Postpartum soup

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 1 soup chicken
• 4 carrots
• 1 small celeriac
• 1 stalk(s) leek
• 1 piece(s) ginger root, approx. 5 – 6 cm long
• 2 parsley roots
• 15 peppercorns, black
• 15 coriander seeds
• 4 carnations
• 6 juniper berries
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 onion(s)
• Water
• Salt

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 6 hours; Total time approx. 6 hours 45 minutes

ideal after birth, in case of illness or simply as a delicious soup

Since the soup should not only taste delicious but also be effective and healthy, it goes without saying that you should use fresh chicken and vegetables, preferably organic or at least fresh from the market and definitely not some frozen stuff from the supermarket, because then you might as well just do without. Wash the chicken in cold water. Peel the parsley roots, carrots, ginger, and celery and chop into large pieces. Halve the leek and also chop roughly. Wash the vegetables thoroughly. Place the chicken in a large pot with a capacity of about 10-15 liters, pour in cold, chlorine-free water until it comes to about 5 cm below the rim of the pot, and slowly bring to a boil. Blacken the cut surface of an unpeeled onion in an old frying pan without fat or on a layer of aluminum foil directly on the stovetop over high heat. When the chicken starts to cook, reduce the heat until it is just simmering. Periodically skim off any foam that forms with a sieve. After about 30 minutes, add the vegetables, onion, and spices EXCEPT the salt. To allow the flavor and all the good stuff to escape from the chicken, it’s important NOT to add salt before cooking. Bring back to a simmer and simmer for about 6 hours with the lid slightly ajar, or let it simmer very gently. The absolute minimum is 4 hours, but the longer the better – the soup can therefore simmer overnight, for example. Then pour the soup through a damp linen cloth placed in a large sieve into a large bowl and let it stand for about 15 minutes. In the meantime, rinse the pot. Using a ladle, carefully pour the stock back into the pot, ensuring that any residue from the stock remains at the bottom of the bowl. Heat the stock and carefully add enough salt, a little at a time, to taste. The postpartum soup is ready as a delicious drinking broth. You can of course now use this broth and the chicken in other ways. For example, as chicken soup, as the basis for a chicken fricassee, etc. For chicken soup, I add two cooked carrots, shell pasta, and blanched leeks, and possibly egg custard. Women in China are given a special drink in the postpartum period after giving birth: chicken broth. This isn’t just any ordinary broth, but a soup with amazing effects. The Chinese idea behind it: chicken is thermally slightly warm. When cooked for a long time and prepared as a soup, it dispels cold and dissolves blood congestion. It stimulates vital energy (Qi) and blood flow, warming the body from within. This “blood medicine” is excellent for physical exhaustion, low mood, and postpartum depression. The root system promotes blood formation, while ginger has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-arteriosclerotic effects. When our first daughter was born, a total of seven chickens lost their lives, and my wife loved always having a warm soup on hand when she had to go out at night. I brought her fresh broth in a thermos to the hospital every day, and it was still a regular part of the menu in the weeks that followed. By the way, no sign of postpartum depression. We’ll probably never know whether it was the soup’s fault, but it certainly did her good. I still cook large quantities of this delicious soup today and freeze it, so I always have delicious broth on hand, for example if someone is sick, or simply as a base for chicken broth or other soups that require chicken broth. The recipe is a combination of the original Chinese version and the advice and tips from our midwife.