The only way to cope when surrounded by cold winds and sniffles is to go on the defensive: build a culinary war strategy that keeps the sinuses clear and, more importantly, keeps you warm.

Table cooked dishes add the dimension of huddling around a hearth. It’s common in many Korean restaurants to have a hot plate built into the table. At others, propane fuelled gas rings arrive at the table with a simmering broth ready for ingredients to be gently dropped into and cooked. Jeongol is a popular hotpot and can range from somewhat mild to super spicy. Ingredients to be cooked within this soybean and chilli paste stew often include a variety of seafood, vegetables, tofu and mushrooms. It’s a fun way to eat, and is sure to get your sinuses running smoothly.

If spicy just isn’t your thing, a more subtle version of the hotpot is Japanese shabu-shabu. At Shabu Shabu Buffet on Lonsdale, diners sit at a sushi train style counter. Ingredients to be simmered in your personal broth move past of the conveyer. The flavourings and seasonings of the soup base itself are also at your own devising.

Chinese cuisine from the Sichuan province affords plenty of dishes to combat the colder weather. My favourites are ma po tofu, and hot and sour soup. Box Hill is a great place to go to try some of these winter defences. Sichuan Restaurant on Carrington Road turns out a decent ma po tofu. A few doors down at Oriental Inn Chinese Restaurant you will find one of Melbourne’s best hot and sour soups. Across the railway tracks is Box Hill Korean BBQ Restaurant, where table cooking is the norm.

My own winter staple and slightest-sniffle-cure-all is Thai tom kha gai. It’s simple to make, and worth any trek for super fresh galangal and lemongrass. Everything else can come from the closest supermarket. You’ll need fish sauce, coconut milk, garlic, shallots, small red chillies, coriander, button mushrooms and a couple of chicken thighs.

In a mortar and pestle crush together 3 cloves of roughly chopped garlic, 6 or 7 chopped stems of coriander (keep the leaves for garnish), 2 chillies, two chopped shallots, and about 5cm of sliced lemongrass. Add a small pinch of salt to really get this paste to come together. Add a couple of dashes of fish sauce when it has become paste-like.

Heat gently over a low flame until it is quite fragrant, and then add about a tablespoon of coconut milk and turn up the heat a smidge. Keep stirring and wait for the aroma to become slightly nutty. Add the rest of the tin of coconut milk and some roughly chopped galangal and bring to just below simmering before adding the 2cm cubed chicken thighs. A couple of minutes later, add the mushrooms and a healthy splash of fish sauce. It’ll only take about seven minutes before the chicken is nicely poached in the coconut broth and the soup is ready to serve. And defend.

Pictured: Tom kha gai – Thai coconut chicken soup

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