Garlic Ginger Soup

This time of year we all need that extra boost of energy to get us to the holidays and through these winter months. Especially this year it seams. That’s why I made this Garlic ginger soup.

Making it with or without the noodles is completely up to your tastes, adding some spinach rice noodles could give you that extra dimension of nutrients needed.

Ingredients you will need

• splash olive oil – used to cook the vegetables and spices, you can use any oil you are used to using
• Shallots – these are a bit sweeter than onions and have a more subtle flavor, if you want a stronger onion flavor use a small cooking onions instead
• Green onions – separated and used 2 ways in this dish
• Cloves garlic – is believed to antibacterial properties that could help if you are feeling a bit under the weather.
• Ginger – is believed to have properties that help ease an upset stomach
• Chicken broth – great for flavor and hydration, you can also use a vegetable broth if you wish.
• Whole start anise – has a mild and fragrant licorice flavor, you can also use fennel or Chinese five spice instead.
• Soy sauce – added to bring out the flavor of the other ingredients similar to adding salt to your dish.
• Chopped mushrooms – use canned of fresh for your preference.
• Baby Bok choy – this vegetable is packed with vitamin C perfect for helping to fight off the cold weather.
• rice noodles – use any brand you like of omit them entirely, they are optional for this recipe
• red pepper flakes – added as a garnish, use more or less depending on your preferred spice level

How to make Ginger Garlic Soup

1. Prepare your ingredients

peel and finely dice shallots and set aside

peel and dice garlic cloves and ginger, then set aside

chop green onions and separate the white from the green and set aside

wash and chop bok choy into bite-sized pieces then set aside

clean and slice mushrooms then set aside

2. Sauté

in a large and deep pan add a splash of olive oil and warm over medium heat.

add shallots and sauté until they become transparent.

add the white parts of the green onion, garlic and ginger continue to cook just until it becomes fragrant.

3. add broth

add broth, soy sauce and star anise then simmer for 10 minutes

remove and discard star anise

4. add vegetables

add mushrooms and bok choy, cover and cook until bok choy has shrunk and you can stir it into the soup.

5. simmer

simmer for 5-7 minutes until tender

6. make noodles

cook rice noodles as directed on the package and drain, if you want to add an extra bit of nutrients try spinach rice noodles. you can also leave the noodles out entirely if you don’t want to add them at all.

7. plate and garnish

add noodles to your bowl and top with soup

garnish with the green part of onions and red pepper flakes.