Tjok Gde's medicinal soup

This recipe is almost like a soup plus a herbal decoction. I discovered it last year when I was very unwell, and during that illness I got an inspiration to heal myself through food as well as through homeopathy and herbs. So, I pulled myself out of bed, got into the kitchen and this recipe came into being.

One of the key ingredients of this recipe is tulsi. Tulsi, or Ocimum sanctum, is an incredible herb. I often include it in medicinal teas, as well as inhalation steams to help with all sorts of respiratory conditions such as viruses, coughs, bronchitis – even pneumonia. In Ayurveda, tulsi considered one of the most sacred plants that can be incorporated into almost any form of medicine. Almost all the constitutions will benefit from tulsi. It loves to be picked, so if you have tulsi at home and you want to preserve it and make the plant last longer, pick it every time you see the little florets, or the flowers. Tulsi is almost a metaphor for the Goddess who gives – she wants to give all the time. The more you receive from her, the longer she lives and the healthier she becomes. On our herb garden we’re always very careful to make sure we pluck tulsi, and we pluck with a great deal of respect. There’s even mantras that are used while picking the tulsi to give thanks to Tulsi Devi, or Goddess Tulsi.

In my garden, right next to the tulsi, I always find mugwort or Artemisia vulgaris. In Chinese medicine, this plant is considered to have the same vibrational frequency as the human body, which is why it does such a wonderful job of harmonising and balancing the body. It’s also been researched heavily with all sorts of different viruses and has been shown to have powerful antiviral, antimicrobial and anti-parasitic properties. In Indonesia, it’s sometimes used in malaria treatment. I even love the flavour – you can eat it straight-up, or you can boil it into a tea. Like tulsi, Artemisia also loves to be picked, so the more you pick, the more it expands. It’s a very easy plant to propagate – just take some of the root or a cutting of the stalk, stick it in the ground and it’ll regenerate and grow. Mugwort has a lot of shamanic uses as well. It grows almost all over the world, in almost any place, and in many of the shamanic traditions it’s used as a smudging agent, in herbal decoctions, and to drive away evil spirits. So, when we’re making something medicinal, we also want to have something with this kind of action in it to help balance the energies of the body.

When I’m cooking healing foods, I love including mushrooms. For this recipe, I often use shiitake mushrooms and if I’ve got a bit of Reishi at home, I put some of that in, too. Sometimes, however, when the weather has been favourable, we’re gifted with fresh wood ear mushrooms. I like to pluck a few straight from the earth and incorporate them into all sorts of different recipes, including this soup. There’s nothing like foraged food. I encourage everyone to cook with as many foraged ingredients as you can, because food that grows in its natural environment is much more nutrient dense. Being a holistic medicine practitioner, I also like to look at the energetics of food, and when ingredients grow in the land that you’re on, they’re naturally going to have much more of a harmonising affinity with your body. So, if you have access to earth-grown treasures such as wood ear mushrooms, do incorporate them – remembering, of course, to say thank you as you pluck these healing offerings from the soil.

There are a lot of really grounding ingredients in this soup. One of the more special ones is burdock root. Burdock is known in both Western and Eastern herbology as having a beneficial effect on the liver. It helps to balance the action of the liver and detoxify the liver, which is important in any kind of a viral or bacterial illness, but also for everyday living in the times and conditions we are living in. It’s also good for the spleen and for kidney energy.

We’ve also got onions, sweet potatoes, carrots and a whole lot of wonderful spices. These include ginger, turmeric, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cloves and cinnamon (which is also very good for any respiratory conditions and helps warm and stimulate the circulation). The sweet potato brings a lovely sweetness to the soup. As an ingredient it’s also beneficial for the spleen and pancreas energy. It cleanses the liver, and adds a nice texture and thickness to the broth. Coriander seeds are used widely in Indonesia as a remedy for flu-like conditions. The cumin seeds create a lovely earthiness and also aid circulation. Cloves are powerful remedy for any respiratory issues.

In Bali, we’ve very fortunate to have indigenous organic garlic. It’s much smaller than conventional garlic, but it brings a more intense, pungent flavour to your cooking and you can get away with using much less to harness its antiviral and anti-bacterial benefits. I’ll use this as often as I can. I’ve also included black pepper for touch of extra depth and warmth. Salt isn’t obligatory, but you can season to your liking. I like to add about a quarter of a teaspoon to the pot at the very end of the cooking process and give it a good stir.

You don’t have to be ill to enjoy this soup. I make it often, even when I’m in good health. If you aren’t feeling your best, you might want to just sip on the broth and save the vegetables for when you’re feeling stronger. This makes actually makes it very economical, as you can keep topping the vegetables and spices up with water, simmering them throughout the day. I like to call it the soup that keeps on giving.

See the recipe below or click here.

INGREDIENTS

Use home-grown, foraged or organic ingredients wherever possible

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin

A pinch of pepper

10 cloves

1 brown onion, peeled, halved

1 bulb garlic, crushed

1 piece turmeric (about two thumb lengths) peeled, roughly chopped

1 piece ginger (about two thumb lengths) peeled, roughly chopped

1 tbsp extra virgin coconut or olive oil

1 cinnamon stick

1 medium-sized burdock root, peeled, roughly chopped

1 large carrot, peeled, roughly chopped

2 medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled, roughly chopped

7 ear mushrooms or shiitake mushrooms (fresh or dried)

A good pinch (about 5 leaves) mugwort

3-5 florets of tulsi

METHOD

Heat a large cast-iron, stainless steel or copper saucepan or stockpot over a medium-high heat. Dry-roast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, pepper and cloves until fragrant (under 1 minutes). Add onion, turmeric, ginger and garlic and give all the ingredients a quick stir. Add 1 tbsp coconut oil and stir again until fragrant. Add all the root vegetables, cinnamon stick and mushrooms and stir until slightly browned. Top the chopped ingredients with high-quality spring or filtered water. Add the fresh herbs, stir well, cover and simmer for one hour. Enjoy warm. Serves 2-4 people.

The content in this article is for informational or educational purposes only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with qualified healthcare practitioners.