I invented this soup when I lived in Portland (OR.) I would make big batches and dole it out to friends, eat it at home, freeze it for later. I became known for it—it's a long, damp winter out there, and people need some warmth to get through. The recipe is simple. Skin a whole chicken, and then boil it with salt for a long time in a lot of water. Take out the chicken and let it cool. Strain the liquid. Chop up a lot of garlic, onion, and ginger. Use some hot peppers if you like that. Add the spicy stuff to the broth, along with a handful of rice and the chicken meat (that you have removed from the bone, shredding it between your fingers as you go) and bring to a boil. Squeeze in a lot of lemon juice. Put in some chopped greens of some sort (collards, kale) and turn off the flame, letting the heat of the broth wilt them. Add salt (or Braggs) as needed.
I've never made as much as I did for this batch, and although I used 2 entire roots of ginger, 30 cloves of garlic, and 6 lemons, it's not as pungent as it used to be. Or as I was hoping it would be. But it's lovely and delicate, which is no small thing to say about a soup with all that kick. Hurricane? Nor'Easter? Flu season? Bring it; I've got my people's backs.
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