I have been under the weather, on and off, for the past month. The stuffy nose, the annoying cough, the headaches, the body aches, the lack of energy, and dullness all come and go, come and go. Unsurprisingly, I am sick of it (pun intended).
Given that spring is in the air, part of this is probably allergies, despite taking an anti-histamine daily. Or perhaps some of this is due to international travel, where in this return to mask-less world, I came in contact with hundreds of people at airports, planes, trains, taxis, and some of them managed to transfer their germs to me. A couple of times I was convinced my symptoms screamed a SARS-CoV-2 infection but each time my rapid test came negative. Phew, thank you science and vaccines and boosters and antibodies from the past infection!
I got COVID in the summer of 2022. It was miserable. The symptoms were challenging but the isolation in my room even more so. I felt like I was in jail with boredom as my torture (there’s only so much Netflix one can watch!). One of the ways I entertained myself was to keep track of my covid tests, symptoms, and medications and I was rewarded with the nerdy graphic at the end of it. Below is all I have to show for my suffering (and the antibodies that protect me now, I suppose).
Look closely and you will see that this image tells quite a dramatic tale, thanks to our lead actors: SARS-CoV-2 and the antiviral Paxlovid. In a short period of time Paxlovid managed to clear the virus (the ‘T’ line becomes fainter and fainter) and my symptoms got better. However, once I stopped taking it, the virus came back (cue dramatic music for impact). I had ‘Paxlovid rebound’ that so many other people were also experiencing. The virus came back in more than full force (the ‘T’ line gets stronger after), and my symptoms returned. My body fought the virus, used it to make antibodies, and after 16 painful lonely frustrating days, I was free - both from the virus (no 'T’ line) and the isolation (I could leave the room, cue happy music!). I suspect the rebound virus helped me build better immunity, or perhaps that is just wishful thinking (I haven’t tested SARS-CoV-2 positive since then).
Unlike my COVID journey, I suppose I’ll never know why this last month has been miserable health-wise. The silver lining is that it has been delightful in the realm of traveling to new places, spending time with friends, and eating delicious foods.
Some of the delicious foods has included comfort soups to warm my body and soul. Lately I have found myself reaching for Asian flavors to get this comfort. Ingredients like the complex and earthy miso paste, the vibrant Korean gochujang paste, the tangy and spicy kimchi have all been calling to me. One of the recent days, when my nose was very stuffy, my entire back ached as if I had been carrying 100 pounds of potatoes for hours, and my head was throbbing, I made a soup with these ingredients for both lunch and dinner.
For the base, I poured ~1.25 cups of unsalted chicken broth into a pot and added in ~1 tbsp of miso paste, ~0.5 tbsp of gochujang paste, and some salt. I mixed this thoroughly and brought it to a gentle boil before adding the chopped kimchi. Next, I added diced tofu and simmered it for ~3 mins to let it absorb the flavors.
During lunch I found some roasted broccoli and zucchini in the fridge I had made the day before. I turned off the heat and added those to finish the soup.
At dinner time I only had chopped spinach to add.
I slurped these soups to my heart’s content for both my meals that day. The spicy, sour, salty, protein-packed, and vegetable-packed bowl of nourishment cleared my stuffy nose (for a bit), relieved some of the headache, and filled my grateful belly for the utmost comfort. I was essentially getting a big warm hug in soup form. If you are feeling under the weather, whether explainable or unexplainable, try this soup and feel better for a few moments.
Dish Debrief
Is this my winner or disaster? Take a guess :)
How would I rate this dish out of 10? 10 out of 10
What would I change next time? try mushroom broth, make it more spicy, try different vegetable combos
Would I make this again? 100%
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