Conpoy And Daikon Superior Broth

Saw this lovely soup on a food channel some time back and decided to try it cos it was such an easy recipe. Yet, the taste is so clear, flavourful and rich, I like!

Recipe (serves 4)

• 4 extral large conpoy (about size of 50cents coin, better if can get larger ones
• 1 daikon, cut in 4 thick slices
• Handful of red dates

Method

• Place all ingredients in slow cooker.
• Let it simmer on high for 3 hours.
• Do not stir, remove conpoy carefully with ladle and place on serving plate on top of a slice of daikon.
• Serve hot and ENJOY!!

Winter Melon and Chinese Yam Soup

I usually boil Winter Melon with corn or other mild Chinese herbs or as a sweet soup but never with Chinese Yam. So when I saw this recipe at Ellena's, I decided to try it. But I did change the recipe a little to suit our needs. :)

It was sweet, fragrant and refreshing. Both hb and Kimi liked it. :) It is believed that drinking this soup helps to alleviate body heatiness, lowers blood sugar, blood pressure, promotes urination, anti-ageing and aids digestion.

Ingredients

• 350g pork ribs, blanched
• 1 corn, cut in sections
• 1 stick of Chinese Yam (Huai Shan) approx 100g
• 1 carrot, cut in sections
• 1 slice of Winter Melon (Dong Gua) cut in sections with skin on,approx 200g
• 2 Honey Dates

Method

1. Bring 1.5 to 2litres of clean water to boil.
2. Place the blanched ribs and all other ingredients and bring the fire to high and let it boil for 15mins.
3. Reduce to low fire and continue to simmer for another 2 hours.
4. Or alternatively, boil for 1 hour and place in thermal pot or boil for 30mins and transfer to slow cooker to cook on high for 2 hours.
5. Serve hot. ENJOY!!

Beetroot, Carrot, Corn & Pork Ribs Soup

 

I made this soup some time back but I've been lag in many posts so finally I can share this wonderful, wonderful soup.  Not only is it bursting with health properties, it is yummy to drink so no problems to get our little tots to drink a bowl!

Ingredients

• 
  
  2 small beetroot (about 200-230g each) cut in large chunks
• 
  
  1 corn, cut in sections
• 
  
  1 large carrot cut in large chunks
• 
  
  350g pork ribs (boiled to remove impurities)
• 
  
  1 large honey date
• 
  
  Handful of red dates, seeded

Method

1. 
   
   Bring to boil 1.5 to 2 litres of water
2. 
   
   Add in dates and pre-boiled pork ribs
3. 
   
   Add rest of ingredients
4. 
   
   Let it boil on high for 15mins
5. 
   
   Reduce to low fire and let it continue to boil for another 2 hr 30 mins.

* As I use a thermal cooker, I usually boil for 1 hour and leave it in pot till ready to drink for dinner.  I also do not add any salt as I like it the way it is. Natural and yummy.

Quick Noodle/Pasta Soup & An Afternoon Of Fun!

Quick cook veggie soup meal

We had such a enjoyable afternoon today after church at Serene's new place. We loved it and Kimi loves Estelle's new bed. He said it is HIS STAGE!!! :)

We mummies had such a good time chatting and just enjoying the breeze in our faces! Thanks Serene for your hospitality!

Again, I forgot my camera so these pix are courtesy of Corinna. Tks Corinna! :)

As Kimi did not have his nap, he needed to sleep early, preferably by 7pm. I thought I could settle his dinner by giving him nuggets that he can eat in the car and once home I can shower and put him to bed.

But, he insisted he wanted to have his noodle soup with his animal pasta. Well, since Kimi seldom requests for food, I obliged although I was a little tired. So, here's a real healthy quickie if you only have 10 to 15mins to spare!

