, ST; releases exterior, illuminates irritability

Soy sauce: cool, sweet, salty; clears heat

Sesame oil: warm, sweet; harmonizes Blood, lubricates intestines

Perilla Leaf: warm, acrid, aromatic; LU, SP; releases exterior, opens chest, moves QI

Rice noodles: sweet; tonifies SP, ST; nourishes QI

 

This recipe contains ingredients that disperse external pathogens but also treat an underlying deficiency of Wei Qi. It’s useful during the cold and flu season as a prophylactic tonic and in the early stages of the common cold.

Jason Cox

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Pad Thai

Categories: Liver Qi Stagnation

Pad Thai
Ingredients:
• 8 oz. (SERVES 2) Pad Thai rice noodles
• 2 eggs
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 shallot finely chopped
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup ground (or well-chopped) peanuts
• PAD THAI SAUCE:
• 3 Tbsp. vegetarian fish sauce
• 2 Tbsp rice wine
• 1/2 to 2 tsp. chili sauce (to taste)
• 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
• OTHER:
• 3-4 Tbsp. oil for stir-frying
• lime wedges for serving
Preparation:
1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and remove from heat. Soak noodles in the hot water for 6-10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Tip: Noodles are ready to drain when they are soft enough to eat, but still firm and a little bit “crunchy”. The noodles will finish cooking when they are fried.
2. Dissolve the tamarind paste in the hot water. Add the other pad thai sauce ingredients and stir well to dissolve the sugar. Add as much or as little chili sauce as you prefer, but don’t skimp on the sugar (you need it to balance the sourness of the tarmaind). Reserve.
3. Place your wok (or large frying pan) over medium-high heat. Add 1-2 Tbsp. oil plus the garlic and shallot. Stir-fry 1 minute to release the fragrance.
4. Push ingredients aside and add 1/2 Tbsp. more oil to the center of the wok/pan. Add the eggs (if using) and stir-fry briefly to scramble them.
5. Push eggs aside and add a little more oil to the middle of the wok/pan. Now add the drained noodles and 1/3 of the sauce. Stir-fry everything together for 1 minute using 2 utensils and a tossing motion (like tossing a salad).
6. Add a little more sauce and continue stir-frying in the same way for 1-2 more minutes, or until the noodles begin to soften and become sticky. Reduce heat to medium if noodles begin to stick and burn.
7. Add the bean sprouts plus the remaining sauce. Stir-fry to incorporate everything together for 1-3 more minutes, or until noodles are done. Noodles are cooked to perfection when they are soft but still deliciously chewy and a little bit sticky.
8. Remove from heat and taste-test, adding more fish sauce or soy sauce if desired for more salt/flavor.
9. To serve, scoop noodles onto a serving platter. Sprinkle with the green onion, coriander/cilantro, and ground nuts. Add wedges of fresh-cut lime on the side. Serve immediately and ENJOY!. (Thai chili sauce can also be served on the side for those who like their noodles extra spicy).
I chose to do pad thai because I think it’s a very well balanced dish, and everyone will eat pad thai, even if they are not usually adventurous eaters. It has a nice combination of ingredients that make it nourishing to the body, but you can change them to send the recipe in different directions based on the needs of the patient. I think this would be a great dish for Liver Qi Stagnation. It should not be a very heavy dish, and is satisfying, without containing many of the ingredients that are common in our diets that can help lead to stagnation. It has many ingredients that are dispersing and would help with Liver Qi stagnancy- which is the precursor to many other conditions- where you would be able to fit the ingredients to the pattern. For example, if the condition has moved to something like yin or blood deficiency, you would want to avoid some of the hotter ingredients- like the amount of garlic and onions- but you may choose to use larger amounts of some foods that would be tonifying for the yin like tofu and eggs.
This recipe also has many ingredients to detoxify the body.
It would be a good idea to add some vegetables to the recipe, to add more nutritional value.
Rice Noodles- Sweet, Neutral, Supplements SP/ST. Does not contain Gluten.
Eggs — Neutral, Sweet, Nourished Yin and Blood, supplements SP/ST, Calms the Shen.
Garlic- Hot, Acrid, Anti-bacterial. Removes stagnant food or blood.
Mung Beans- Cool, Sweet, goes to HT/ST/UB. Helps with edema, clears heat, quences thirst.
Cilantro- Cool, promotes Qi Flow. Can use for Wind-Heat or Wind-Cold.
Green Onion- Warm, acrid. Promotes sweating, resolves phlegm, regulates Qi and detoxifies.
Peanuts- Neutral, Sweet. Strengthens SP, drains damp. Nourishes blood, stops bleeding.
Tofu- Cool, Sweetm goes to SP/ST, lubricates dryness, promotes body fluids, detoxifies.
Fish Sauce- Neutral
Rice Vinegar- Warm, sour, slightly bitter.
Limes- cool, sour. Generates body fluids

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