Herbal Immune Boosting Coconut Curry

Cold and flu season is upon us! It is time to strengthen the immune system and protect the body against foreign invaders. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, a specific herbal decoction, accurately named Change of Season Soup, is used to support the body as the temperature changes and strengthen the immune system to fight off infection.

Scott and I tried our hand at this soup and decided to take things to the next level and turn it into a delicious, warming and protecting soup. Basically, we used the Change of Season Soup as the broth, and spiced things us with some warming and infection fighting herbs and spices to make it satisfying to the taste buds as well.

Ps. there is a video below to see the soup making in progress!!

Change of Season Soup Recipe

We made the broth in bulk so we can use it in different soups continuously throughout the week. Here is what you will need:

1. Astragalus root (Huang Qi)

2. Codonopsis root (Dang Shen)

3. Dioscoera root (Shan Yao)

4. Goji Berries (Gou Qi Zi)

5. And, for added flavour we included a vegetable bouillon cube

We used equal parts of each herb in approximation, but you can follow the traditional recipe here (https://traditionalroots.org/build-your-immune-power-with-change-of-season-soup/) We added everything to a crock pot and let it simmer on high for 5 hours.

I’ll be honest, this soup by itself is not delicious. Which is why we decided to use it as a broth in soups rather than having it on its own. The coconut curry is the first we made using this broth, the rest we stored in the fridge and used in soups throughout the week. 

Coconut Curry Soup

Ingredients:

1. 3 cloves of garlic, minced

2. 1.5 inch, thick piece of ginger, minced

3. 1-2 tbsp curry powder

4. Change of Season Soup as broth

5. 1 white onion, diced

6. 1/2-1 can coconut milk

7. Additional vegetables of choice (we used tomatoes, eggplant and bok choy)

Instructions:

1. Start by cooking the garlic, ginger and curry powder in a small amount of broth.

2. Add the onion and cook until translucent, continue adding small amounts of broth as needed.

3. Add the additional vegetables, coconut milk and 1-2 cups of broth and allow to simmer until thoroughly cooked.