This recipe first appeared in the City Natural Therapies August 2011 newsletter. If you’d like a monthly update on health and food, add your email address to the free sign up.

As the weather heads towards spring, with it can come a fresh round of colds and other respiratory infections. You don’t have to be sick to eat this soup ‘cos it tastes great, but it’s also packed with nutrients to help you fight a bug and easy to digest.

For a vegan version replace the fishy liquids with water or vegetable stock, and swap fish for tofu. When the soup is cooked. Take off the heat and mix through some miso paste. Add a little tamari if need more salt.

Healing soup

(quantities per person)

1 medium sized mild white fish fillet (e.g. flathead on the bone)
3 cups water

A handful of rice noodles (soaked until soft if dried)

1 small carrot, finely sliced
1 handful shitake mushrooms (fresh or reconstitute in water, add soaking water to stock)
1 spring onion, diced
1 handful of leafy greens, roughly chopped
3 cm knob ginger root, finely sliced
1 small chilli, finely sliced
1 clove of garlic, finely sliced (optional)
1-2 tsp fish sauce, to taste

A handful fresh coriander/cilantro, roughly chopped
A squeeze of lime juice (optional)

First makes some basic fish stock. If you’re too tired or squeamish to do this you can just use water or good quality vegetable stock instead. Otherwise trim the fish from the bone, cut into chunks and set aside. Simmer the bones in water for 15 minutes, skim off any foam on top and strain.

Take some dry rice noodles and soak in boiling water. If your local Asian grocery store has fresh ones in the fridge, no need to soak, just add to the soup for the last minute of cooking.

Place the stock in a saucepan and add the vegetables, garlic, ginger and chilli. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for a couple of minutes until veggies are just tender. Add the fish and cook for a further few minutes. Place soaked noodles in a large bowl and spoon over the soup. Garnish with fresh coriander and if desired add a squeeze of lime (and more fresh chilli if you like a hot soup).

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