Pearly Beans With Chestnuts Soup

Ingredients:

500g pork ribs
300g pearly beans
200g fresh chestnuts
2.5 litres water

Method:

1.  Separate pearly beans from pods.
2.  Parboil fresh chestnuts, remove skin and rinse.
3.  Scald pork ribs in boiling water and rinse well.
4.  Bring 2.5 litres of water to a boil.  When boiling, add in pork ribs and chestnuts. Lower heat and simmer for 1 hour.
5.  Add in pearly beans and simmer for another 20-30 mins.
6.  Add salt to taste.

Pearly Beans With Sweet Corn Soup

Ingredients:

300g pearly beans
500g pork ribs
1 sweet corn
8 red dates
2.5 litres water

Method:

1.  Separate beans from pods. Wash and drain.
2.  Scald pork ribs in boiling water and rinse well.
3.  Bring 2.5 litres of water to a boil.  When boiling, add in the pork ribs.  Lower heat and simmer pork ribs for one hour.
4.  Add in sweet corn, red dates and pearly beans.  Simmer for another half an hour.
5.  Add salt to taste.

Huai Shan With Pork Ribs Soup

Ingredients:

500g huai shan
500g pork ribs
8-10 red dates
1 tbsp medlar seeds
2.5 litres water
1 tsp salt

Method:

1.  Peel off skin from huai shan and cut into chunks.
2.  Remove stones from red dates and rinse.
3.  Scald pork ribs with boiling water and rinse well.
4.  Bring 2.5 litres of water to a boil.  When boiling add in the pork ribs and boil for 1 hour.
5.  Add red dates, huai shan and medlar seeds and simmer for another half an hour.
6.  Add tsp salt to taste.

Homemade Fish Ball Soup

Ingredients for Making Fish Balls:

1 Spanish Mackeral (about 600gm)

Solution A: 1 tbsp water + 1/2 tsp salt

Solution B:

100ml water

1 tsp salt

a dash of pepper

1 tbsp cornflour

Method:

1.  Clean fish, wipe dry and fillet with a sharp knife.

2.  Scrape out the flesh from the skin and bones with a metal spoon.

3.  Place the fish flesh on a wooden chopping board.  Pound the fish flesh with the back of a chopper until very fine, adding the salt solution A, a little at a time.

4.  Place the fish paste in a big bowl, stir in one direction under very sticky, adding Solution B while stirring.

5.  Take handfuls of the fish paste and throw it against the sides of the bowl till the paste becomes springy.

6.  Grease hands and fingers with a little oil.  Take a lump of fish paste and gently squeeze paste out between thumb and index finger to form small balls. 

7.  Scoop out the balls of fish paste with a spoon and drop them into a bowl of  water salted with 1 tsp salt.  Leave fish balls to soak in salt water for 1/2 hour. 

Ingredients For Soup:

Bones and skin of fish

Fish balls

1500ml water 

1 small head Iceburg lettuce

1 stalk spring onion, shredded

1 tbsp preserved radish ‘tong choi’

Seasoning:

1 tsp salt

2 tsp light soya sauce

Method:

1.  Pan-fry the fish bones and skin till golden brown.

2.  Bring 1500ml water to a boil, add the fried fish bones and skin and simmer over low heat for 1 hour. 

3.  Strain the fish stock into a pot and bring to a boil.  When boiling, add the fish balls and cook over a slow fire till they float to the top.  Add seasoning to taste. 

4.  Add ‘tong choi’ and shredded lettuce.  Sprinkle with shredded spring onions.

Kai Choy Soup

Ingredients:

500g Kai Choy (Leaf Mustard)

500g pork ribs

8 red dates, stoned

3 dried scallops

2 litres water

Seasoning:

1 tsp salt

1 tsp light soya sauce

Method:

1.  Soak red dates till softened, wash and drain.  Wash dried scallops.

2.  Wash and cut leaf mustard into 3 sections.

3.  Blanch pork ribs in boiling water, wash and drain.

4.  Bring 2 litres of water to a boil.  Add pork ribs, red dates and dried scallops.  Cover pot and boil over high heat for 15 minutes. 

