Chicken Soup

After an unfortunate reaction to deep dish pizza last night (compounded by a similarly driven scene in Bridesmaids), I woke up this morning weak and dehydrated. I needed something warm and restorative. I needed chicken soup.

I wanted something that was light but with a lot of flavor. Usually, I use herbs like thyme or rosemary for chicken stock, but I wasn't in the mood for an Italianesque soup -- I wanted something completely comforting which meant it would need an Asian bent. I decided to use ginger which lends a slightly spicy, almost medicinal, kick. I added a carrot for sweetness and some mashed garlic cloves to keep it super savory. I had some weeks-old shallots on the counter that still felt fresh, so I decided to throw those in too.

I brought this to a boil, skimmed off the foam, added salt, and then let it simmer for nearly two hours. The resulting broth was perfect -- ginger is the star here, but with the other ingredients, it isn't over-powering.

This is most slurp-worthy with steamed rice and a gently (read: the oozier the better) poached egg. Sprinkle over some furikake for extra Asian flair.