Miracle soup for the cold

This is my magic recipe for common cold, flu and general malady, although I do make this soup occasionally just for the fun of it. To the testimony of a host of my friends and relatives who had passed by when they had not been feeling well, this soup does wonders knocking off the cold, especially if you take it with another anti-cold remedy of mine Hot Whisky!

Ingredients: (5 serving). Half a chicken (bone in, skinless), cleaned and washed. Onion, 1 medium, thickly sliced lengthwise. Lentil and red beans ½ cup each. Split beans and rice, ¼ cup each (All washed and drained). Turnips, and pumpkins, skinned, seeded (for pumpkin), and cubed, two cups each. Fresh coriander and spinach, chopped, 2 cups each. Turmeric ¼ tbsp. Lime juice, 1 tbsp. Salt and black pepper to taste.

Method: In a big pot, put chicken and onions, top with water, add salt, pepper and turmeric. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook for one hour. Strain stock through fine meshed colander. Remove the bones and keep the meat for salad, but discard the cooked onions. The chicken stock is what you need as the basis of your soup.

In a separate pot, cook the beans and rice with a pinch of salt. Note the cooking time for beans may differ. I first half cook lentil and red beans, and then add split beans and rice. Be careful not to overcook.

Pour turnips in the stock and cook over medium heat until half done. Then add pumpkins and cook for another 15 minutes or so. Add the cooked beans and rice along with whatever juice is left in the pot, as well as your chopped herbs. This last stage should not last more than ten minutes or you would lose the greenness and all vitamins in the herb. Just before serving, add lime juice and taste to adjust.

I always make this soup in large quantities and freeze the left over for the “rainy days” – for when I am too sick to cook. Needless to say, it tastes even better on those occasions!