Green & Red Carrot Soup

Hb has been working quite a bit and I have not been having more than 4.5 hours of sleep straight each night so need something to bring our 'fires' down.

This is a soup that is very common among Cantonese. It is believed to remove 'toxins' that we have consumed and accumulated through using gas to cook. Not sure if it is true but it is indeed comforting to have this when you are tired and listless. Even Kimi enjoys this naturally 'sweet' soup.

I am hoping earnerstly that Kimi will enjoy drinking soup as much as us. Since I seldom use the gas-stove now, I am re-finding my joy in making soup via the slow-cooker. Maybe my standards/demands have shifted down a little these days!

I've tried Thermal Pots but it just can't make it. Maybe I need to shift my demands/expectations down even further? But thermal pots help to save the electricity - 1 BIG motivation!

Soup Efficacy

• Removes harmful toxins
• Clears heatiness and 'fire' from lack of sleep, late nights and even smoking
• Great for nourishing the lungs

Ingredients

• 1 green carrot
• 2 red carrots
• 350g pork ribs
• 450g large pork bones
• 4-5 pcs of honey dates (mi-zao)
• 3 tbsp of sweet almonds (nan-xing)
• 1 tbsp of bitter almonds (bei-xing)
• 2 slices of ginger
• 1.5 litres of water (for boiling the soup)

Method

1. Blanch all the meat in boiling water. Remove and run in thru tap water. Set aside.
2. In another pot, bring the water to boil on high fire.
3. Add in ginger, dates and almonds. Once water is boiling and bubbling, add in the pork and carrots.
4. Let it boil on high for 20 mins and transfer to slow cooker base. Or continue on very low heat, covered. Ensure that the fire is small enough to ensure small surface bubbling.
5. If using slow cooker, transfer and switch on high and let it boil for a further 3.5 hours. Use same amount of time for the gas stove boiling.
6. Once the soup is ready, you can sprinkle some salt. I do not add anymore as it is tasty enough.
7. Serve hot. ENJOY!!

Tips

• Most 1.5l water soup requires at least 600g meat (1 kati) but I normally like to up the meat to 700-800g so that the soup has more body and is more tasty.
• You do not have to follow the exact measurement as above for the meats. You can just use 600g pork ribs. But I use the large pork bones as it is more flavourful.
• Most times I buy the meat from the supermarket and it is usually pre-packed. So I just take 2 packs and make sure both pack adds up to at least 600g.
• I would recommed you use Indonesian pork as it has a less 'porky' smell as compared to the Australian ones.
• Pls ensure that the almonds are used in ratio of 70:30 as using the wrong almond proportion will bring about a bitter soup. So, pls label your almonds carefully.
• If you do not have honey dates or almonds, you can just use red dates (de-seeded).
• These almonds are good to have at home as it helps to nourish/moisten lungs, clear phelgm and reduce cough. Sometimes I will use these to make porridge for Kimi too.