Outdoor Japan Simple Soup Part 3: Onion Soup Simple Soup Part 3: Onion Soup

Ingredients:
Onion
Garlic
Consommé
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

There aren’t many people who can go out and play in the outdoors near their homes. Most people today have to drive or take the train to get into the wild world. I have to admit I am one of them, and I find driving for hours in the same position is bad for my circulation. At the end of a long drive, I end up complaining about body aches, tired eyes and especially stiff shoulders.

When I mention this, a lot of people respond by saying, “It’s the same for me!” Thinking of ways to alleviate the problem, I came up with this solution in the form of onion soup. Onion soup is a simple concoction, but a very effective treatment as well. Onion, garlic and other members of the onion family are all plants that help increase blood circulation. People suffering from stiff shoulders say, if they have a cup of onion soup a day, the symptoms will go away.

The ingredient that helps with circulation is allyl sulfide, the material that also gives onions and garlic their unique strong odor and hotness. Aside from helping with circulation, it also creates an antibiotic reaction, soothing the nerves and reducing lipids in the blood. Research shows having onion soup along with vitamin B1 further improves the effectiveness, and the soup can be preserved at room temperature, making it an excellent choice for the outdoors.

Before you leave, fry the onions and garlic and add the consommé, salt and pepper to your taste. When you are on the trail, all you have to do is add water and bring it to a boil and—voila—you have your therapeutic onion soup. The base also makes an excellent pasta sauce and can be used in a variety of other foods. It’s also convenient to make a batch ahead of time and freeze smaller portions.

Step 1:

Fry sliced garlic in olive oil. The important thing here is to use low heat and cook slowly, so the fragrance develops. If the heat is too high and the garlic scorched, the flavor will be bitter, so be careful.

 



Step 2:

Add the cubed onions and fry; put on the pot lid and let the mixture steam. Add water, consommé, salt, pepper, and the soup is complete.

]]> Wed, 30 Jun 2010 14:33:37 +0000 http://www.outdoorjapan.com/magazine/column_rss/37