5.  Add leaf mustard, lower heat and simmer soup for 1 hour.  Add seasoning to taste.

Pig’s Tail And Peanuts Soup

Ingredients:

1 pig’s tail

150g peanuts

15-20 pieces red dates, stoned

2 slices ginger

2 litres water

Seasoning:

1 tbsp rice wine

1 tsp salt

Method:

1.  Rinse pig’s tail, cut into pieces and blanch in boiling water.  Wash and drain.

2.  Soak peanuts in water for 1 hour and rinse.  Stone red dates and rinse.

3.  Bring 2 litres water to a boil.  Add in the pig’s tail, peanuts, red dates and sliced ginger.  Bring to a boil again.  Lower heat and simmer soup for 2 hours or until pig’s tail is tender.

4.  Season with salt and rice wine to taste.

Brown Marrow With Red Dates Soup

Ingredients:

1 brown marrow

500g pork ribs

10-15 dried red dates

2 litres water

Seasoning:

1 tsp salt 

1 tsp light soya sauce

Method:

1. Scrub the skin of brown marrow gently with a soft brush to remove any dirt. Wash and cut into 4-cm wide rings. Discard pith and seeds.

2. Scald pork ribs with boiling water for 3 minutes. Rinse and drain.

3. Bring 2 litres of water to a boil. Add in the marrow rings, red dates and pork ribs.

4. Boil over high heat for 15 minutes. Lower heat and simmer for another 1 hour.

5. Season with salt and light soya sauce to taste.

Bitter Gourd With Dried Oysters Soup

Ingredients:

1 big bitter gourd

500g pork ribs

6 dried oysters

8 red dates, stoned

2 litres water

few slices ginger

Seasoning:

1 tsp salt

2 tsp light soya sauce 

Method:

1.  Cut bitter gourd into half and remove the seeds.  Cut each half into big slices.  Rub bitter gourd slices with some salt.  Wash and rinse.

2.  Soak dried oysters in warm water for 30 minutes.  Remove grit, wash and drain.

3.  Scald pork ribs with boiling water for 3 minutes.  Rinse and drain.

4.  Bring 2 litres of water to a boil.  Add all the ingredients and boil for 15 minutes over high heat.  Lower heat and simmer for 2 hours.

5.  Add seasoning to taste.

Pig’s Tripe With Peppercorn Soup

Ingredients:

1 pig’s tripe

1/2 chicken, cut to pieces

300gm pork ribs

20 gingko nuts, blanched

1 tbsp white pepercorns, crushed

1 whole garlic bulb

3 slices ginger

8 water chestnuts, skinned

2.5 litres water

Seasoning:

1 tsp salt 

2 tsp light soya sauce

Method:

1.  Wash inside and outside of pig’s tripe with a handful of salt and 5 to 6 pieces of cut limes.  Wash till it is not slimy.  Wash and repeat process with salt and limes until it is clean.  When done, blanch with boiling water and drain.

2.  Bring 2.5 litres of water to a boil.  Add  the ginger slices, garlic bulb and blanched pork ribs.  Stuff pig’s tripe with crushed peppercorns and add to the boiling water.  Cover and simmer for 1 to 11/2 hour till tripe is  tender.  Add chicken pieces and simmer for another 1/2 hour or till chicken is tender.

3.  Remove tripe and cut into bit-sized pieces.  Return tripe slices to the soup and add in the gingko nuts and water chestnuts.  Boil for another 10-15 minutes.

