ABC Soup ABC 汤

A hectic week pre and post Thanksgiving and we finally caught the festive flu. Made worse with our lack of sleep and constant nose blowing, they surely did wear us down challenging our immune system further. And with my appetite plunging low getting super fussy, there really was not much that my aching throat could tolerate and approve. This ABC soup has always been the only thing that I have never said no to in my life - my all-time comfort food it sure is. It had been this soup that I had happily had through all those times when I got under the weather growing up and especially when I was on those orders for soft diet post all the teeth extraction nightmares in life. Gentle on the stomach and needing negligible effort to chew, it is amazing how they can be so tasty and still packed with all the essentials to sustain the good and reverse the bad. Packed with carrots, tomatoes, onions and potatoes and a little extra protein, their health benefits derive from the antioxidants, minerals, dietary fiber and particularly the provitamin A, vitamin B and of course whatever amount of vitamin C that is left still after the long hours of simmering. A soup so aptly named!

There probably is not a golden rule as to how this should be made. There can be no limit to the types of ingredients to be included and how much of each to be used. This is the version that I have grown up getting to know and love, and so this is how it shall always be to me personally with carrots > potatoes > onions > tomatoes quantity-wise. As with all the other homemade soups, I always have the cooking started early in the day and leave them simmering gently away until dinner time. Tailor the amount of ingredients to how much soup you wish to make. Essentially it will be good as long as the composition remains the same as aforementioned. ABC soup is one of the few that I always make sure that I make more than enough for our main meals and a sip or two in between meals for a day or two and probably even three. And I better not forget mentioning that this is just the perfect fit to keep you hydrated as you battle through - nutritious and tasty, hearty and healthy.

ABC Soup ABC 汤
Serves 6-8
1.5lb carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
5 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 large sweet onions, skin peeled and quartered
4 tomatoes, quartered
6 chicken drumsticks, skinned and any visible fat trimmed
~5L water
salt to taste

1. Heat up a pot of water enough to cover the chicken drumsticks. Once boiling, have the chicken drumsticks blanched briefly for about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat up about 5L of water in a stockpot. Add in the chicken drumsticks, carrots, potatoes and onions and bring to boil. Let boil for about 15 minutes. Bring the heat down to medium-low, cover and let simmer for at least a couple more hours.
3. About an hour before the soup is done, add in the quartered tomatoes and let simmer along with the rest.
4. Right before the soup is ready, add in salt to taste. Let simmer for another 15 minutes before serving.