Alicia magical soup

Alicia’s magical healing soup

Welcome to your new chicken soup. I make this when I’m not feeling right, and for real, it heals me. And it’s different every time; some days certain things appeal to me and other days they just don’t sound right at all, so making this soup is all about listening to your intuition. I always begin by pulling everything out of the fridge that sounds remotely yummy, and then I edit as I go along.

Serves 2

• 1/2 medium carrot, cut into large chunks
• 1/4 medium daikon (Japanese radish), cut into large chunks
• 1/4 medium onion, cut into large chunks
• 2-3 celery stalks, chopped
• 3-4 small broccoli florets
• 4 button mushrooms, sliced
• 2-3 trumpet mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 medium leek, halved then cut into large chunks and swirled in a bowl of water to dislodge any grit
• Ginger juice to taste (grate a 1 inch piece and squeeze out the juice with your fingers)
• Soy sauce to taste
• 1 whole spring onion, roots and all, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 1/4 bunch watercress, tough stems discarded
• Mochi (Japanese rice cake), chopped or shredded (optional)
• Toasted nori pieces

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the carrot and daikon. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the red onion, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the celery, broccoli, mushrooms and leek. Add the ginger juice and shoyu to the broth to taste. Simmer until the vegetables are cooked through but still slightly firm, about five minutes. Add the spring onion and turn off the heat. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top each with some watercress, mochi and nori.