4.  Season with salt and light soya sauce to taste. 

Chicken With Fish Maw Soup

Ingredients:

1 chicken

10 dried Shitake mushrooms

1 bulb garlic (do not remove skin)

2 pieces fish maw (about 30g )

3 slices ginger

1 tsp white pepper corns, crushed

2 litres water

Seasoning:

1 tsp salt 

1 tsp light soya sauce

Method:

1.  Cut chicken into serving pieces.  Wash and drain.

2.  Remove stems from mushrooms.  Soak mushrooms in hot water for 15 minutes till softened.  Wash and squeeze dry.

3.  Soak fish maw in hot water to remove excess oil.  Wash and squeeze dry and cut into small pieces.

4.  Bring 2 litres of water to a boil.  Add in chicken, mushrooms, ginger, garlic and crushed peppercorns.  Boil  over high heat for 15 minutes.  Lower heat and simmer for 1 hour  then add in fish maw.   Add seasoning  to taste.

Lotus Root Soup

Ingredients:

1 section lotus root

500g pork ribs

a handful of peanuts

20  red dates, stoned

2 litres of water

Seasoning:

1 tsp salt

1 tsp light soya sauce

Method:

1.  Remove mud from lotus root.  Wash clean and cut into slices.

2.  Blanch pork ribs in boiling water.  Rinse and drain.

3.  Blanch peanuts in boiling water, wash and drain.

4.  Bring 2 litres of water to a boil.  Add in the sliced lotus root, peanuts, red dates and pork ribs.  Boil on high flame for 15 minutes.  Lower flame and simmer for 2 hours.

5.  Lastly, add seasoning to taste.

Black Kidney Beans With Pork Soup

Ingredients:

200g black kidney beans

200g preserved turnip (‘Dai Tou Choi’)

500g pork ribs

10 dried red dates

3 tbsp medlar seeds

3 litres water

salt to taste

Method:

1.  Soak preserved turnip in water for about 1 hour so that it will not be so salty.  Rinse and and cut into slices.

2.  Soak black kidney beans in water for an hour.  Boil the beans with some water and discard the tainted water.  Rinse and drain.

3.   Blanch pork ribs in boiling water for a few minutes.  Rinse well and drain.

4.  Bring the 3 litres of water to a boil and add in all the other ingredients.  Bring to a boil again,  then lower heat and simmer soup for 2 hours.  Season with salt to taste.

Pig Trotter With Soya Bean Soup

Ingredients:

1 pig trotter

150g soya beans

3 pieces bean curd sticks

3 litres water

salt to taste

Method:

1.  Cut pig trotter into pieces.  Blanch in boiling water for 5 minutes.  Rinse and drain.

2.  Soak soya beans for 1 hour till softened.  Cut soya bean curd sticks into smaller pieces and soak in water till softened.

3.  Bring 3 litres water to a boil.  Add in pig trotter and soya beans.  Boil soup for 1 hour.

4.  Add in the soya bean curd sticks and boil for a further 45 minutes till meat is tender and bean curd sticks are soft.

5.  Season with salt to taste.

Healthy Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

1 carrot

1 daikon/radish with leaves

1 small burdock root

15 dried red dates, stoned

4 dried shitake mushrooms

2 litres water

Method:

1.  Wash carrot, burdock root and radish including leaves.  Cut into chunks.

2.  Wash and soak dried red dates and dried mushrooms till softened. 

3.  Place all the ingredients in a big clay pot.  Add 2 litres of water to completely cover vegetables.  Boil over high heat for 15 minutes.  Reduce heat and simmer vegetables soup for 1-2 hours.

4.  Soup can be kept for 2 days in refrigerator.  It can also be frozen and use as vegetable stock. 

Note:  The vegetables contain antioxidants, minerals, fibre and anticancer substance.

Apple And Pear Soup

Ingredients:

2 red apples

2 chinese pears

3 dried figs, halved

1 tbsp sweet almonds

1 tbsp bitter almonds

300g lean pork

2 litres water

salt to taste

Method:

1.  Core and cut apples and pears into quarters. Rinse well.

2.  Scald lean pork in boiling water for 5 minutes.  Wash and drain.

3.  Bring the 2 litres water to a boil.  Add in the apples, pears and dried figs.  Cook over high flame for 15 minutes.  Lower heat and simmer for 1 hour.  Season with salt to taste.