Ingredients

• Swanson's Chicken Broth diluted with water (or home-made broth)
• 1/3 section corn
• 2 leaves of Long Chinese Cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1 large thumb of carrots diced small
• 3 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 stalk celery thinly sliced (optional)
• 2 slices onion (optional)
• 1 cilantro root (cleaned, optional)
• Dash of pepper and sesame oil
• Handful of pasta/noodles/macaroni

Optional Ingredients

• Mushroooms
• Tofu
• Egg
• Minced pork balls
• Potatoes (can omit pasta/noodles)
• Edamame beans
• Etc, or whatever you have in you fridge! :)

Method

1. Bring diluted chix broth to boil.
2. Add onions and corn.
3. Once boiling, add all other ingredients and let it boil.
4. Simmer for 10-15mins. Add pepper and sesame oil.
5. In the mean time, boil/prep pasta/noodles/macaroni on another stove.
6. Rinse boiled pasta/noodles/macaroni and rinse with cold water.
7. Place in bowl, shave corn and add veg soup over.
8. Serve and ENJOY!!!

Notes

• For rushed meals, I always slice, chop or diced all the veg small so that it will cook and soften quickly.
• These days I hardly boil broth and freeze them like I used to when Kimi was a baby. I just buy these Swanson's pack and used them diluted. It is so much easier.
• I like adding tomatoes as it gives a sweet n sour taste that is really appetising after a long day!

Playing by the fish pond

My suave little one!

Miso Udon Soup with Chicken

Now that Kimi attends school, I need to prepare easy, 1 pot-meals for him in the morning before sending him to school so that when we come home, he has lunch ready.

Frankly, 2 hours is such a rush! It is really not even 2 hours considering the drive, settling Kimi in school, etc.

Hence, I'm always on the look for easy cook (max 20min prep time in kitchen), thermal pot meals. This is 1 recipe I came up with which Kimi loves and we have this at least once a week. For the moment, I more often than ever, guiltily, repeat lunch meals.

I like how the addition of chicken drumstick and vegetables make the soup thick and tasty! I recently found another kind of noodles which is something like a soba that is made from 5 grains and is greyish brown in colour. This is definitely more heathly and Kimi loves this noodle. I got mine from Sheng Siong Supermarket. Like udon, it comes in a bag of 3 individual packs. Will update with pix the next time!

Ingredients (for 2 person)

• 2 chicken drumstick skinless (small)
• 1 corn cut into sections
• 1-2 pcs of Wawa vegetable OR some Long Chinese Cabbage
• 1/3 cube of Maggi No MSG Chicken Cube
• 2-3 tbsp of Miso
• 1-2 pack of Udon noodles or any other desired noodles

Optional ingredients

• Mushrooms
• Tau pok
• Egg tofu
• Etc, the list in endless .... :)

Method

1. Bring water ( 1-1.2litres) to boil and add chix cube
2. Use the hot water boiling in the pot to soak miso and stir well before adding back to pot
3. Add corn and chicken
4. Let it boil for 10-15mins and add cabbage and continue to boil for another 5-10mins
5. Taste soup and add more miso if not tasty enough (pls go easy, use a little blob each time)
6. Transfer to thermal pot and add pre-sliced tofu on top of soup
7. Place udon with warm water in upper layer and cover up
8. Serve after 2-3 hours or more. Remember to rinse udon in cold water to remove starch before serving.
9. Shave corn and remove the soft tender meat from the chicken drumstick and serve.
10. ENJOY!!

Notes

• Pls taste/test your miso before use as different miso have different degree of saltiness. I personally like the plastic bag pack I bought from NTUC that has a 'little monk' cartoon on it at a corner.
• If using mushroom or taupok, can add in together with corn and chicken.
• When ready to eat and you have used the egg tofu, pls remember to use a ladle to slowly scoop up the tofu and place it in another plate before you dig into the soup so that the tofu retains its shape
• If you don't like noodles of any sort, this goes well with rice too!

Apple Chestnut Soup

We normally do not eat the ingredients except for corn. I love corn and so do Kimi! Above for phototaking purposes. You can discard or eat it if you like.

This is one of Kimi's favourite soup and it is so easy to make and definitely nutritious! Good for keeping bad 'fire' in check and nourishing the lungs and clearing the phelgm.

