Comforting lunches for when you feel ill

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/oct/30/food-for-cold-illness-sick-flu-remedy-lunch-box

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You may have already suffered your first sniffle of the season, and if you haven’t, you know it’s probably coming over the next few months. When the first thing you reach for on a dark, damp morning is a man-sized tissue and the jar of VapoRub then perhaps you should stay at home. But for those days when you do make it into work, here are some lunches to warm your cockles and get you through the day.

• There’s nothing worse than having your sense of taste dulled by a cold when you’re hungry. Cut through it with a fiery tom yum-style soup. You can buy tubs of tom yum paste in Asian supermarkets, and in many supermarkets now too; keep some in your cupboard for when you need it. Decant 1 tbsp of the paste into a small container if you’re packing for work, and in a separate container pack your raw ingredients (purists look away – this is far from authentic): finely chopped greens; thinly sliced mushroom, red pepper or carrot; green or sugar snap peas; tofu or cooked prawns if you fancy extra protein (refrigerate these – you don’t want to make yourself sicker); a wedge of lime, a handful of coriander and some finely sliced chilli for an extra kick. Add just-boiled water when you want to eat.

• Choose fiery ingredients for your sandwich or wrap. Substitute kimchi for pickle in your cheese sarnie, slather on the English mustard or horseradish in your beef or ham bagel, or make a wasabi-mayo dressing to go with an avocado and spinach pitta. Be heavy-handed with your condiments: it’ll clear out your sinuses.

• Sometimes sandwiches or soups just don’t cut it and you need Proper Food. If you can feel yourself wilting, then be prepared and make a vegetarian chilli the night before. Fry chopped onion, garlic and red chilli with diced carrots, celery, red peppers, courgettes – basically as much veg as you want – until caramelised, before adding chilli flakes, cumin, turmeric, a dash of cinnamon, a bay leaf, and a good squidge of tomato puree. Mix well; add a tin of kidney beans and vegetable stock. Cook on a low heat and season to taste.

Caroline Craig and Sophie Missing are authors of The Little Book of Lunch (Square Peg)