Note:  This soup good for nourishing the lungs.

Hairy Gourd Soup

Ingredients:

1 big hairy gourd (mau kua)

300g pork loin (bak tau)

6 red dates, stoned

1 tbsp tiny dried scallops

2 litres water

Seasoning:

1 tsp salt

1 tsp light soya sauce

Method:

1.  Wash and skin hair gourd. Cut into 6 pieces.

2.  Cut pork into cubes and scald with hot water for 3 minutes.

3.  Bring 2 litres of water to a boil.  Add in pork, hairy gourd, red dates and scallops.  Boil over high flame for 15 minutes.  Lower flame and simmer soup for 2 hours.  Add seasoning before serving.

Note:  Hairy gourd when boiled is soft and easily digestable.  Good for complexion.

Arrowroot With Gingko Nuts Soup

Ingredients:

1 arrowroot

500g pork ribs

100g gingko nuts, shelled

8 red dates, stoned

2 litres water

Seasoning:

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp light soya sauce

Method:

1.  Wash and scrub arrowroots till clean.  Cut into thick pieces.

2.  Scale pork ribs with hot water and rinse.

3.  Bring 2 litres water to a boil.  Add in arrowroot, red dates and gingko nuts.  Boil over high flame for 15 minutes.  Lower flame and simmer soup for 3 hours.

4.  Season with salt and light soya sauce to taste.

Arrowroot And Soya Beans Soup

Ingredients:

1 arrowroot ’kudzu root’ (approx. 1 kg)

500g pork ribs (‘long ku’)

a handful soya beans, soaked

8 red dates, stoned

2.5 litres water

Seasoning:

1 tsp salt

1/2 tbsp light soya sauce

Method:

1.  Wash arrowroot and scrubbed clean.  Cut into thick slices.

2.  Soak soya beans till softened and remove husks.

3.  Scald pork ribs in hot water for 3 minutes.  Wash and drain.

4.  Bring 2.5 litres of water to a boil.   Add in the arrowroot, red dates and soya beans and boil over high heat for 15 minutes.  Lower heat and simmer soup for 2-3 hours.

5.  Season soup with salt and light soya sauce to taste.

Note:  Left-over arrowroot braised with meat tastes delicious.

Apple Pork Ribs Soup

Ingredients:

4 red apples

4 pieces crystallized fig (mo fa kuo)

500g pork ribs

2 litres water

1 tsp salt

Method:

1.  Wash and cut apples into quarters.  Remove core and soak in a little salt water.

2.  Wash crystallized figs briefly and cut into halves.

3.  Wash and scald pork ribs in hot water for 3 minutes.  

4.  Bring 2 litres of water to a boil.  Add the pork ribs, apples and figs and cook over high flame for 15 minutes.  Lower flame and simmer soup for 2-3 hours.  Season with 1 tsp salt or to taste.

Note:  This soup has the effect of soothing the lungs.

Dried Figs and Pork Ribs Soup

Ingredients:

500g pork ribs

15 dried figs

2.5 litre water

1 tsp salt

Method:

1.  Blanch pork ribs in boiling water.  Wash and drain.

2.  Bring 2.5 litres water to a boil, add in the pork ribs and dried figs.  Lower the heat and simmer for 2 hours.

3.  Add salt to taste before serving.

Watercress With Honey Dates

Ingredients:

300g watercress (smaller species)

5 honey dates

8 pieces candid winter melon strips

1.5 litre water

Method:

1.  Discard roots of watercress.  Wash and soak in salt water for 15-20 minutes.

2.  Bring 1.5 litres of water to a boil, add in watercress, honey dates and winter melon strips.  Simmer over low heat for 2-3 hours. 

Note:  Soup good for relieving a prolonged dry, hacking cough.