I like using my thermal cooker these days for cook and forget meals. It frees up my time over the stove. And this soup is one that still taste relatively good despite only in the thermal. Of course nothing beats those 'old fire' soups but well, somtimes we must learn to accept something to preserve some sanity. Haha!

If you do not have any pork ribs, fret not! You can replace it with 1/3 cube of Maggi Chicken Stock Cube (No Msg version).

Ingredients

• 300g pork ribs OR 1/3 cube Maggi Chicken Stock Cube(no msg)
• 1 corn
• 10 pcs of water chestnut, peeled
• 2 small apples or 1 large apple (you can use the Fuji/crunchy variety. Do not use the soft powdery kind)
• 2 small or 1 large honey date

Method

• Blanch pork ribs in boiling water. Remove and rinse with running water.
• In another pot, boil about 1 litre of water, once boiling, add in all ingredients except apples.
• Let it boil on high for 20mins.
• Remove corn silk and cut into sections.
• Add apples and let it boil for another 20mins.
• Remove and place in the thermal cooker.
• Serve 3-5 hours later during meal.
• Add salt to taste if need be (if used chicken stock cube, OMIT this).

Tips

• To save time and heartache, I use pre-peeled vacuum packed fresh water chestnuts. It cuts down loads of time and you won't have to deal with rotten ones. Many times, some look alright on the outside but once peeled, it is rotten.
  
• If you do not have a thermal cooker and want to use the coventional way to boil this soup, you can do so. This soup will probably take about 2 hours to make. Add in the apples only during the last hour. That means, after the first 20mins for high fire boiling, reduce to low fire to simmer and add apples after 1 hour.
  
• If not using pork ribs but only the cube, then add cube and then add the ingredients. Boiling time and adding of apples as above.
  
• Do not use chicken if serving to someone with cough or phelgm

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.

Chicken Soup With Pacific Clams & Mushroom

A piping hot bowl of soup almost always warms our soul and makes us feel so homely & fuzzy after a hard day. Hopefully, now I would have more time to whip up soups for hubby again and share these easy yet nutritious soup recipes.

Serene, here's another soup recipe which you can use. Easy and yummy!

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, chopped into large pcs & skin removed (approx 1.1-1.3kg)
• 1 can of button mushrooms (pour away the brine and rinse briefly)
• 5 ears of Dried Chinese Black Mushroom (optional)
• 1 can of Pacific Clams (Bao-bei)

Method

1. Soak black mushroom in hot water till soft, cut off stems
2. Blanch chix in a pot of boiling water
3. Remove and rinse chix in running water
4. Boil another pot of hot water (1.5l and pour into slow cooker)
5. Add chix, mushrooms and the whole tin of pacific clams (together with the stock)
6. Put slow cooker on high heat and let it simmer for 4 hour.
7. Serve hot with rice or on its own. ENJOY!

Tips

• If your pot is large enough, you can use the whole chik w/o chopping it up. If you only want a small portion, you can use a spring chix. Always remember to remove all skin so the soup is nice and clear.
• If you do not like the stronger flavour of the black mushrooms, then leave it out.
• I use slow cooker as it is load & forget! You can also boil over the stove. If doing so, ensure that the fire is on high and water is boiling (bubbling) before adding ingredients. Let it boil on high for 20 mins, then reduce to low fire and continue for another 3 hours 40mins. The degree of heat should be simmering where you will only small bubbling on surface of water.
• Of course soups taste best when simmerd over charcoal fire but on the stove, it is as good too. But, really, I do not have the time now to watch the fire so I just make do with the slow cooker. It may not be as nice as a slow fire but it is good enough! For us, Cantonese, the essence of the soup is to be able to grasp the quality of fire. Well, we can't always have everything can we? :)

Tomato Gumbo Seafood Soup

This can feed 2 persons if you are having it as a starter. I take it as a meal with garlic & butter toast, yummy!


