Soup as medicine

It never fails. Just before Christmas, I always come down with the sniffles or a full-blown cold. But there’s no rest for the busy, so I load up on soothing soups like the Aka Tonkotsu ($8.95) from Ryujin Ramen House. With spicy red ginger, green onions, BBQ pork and plenty of super-hot broth, it’s like medicine in a bowl. I love the semicooked egg, too, for its creamy smoothness. The other bonus is that the bowl is so big, you can easily get two meals out of one order. While I’m there, I usually get potato croquettes ($3.95), too: the best version of comforting fried mashed potatoes. 1831 S Street, http://ryujinramen.com.