Watercress With Apricot Kernels and Red Dates

Ingredients:

300g pork ribs

300g watercress

8 red dates, stoned

1 tbsp sweet apricot kernels

1 tbsp bitter apricot kernels

2 litres water

salt to taste

Method:

1.  Discard roots of watercress and break off older stems from leaves.  Soak in salt water for 20minutes.  Wash and drain.

2.  Blanch spare ribs in boiling water for 5 minutes.  Wash and drain.

3.  Bring 2 litres water to a boil, add in the blanched spare ribs, watercress stems and red dates and boil over low heat for 30-40 minutes.  Discard the stems and skim off excess oil.

4.  Add in the watercress leaves and simmer over low heat for another 30 minutes or till meat is tender.  Add salt to taste.

Note: Apricot kernels good for respiratory problems.

Radish Soup With Fried Spare Ribs

Ingredients:

300g spare ribs

300g radish

1 stalk fresh basil leaves (optional)

2 cups oil

2 tbsp cornflour, for coating

Marinate:

1 tbsp soya sauce

1 tbsp rice wine

a pinch of pepper

Seasoning:

1 tsp salt

Method:

1.  Cut ribs into 4 cm pieces, wash and drain.  Add marinate and leave to marinate for 1 hour.  Coat ribs with cornflour.

2.  Heat a wok with 2 cups of oil,  deep-fry spare ribs until golden brown, dish out and drain.

3.  Arrange fried spare ribs and cut radish in a steaming pot.  Add in  5 bowls water and 1 tsp salt.  Place in steamer and steam for 1 hour.  Sprinkle with basil leaves before serving.

Black Bean Soup With Ginko Nuts

Ingredients:

600g pig’s fore trotters

150g black beans

15 pieces gingko nuts

50g ginger, sliced

Seasoning:

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp chicken stock granules

1 cup rice wine

Method: 

1.  Cut  trotter into bite-sized pieces, wash and marinate with some salt for 15 minutes.  Blanch them in a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes.  Wash and drain.

2.  Stir-fry black beans till fragrant, add sliced ginger, pork trotter, gingko nuts and seasoning and stir well.  Add 5 bowls of water and boil for 1-2 hours till meat is tender.

Salted Fish & Pork Soup

Ingredients:

500g belly pork

300g dried salted fish with bones (ikan kurau)

2 green tomatoes, quartered

2 dried red chillies, soaked, seeded & cut

1 block soft bean curd

120g pineapple, cut into wedges

20g young ginger, smashed

salt & pepper to taste

Method:

1.  Cut belly pork into 2cm thick chunks. 

2.  Wash and soak the salted fish for about 10 minutes to remove excess salt.  Pat dry and cut into pieces. Deep fry lightly in hot oil so meat will not fall apart when boiled.

3.  Boil some water in a pot.  Blanch the belly pork pieces.  Dish out and discard water.

4.  Boil 500ml water and add in the pork, salted fish and cook for 3 minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients and cook over a slow fire for about 15 minutes or until the meat is tender.  Season to taste.

Bak Kut Teh

Ingredients:

1 kg pork ribs, cut into pieces

2 litres water

1 whole garlic bulb

2 pieces sugar cane (about 10 cm long)

few pieces yoke chok (Solomon’s Seal)

2 slices Kum Chor (Licorice Root)

1 tbsp Kei Chee (Medlar Seeds)

1 piece star anise

2 cm piece cinnamon stick

2 tsp crushed peppercorns

1 stalk coriander leaves, chopped

1 fresh red chilli

Seasoning:

1 tbsp light soya sauce

1 tbsp dark soya sauce

1 tsp salt

Dipping Sauce for Meat:

5 fresh red chillies, finely sliced

2 tbsp good quality dark soya sauce

Method:

1.  Boil pork ribs in a pot of water for 5 minutes.  Rinse to remove scum. 

2.  Scrub skin of sugar cane pieces, wash and cut into halves.  Rinse garlic bulb, medlar seeds and Solomon’s seal.

3.  Bring 2 litres of water to a boil.  Add the pork ribs, sugar cane, garlic bulb, licorice root, medlar seeds, Solomon’s seal and spices.  Add dark soya sauce  and bring to a boil for 5 minutes.  Lower flame and simmer for 1 hour or until meat is tender.  Add the red chilli (if used).

