I have been sick for about a week now, so you’ll have to forgive me for this soup not being the most picturesque meal I’ve made. It tasted awesome, and I feel a lot better, so I’m not too worried about the aesthetics. I threw some parsley on there, so it’s not like I didn’t try.
I made this with the chicken stock that I posted a little while ago and froze. I have a hunch that starting with homemade chicken stock makes this a lot better, but I’ve never made chicken soup with store bought stock, so I wouldn’t know. When I was younger and sick at home, my mom would make soup like this with rice and lemon, so I was trying to copy her. Basically, all I did was simmer the stock with some spices to enhance the chicken flavor, then add some rice, cream and fresh lemon juice. It’s a recipe you can replicate through a medicated fog, and apparently chicken soup contains enzymes that help you fight off colds. I can’t remember where I read that, but it sounds pretty true!
Ingredients
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup rice
2 pods star anise
1 teaspoon sichuan peppercorns
3 tablespoons heavy cream
Juice from half a lemon
Salt
Process
- Add stock to a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Add spices and simmer for about 15 minutes. Scoop or strain out the spices (or remove bouquet garni if you went that direction).
- Add rice and cook for another 10-15 minutes until rice is tender. Don’t be afraid to taste as you go.
- To finish, add cream (if desired, your soup will be pretty creamy already thanks to the rice), lemon juice and salt to taste. Enjoy your hot soup, and get well soon!