As you are probably aware, soup is probably my ultimate comfort food. When I have had a bad day or I am feeling under the weather I always turn to soup for comfort. As much as I love cake (I discussed getting a tattoo of cake to cement my love of it) it was soup that cured my broken heart last September.

This recipe is another slow cooker recipe and is an adaption of the Malaysian style chicken soup I made in September. This one obviously packs more of a punch in the spice department and the coconut milk adds more of a richness to the mix. They do suggest feeding a cold, right? Anyway, this is a beauty of a recipe for a dark, drizzly evening. You can of course make your own curry paste but I used shop bought.

To make this you will need:

1 medium chicken

1/2 a lemon

Cold water

A thumb sized piece of ginger

2 cloves garlic

2 tbsps Thai green curry paste

An onion

250ml vegetable stock

Butternut squash – 1/2 a smaller squash or the neck of a bigger one

Rice noodles

1 can coconut milk

1 tbsp fish sauce

2 large pak choi or 3 smaller ones

Heat your slow cooker on low. Put your chicken in the slow cooker breast side down. Crush your garlic, peel and slice your ginger and onion, and add to your slow cooker along with your lemon and curry paste. Cover everything with your cold water and heat on low for 6-8 hours.

After your chicken has cooked remove from the liquid and allow to cool slightly. Peel and chop your butternut squash into 1cm cubed pieces. Use a sieve to strain your liquid into a large pan. Add your vegetable stock at this point and heat your butternut squash in the liquid.

Pick your chicken off the bones and add to the liquid again. Discard any skin and bones. Add your coconut milk and fish sauce to this. If your pan gets too full (like mine did) put some of the soup into another pan.

Once your butternut squash is tender (after about 10 minutes) add your rice noodles. Once these are cooked slice the bottom off your pak choi to release the leaves. Cook the pak choi in the soup for about 1 minute then serve.

You should feel your spirits lift and your sinuses clear in no time at all.