Combine chicken with goji berries, longan and red dates for a welcome antidote after holiday excesses

From www.theglobeandmail.com

In a season when comfort food is king, just about everybody is looking at what they can eat to stave off the cold. One of my favourite remedies around this time is a chicken soup using Chinese medicinal ingredients.

I find this broth both comforting and re-energizing, especially in the dead of winter. With New Year’s resolutions just setting in, this healthy and refreshing soup always seems to fit the bill. And it’s always great to have a bowl right after the holiday glut.

I began making this soup two years ago, after a routine physical showed elevated transaminase levels in my blood, indicating poor liver performance. Following a visit to a liver specialist, it became clear that my diet and lifestyle were seriously affecting my health. Soon after, I changed my priorities to include increased time for exercise and began to pay more attention to what I put in my body. One of the things I do now is make this soup during the winter; it has become a new tradition throughout the holiday season.

This soup uses Chinese medicinal ingredients including red dates, longan fruit, goji berries and wai san (Chinese yam) stems. Although many of these ingredients don’t come up regularly in Western diets, their medicinal qualities have been known for centuries. And as any mother could tell you, even the soup’s base is good for you. Chicken broth helps combat respiratory inflammation and mucus production during the cold season. Ginger, as well, is frequently steeped in water to alleviate stomach pain, indigestion and nausea, and to help with inflammation. Recent studies have also shown it contains strong anti-carcinogenic characteristics. Similarly, coriander is more than just a flavourful herb - it is known to aid digestion and combat joint inflammation, as well as provide an excellent source of dietary fibre.

Adding dried red dates to the broth will increase the sweetness of the soup and add iron, an important mineral for blood hemoglobin. Longan fruit also adds a pronounced sweetness, along with memory-enhancing properties. Wai san stems contain anti-aging properties, help to lower blood sugar, increase appetite and give the broth a clean flavour.

You can find traditional Chinese ingredients (and sometimes advice) at any number of supermarkets in Chinatowns across the country. They often sell fantastic prepared packages that are available in single-serving sizes. It may take a little exploring to get it right.

CHINESE MEDICINAL CHICKEN SOUP

What you need

1 3-pound whole organic chicken

1 cup dried sea scallops

4 to 5 whole stems of coriander, washed

1 large knob of ginger, peeled and sliced

1/2 cup dried goji berries

1/2 cup Chinese red dates (jujubes)

1/2 cup wai san (Chinese yam) stems, soaked for 30 minutes in three changes of cold water

1/2 cup dried longans

What you do

Place chicken in a pot and fill with cold water until covered. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low simmer. Skim if necessary. After 30 minutes, turn stock to very low heat and add goji berries, red dates, dried scallops, longan, wai san, ginger and coriander stems. Steep for 15 to 20 minutes.

After this time, remove wai san stems and discard. Check the internal temperature of the chicken using a food thermometer in thickest part of the thigh. It should read 170 to 175 F.

Once the chicken has reached this temperature, remove the bird from the pot and pull the meat from the bone (you may need to wait for it to cool a few minutes). Eat the pulled chicken together with the soup, or reserve the cooked meat for another purpose. If you like, you may add some dark leafy greens - my preference is spinach and rapini.

Check seasoning and serve.

Serves 4 to 6.