It’s not quite soup season yet, but lately Seamus Mullen has been making this chicken soup with ginger, leeks, mushrooms, okra, bok choy from his new cookbook, “Real Food Heals,” because “it’s so good.”
“It’s so bright and vibrant,” Mullen said. “All of those flavors are just super bright and delicious and clean. And it’s a little spicy, which is cooling in the hot weather. I can’t get enough of it.”
Mullen shares the recipe:
Chicken soup with ginger, leeks, mushrooms, okra and bok choy
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
2 tbsp. coconut oil
3 chicken legs (about 1 1⁄2 lbs.)
Jacobsen flake finishing sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small winter squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 2-in. chunks (2 cups)
2 small leeks, white and pale green parts only, cut into 3⁄4-in. slices (1 cup)
1 tsp. fish sauce
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. rice vinegar
2 bok choy, leaves kept whole, stems cut into 1-in. slices
4 cups unsalted chicken broth
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1 (2-in.) piece fresh ginger, peeled and very thinly sliced
12 okra pods, trimmed and cut into 1⁄2-in. slices
10 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps quartered
1⁄2 long red chile, seeded, if desired, and thinly sliced
Cilantro
Lime wedges
Directions
Heat a large Dutch oven over high heat. Add the coconut oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Generously season the chicken with salt and pepper and add it to the hot oil, skin-side down. Cook until the skin is golden brown, about 8 minutes. Flip the legs over and reduce the heat to medium-low.
Add the squash and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Add the leeks and fish sauce and stir well. Add the soy sauce, stir, then add the vinegar and stir again. Let the liquids bubble and reduce a bit.
Add the bok choy stems and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and season with salt. Add the garlic and ginger and simmer for a minute, then add the okra and mushrooms. Simmer until the okra is just cooked through, about 6 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the chile. Add the bok choy greens and fold in just until wilted, about 1 minute. Divide among four to six serving bowls and top with cilantro. Serve immediately, with the lime wedges alongside.
