By Thomas Stearns Lee, NMD

Chicken soup has been a time-honored remedy for colds and flu.  It’s no secret why — the ingredients of a good soup serve to warm the body and strengthen the immune system.

If you don’t feel up to cooking and there’s no one else around to do it, we can also recommend a traditional soup that is often available for takeout from Thai restaurants.  It’s called Tam Yum Kai, and this delicious soup gets a lot of its healing properties from a root herb used in it called “Galanga,” which is a relative of ginger and turmeric.

Our own recipe for Flu Soup follows.  May it bring you back to health swiftly.

Dr. Lee’s Flu Soup

• 1 tsp. olive oil

• 10 scallions, sliced

• 3–6 cloves of garlic, crushed

• 1 green or red bell pepper (sweet), diced

• 1/3 cup fresh ginger, minced finely

• 2 bricks (1/2 pound) tofu, and/or chicken or lamb, chunked and browned

• 3 cups bean sprouts

• 1/4 tsp. cumin

• 1/2 tsp. turmeric

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Saute the scallions, garlic, and pepper in olive oil in a soup kettle until softened.  Add 3 cups of water and the remaining ingredients.  Feel free to modify the amount of spices and the proportion of ingredients as you wish.  Simmer the soup for at least 20 minutes.  Serve it hot and eat small amounts of it frequently.