comfort in a bowl

in this month where everything is centered around a severe lack of time and energy, i've perfected a recipe which i recommend to anyone who wants to cook fast and in the simplest possible manner, with the least complicated ingredients, method of cooking and least amount of washing up afterwards, and yet wish to enjoy a piping hot dinner at the end of a very long day which would bring as much happiness as an entire packet of chips, but without the guilt of eating junk food and calories of sinful binging.

perfect for the tired and lazy, here's introducing my very own:
CHEESY CHICKEN SOUP
and no, this does NOT come out of a sachet if you're thinking it's instant soup.
it does not cook in a minute and does not revolve around pouring hot water onto some dried up preserved powder.
very simple every-day-ingredients are used, but you're free to add in everything and anything you like. it's a little bit of a steam boat concept. throw in all your faves and leave all the rest of the stuff out. yes it's all about you.

total preparation time is under 10minutes from beginning to end, and this is what you'd definitely need:
1. chicken stock (cube or liquid)
2. milk (powder or liquid)
3. cheese
4. a pot
5. a spoon (chopsticks/fork if you add in extra ingredients)
6. a bowl - unless you eat out of your pot, which is fine also


these are optional condiments you can do with or without. i use dried versions of everything cuz there's no way i can have fresh produce in my house. given my ridiculous schedule, they'd just end up rotting in the fridge. but for those of you who do have fresh stocks, please go ahead and chop everything up finely and add them in. how much to put depends on how you like your food. i don't like spices so i use only a little of everything.
1. pepper
2. chives
3. garlic
4. onions
5. parsley
6. chilli

the great thing about this recipe is that you get to control everything you throw in and it'd never really go wrong. so throw in whatever ingredients you feel like having in your soup that day, or whatever's in your fridge. this is what i'd suggest that's really quick and easy:
1. chicken balls
2. hot dogs
3. pasta
4. noodles
5. vegetables


so here's how it goes. get your pot out and fill it with water. dump that on the stove and get the fire going. you don't need to wait for it to boil, you can start cooking as soon as the pot is sitting snug on your stove and the fire has started. add in chicken soup appropriate for the amount of water you add, throw in condiments and optional meat items. stir. then as it starts to get hot, throw in veg and pasta/noodles (not both! they don't go well together).

as soon as it boils, turn fire down to a simmer. stir. from this point on, fire remains at a simmer. dunk in milk powder, sprinkling it in gently (it should instantly dissolve by itself). if you're using liquid milk then just use a little less water at start and pour it in stirring slowly.
after stirring, throw in as much cheese as you like and turn off the fire but keep the pot on stove just to let the heat melt the cheese without it being too hot and start curdling the milk.

and ta-da! a quick simple yet tasty dinner is ready to be served.
play around with the proportions till you get the one you like best. i recommend lotsa cheese but be careful, cheese does cause your soup to thicken.

as a side note, the milk replaces the cream used in traditional recipes. it's much healthier and more easily available and found in every house. this came from the recent trend of people using yoghurt/fresh milk to replace coconut in curries/laksas.
i recommend using chicken stock as the base cuz i think other meat bases would taste kinda wierd (imagine fish or pork with milk and cheese... nah... guess not) what i also think might possibly work is vegetable stock, but it's really up to you guys to try it out.

this same lot of ingredients can be done for a much lesser amount of water which would then thicken into a creamy pasta sauce. and yes, i'm tucking into my huge bowl as i type =)
bon appetito folks!