Sunday 20 July 2008

The House of the Lurgy.

Yup. The kids have it. That's the beauty of having kids.. when you get sick, they become the gift that keeps on giving. And as I get over the lurgy from Hell, Furry's kids have come down with it. Well, actually Ya-Ya Superstar has glandular fever.. it's Els who has the lurgy. And Madame Mouse. Without putting too fine a point on it, we're the House of Snot. Of discarded tissues and Dimetapp. Of middle-of-the-night coughing fits and knocks at the bedroom door asking for Codral. No-one has slept much, and everyone is a leeetle cranky.

So I pulled out another old stand by. I am a huge fan of congee when I am sick, but the kids don't like the porridge consistency, so my other old stand by is chicken and sweetcorn soup. It goes down a sore throat nice and easy, and contains enough nourishment to sustain the sickest of kids. And it just tastes bloody good, too!




(I know this looks a little like something you'd find INSIDE a used tissue, but a close-up of the end texture is important!)


pg's Asian Penicillin.

soak 3 ears of corn (leaving on the husks) in cold water for 30 minutes. Remove a couple of the outer husks and set aside. Peel the rest of the husks back and remove the silks. Re-wrap the corn in the husks and use the discarded ones to tie a knot in the top of the husks. Roast, steam or grill for 30 mins until cooked.

Remove the corn kernels.

Roast a whole chook. Don't get too fancy.. it's ending up in soup. I just stuff the cavity with a couple of orange halves to impart a flavour and keep it moist. Set aside until cool enough to touch. Remove all the meat and skin from the carcass. Roughly chop meat and skin.

Into a large pot place 2-3 litres of water. Dice an onion or leek and place into the water, along with a good knob of ginger, a star anise some Chinese cooking wine (or dry sherry), a couple of Schezhuan peppercorns, the chicken and the sweetcorn. Add a goodly slurp of light soy.

Simmer for about 2 hours, or until the chicken flesh breaks down into individual fibres.

Remove the knob of ginger and the star anise.

Make an egg flower by mixing 3 eggs in a bowl with a splash of light soy and a couple of drops of sesame oil. Turn the soup off the heat, give it a swirl and slowly dribble the egg mix in.

(another trick is to add a can of creamed sweet corn at this point, which further thickens the soup)

Serve with soft bread sticks, or slurpy noodles, and you've got the cure-all for the lurgy.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

May you be blessed with boxes of those 'man-size' tissues and gallons of soup!

purple goddess said...

Ahhh, Duncan...

'Allo, Vera! tissues are our new bestest friend!

KJ said...

I love the eucalypt tissues. Eucalypt is the best nose clearer in the business. Hope you are all better soon!!

Thermomixer said...

Poor things - rest up.
Do you ever boil up the corn cobs with your stock? Not sure whether it makes it thicker/gives it more flavour - if it does anything?

purple goddess said...

Actually, Thermo.. the cobs go to the doggies. The love them, and are great for cleaing their teeth!

Thermomixer said...

Please be careful with corns cobs in dogs. They are a big cause for intestinal blockages. Do a search on internet. Hope I haven't mozzed your dogs.

purple goddess said...

Gack!

Thanks for the heads up, Thermo... I knew about onions, but not corn-cobs. My doggies munch away on them happily.

Back to those bloody ox-leg-bones, I guess!