4.  Add light soya sauce and salt according to taste. 

5.  Sprinkle soup with some chopped coriander leaves  and serve hot. 

Kiam Chye Ark Soup

Ingredients:

1/2  duck

300g kiam chye (salted mustard cabbage)

300 pork ribs

2 litres water

4 tomatoes, halved

4 preserved sour plums

5 red dates, stoned

1 tbsp Medlar Seeds ‘kei chee’

5 cm piece ginger, smashed

1 red chilli

1 tbsp brandy

Method:

1.  Rub skin and cavity of the duck with some salt.   Rinse and cut the duck into 4 to 5 pieces.  Rub duck pieces with brandy and set aside for 10 mins.  Scald the pork ribs and rinse well. 

2.  Cut kiam chye into 5cm pieces and soak in several changes of water for 15 minutes, then drain.

3.  Bring 2 litres of water to a boil, then put in the duck pieces, pork ribs, kiam chye, preserved plums, ginger, medlar seeds and red dates.  Simmer over low heat for 11/2 hour or until meat is tender.

4.  Add tomatoes and chilli and simmer for a further 10 minutes.  Remove any excess fat and taste soup before adding seasoning.

Mutton Soup

Ingredients:

1 kg mutton with bones

2 big onions, sliced

2 stalks celery, cut into 2″ lengths

2 stalks spring onions, cut into 2″ lengths

2 stalks parsley, cut into 2″ lengths

Spices to add whole:

3 cloves

3 cardamons

2″ piece cinnamon

Ingredients to blend:

1 tbsp ketumbar seeds (coriander seeds)

1 tsp jintan manis (fennel seeds)

2 tsp jintan puteh (cummin seeds)

1/2 inch piece kunyit (tumeric)

1 inch piece ginger

6 cloves garlic

Seasoning:

1/2 tsp pepper

salt to taste

Method:

1.  Squeeze out the juice from the blended ingredients and discard the pulp.

2.  Mix mutton with a bit of assam juice to get rid of the smell.  Wash and rinse well.

3.  Put mutton in a pot, add the sliced big onion, chopped celery, spring onions and whole spices and cook over a slow fire until the juice comes out.

4.  Add in the juice of the blended ingredients and some water and simmer until the mutton is tender.  Add in pepper and salt to taste.

5.  Garnish with fried shallots and chopped parsley.

Radish Soup

Ingredients:

1 kg pork ribs, cut into 5cm pieces

1 white radish

1 green radish

2 carrots

1 dried cuttlefish

8 red dates (stoned)

2 litres water

1 tbsp Maggi concentrated chicken stock

Seasoning:

1 tsp salt

1 tsp light soya sauce

a dash of pepper

Method:

1.  Scald pork ribs in boiling water.  Rinse well and drain.

2.  Peel and cut the radishes into pieces.  Wash and cut cuttlefish into pieces.

3.  Bring water to a boil.  Add the concentrated chicken stock, pork ribs, cuttle fish and red dates.  Let simmer over low heat for 1 hour. 

4.  Add carrot and white and green radish and let simmer for another hour.  Add seasoning to taste.

Pearly Bean Soup

Ingredients:

500g pearly beans in pods (zhen chu dou)

1 pig’s tail or 500g pork ribs

8 red dates (stoned)

2 litres water

Seasoning:

1 tsp light soya sauce

1/2 tsp salt

Method:

1.  Separate beans from pods.  Wash and drain.

2.  Cut pig’s tail into smaller sections and scald with hot water for 3 minutes.  Rinse well.

3.  Bring water to the boil.  Add the pig’s tail  and red dates and boil over medium heat for 45 minutes.  Lower heat, add pearly beans and simmer slowly for another 30 minutes.  Season with light soya sauce.