It’s Fall. For me, that means its sniffle season. My favorite way to make myself feel better while I’m sick with a cold (which I’m coming down with as I write this) is to tuck in to a nice, steaming bowl of soup. Whether it’s my mom’s Chicken noodle soup, which has always been affectionately known as “Jewish Penicillin” in my house, or a bowl of instant ramen, there’s something extremely restorative and homey about hot chicken broth, noodles, and crunchy vegetables. My go-to when I’m really down the tubes (besides dayquil) is a jazzed-up instant ramen, with some pantry and fridge staples to help amp up the nutrition. While in a normal state I’ll go for a slightly more expensive instant ramen (I like anything that the Shin company makes), if I’m going to make a sick meal out of one, I’ll go with the standard orange sleeve Maruchan top ramen. If I have homemade chicken stock (which I always do), then I’ll simply throw away the bouillion packet that comes with the ramen, season up my stock, and set it to boil with some diced carrots, celery, and onion. My first wrinkle is to add some homemade or powdered dashi, if you have it. Dashi, which is an intensely savory and ocean-y stock from the Japanese Canon, is an instant standin for MSG and really does serve to bolster the savory end of your soup. When you’re sick and you can’t detect any nuance because of your stuffy nose, you really do want bold core five flavors. My next little wrinkle is to throw alot of spice into my ramen. For me, nothing blows out my sinuses and makes me feel clear like hot and spicy soup. When you get that first breath in through your nose of hot, spicy broth, you know that you are about to be restored, rejuvenated even. MY first choice to spice things up is chili crisp, or some sort of chili oil. I also often opt for a chili paste, such as sambal, gochujang, or sriracha. Basically, you want something that’s going to add heat, but not any floral or aromatic quality. Very fancy hot sauces that are really flavorful and unique are somewhat unwelcome here. The nuance that the hot sauce producers work so hard for are lost in a hot bowl of soup. My in-a-pinch solution is a highly vinegar based hot sauce. These include tabasco, Crystal hot sauce, or any other Louisiana Style sauce. My last little tip: if you have the energy, cube up a carrot and some celery. Eating some solid food and some fiber (if you have the heart for it) will really help out in the long run.