Ingredients

• 1 can Campbell Tomato Soup
• 4 Jumbo prawns, de-shelled & de-veined (use any other size that you have)
• 1 squid (innard & skin removed and cut in rings)
• 10 small scallops
• 1 packet of white shimeiji mushrooms
• 2 medium tomatoes (cut in quarters)
• Salt & pepper
• Dried Mixed Herbs
• Lemon
• Chopped onions and garlic
• Half tin water & milk (optional, or just 1 tin water)

Method

1. Peel prawns leaving tail intact. Set the peeled heads aside.
2. Wash squid in salt water & set aside.
3. Heat dry pan till hot and fry prawns head till brown and fragrant.
4. Push prawn heads aside and add oil and onions.
5. Fry till soft before adding the garlic.
6. Once fragrant, add in the tomatoes and mushrooms & fry till slightly brown.
7. Add in prawns, season with salt, black pepper and mixed herbs. Fry for a short while before putting in the squid & scallops.
8. Let all seafood cook for only 50% and quickly add in the tomato soup, water and milk
9. Bring to a boil.
10. Squeeze some lemon before turning off the fire. Remove the prawn heads.
11. Dish and serve with rice, noodles, pasta, bread or add potatoes for a 1 meal dish.
12. ENJOY!

Tips

• I like my soup slightly rich and lemony so I used half tin of water (tin from the campbell soup measurement) and half tin of milk. You can use all water if you prefer. I squeeze lemon before serving to bring the 'tangy' level 1 notch up.
• Pls check your tomato soup taste first as different brands have different taste. Some are more sour than others. If too sour, add some sugar to balance the taste.
• Do not fry the squid and scallops too long or it will become rubbery

Fuss Free Chinese Cabbage Soup

This is my easy peasy dinner for tonight. You can subsititute any or even all of the ingredients with what you like better.

It's so fast and easy that when I finish bathing and putting Kimi to bed, the soup is hot and ready for devouring! Great comfort food for cold nights.

Ingredients

• 4 large prawns (shelled till tips and de-veined)
• 7-8 meatballs
• 2 small bunch of baby Chinese cabbage
• 4-5 ears of Dried Black Chinese Mushrooms sliced (you can keep as whole too)
• 1/2 cube of Maggi Chicken Stock cube (no msg)
• Dash of pepper
• Few drops of sesame oil (optional)
• Shallots & cilantro (which I ran out!)

Method

1. Boil some water and fill up to 3/4 of slow cooker (small).
2. Dump all ingredients in.
3. Put slow cooker on high.
4. Ready to be served within the hour. Check to see all ingredients are cooked and cabbage are soft.
5. Add pepper, sesame oil, shallots & cilantro before serving.
6. ENJOY!!

Tips

• By using boiling water, helps to cut down on cooking time
• You can use full prawns with head if you like a stronger prawn taste
• Substitute or add other ingredients as you wish.
• Can also add noodles or uncooked rice for a more substantial meal. If so, reduce some ingredients or cabbage or pot may not contain everything.
• The cabbage may look like alot but it is fine cos once it is soft, it will be alright.
• I buy 2 kinds of mushrooms, whole and pre-sliced. I use the pre-sliced ones for stir-fry or quicky meals so I don't have to waste time slicing. For braising, I prefer the whole, chunky ones.

Hearty Grainy Soup

Saw this interesting Vegi Mix at MarketPlace (Tanglin Mall) last week, so decided to get it. I made it for dinner today.

The instructions say add 1 portion of mix to 4 portions of soup stock and boil for an hour. I added Xiao Bai Cai, Meatballs and straw mushrooms and dump it in the slow cooker and let it boil (2+ hours). After my chores, my hearty soup was cooked and ready, easy peasy! Great for a cold, wet night.

I did not over-boil so that it would not be overly mushy. It's alright if you like a thick, mushy soup. :)

I quite like it as it has a lot of bite what with all the goodies like barley, lentils, pasta, beans, etc. But when I cooked this a few days later, the hb didn't like it.