Chicken soup with chye sim

Ingredients

1 bunch of chye sim, washed and cut into 2 inch lengths
carcass of 2 chicken
1 large carrot, sliced
1 chicken thigh, skinned removed
5-6 cups water
salt to taste


Method:

1. Bring water and bones to boil before lowering heat to simmer for about 2 hours total.

2. Cook chicken meat with the bones for about 20 min or until meat is cooked, remove and soak in cold water for 1 min. Once cooled, use a fork and shred the meat into smaller pieces.

3. Add chye sim stalks to cook for last 10 min and add the leaves 5 mins later.

4. When ready, add salt to taste.


Bench notes - Instead of chicken bones, other alternatives are pork bones, lean pork meat or chicken thigh (remove skin). If using pork meat/bones, scald/blanch it in boiling water for 5 min first to remove scum before using it in the soup. For the purist, kampong or free-range chicken can be used instead! Alternatively can cook the above with ikan billis (aka anchovies) soup.

Old Melon Soup

Another classic family soup!!

Ingredients

1 chinese melon, seeds removed and cut into large chunks
carcass of 2 chicken
6-8 red dates, pitted
1/2 piece dried squid (optional)
5-6 cups water
salt to taste


ps. Red dates has blood-nourishing properties and can be widely used with other ingredients to nourish the body.


Method:

1. Bring everything to boil before lowering heat to simmer for about 2 hours.

2. When ready, add salt to taste.

3. Serve soup with some melon pieces.


Bench notes - Instead of chicken bones, other alternatives are pork bones, lean pork meat or chicken thigh (remove skin). If using pork meat/bones, scald/blanch it in boiling water for 5 min first to remove scum before using it in the soup. For the purist, kampong or free-range chicken can be used instead!

Corn Soup

Can really taste the light sweetness of the corn in this soup.

Ingredients

3 corn, cut into halves or quarters
carcass of 2 chicken
1 bulb garlic, smashed with skin left on
1 large red onion, skin removed and cut into large quarters
1 large carrot, cut into chunks
6-8 red dates, pitted or 1 tbsp wolfberries (soaked 10 min and drained)
5-6 cups water
salt to taste


ps. Red dates has blood-nourishing properties and can be widely used with other ingredients to nourish the body.

Wolfberry is suppose to improve eyesight, strengthen immune system, nourishes the liver and kidney, and activates blood circulation and delays aging.


Method:

1. Bring water, bones, vegetables (except corn) and chinese herbs to boil before lowering heat to simmer for about 1 hour.

2. Add corn and continue to cook for another 1 hour.

3. When ready, add salt to taste.


Bench notes - Instead of chicken bones, other alternatives are pork bones, lean pork meat or chicken thigh (remove skin). If using pork meat/bones, scald/blanch it in boiling water for 5 min first to remove scum before using it in the soup. For the purist, kampong or free-range chicken can be used instead!

Was told that corn from Cameron highlands are two-towned in colour, mix dark and light yellow while the ones from Ipoh are all dark yellow. Find the ones from the highlands much sweeter in taste!

Sweet Pear Soup

Another soup to relieve cough and clear phlegm.

Ingredients

2 Chinese pear, peeled cut in the centre with core removed
4 candy dates
1 tbsp wolfberries
8g chuan bei (was told crushed is more effective but can use them in seed form)
2 pieces of rock sugar (to taste)
10g white fungus, soaked in water for 2 hours and remove any hard bits ps.
4.5 cups of water


ps. Candy dates helps to strengthen the spleen, regulates gastric gas, strengthen the body and stops cough.

White fungus benefits the spleen, strengthens the stomach and expels dryness. It is also said to be effective in nourishing the lungs, healing dry cough and clearing heat in the lungs.

Wolfberry is suppose to improve eyesight, strengthen immune system, nourishes the liver and kidney, and activates blood circulation and delays aging.

Chuan bei (Fritillariae Cirrhosae) removes heat, moistens the lungs, clears phlegm and relieves cough. It is very effective against prolonged cough due to vacuity of the lungs.


Method:

1. Put everything into a pot and cover with lid (with small opening ajar) and bring to boil before lowering heat to simmer for about 2 hours.

2. Taste whether sweet enough. Serve warm with some white fungus.


Bench notes - Compared to the apple soup, this one taste yummier....maybe its because it taste a lot sweeter! :)

Spinach Anchovie Soup

Very healthy soup...packed with lots of iron and calcium!!

Ingredients

1 bunch of spinach or baby spinach, washed properly
250g cleaned ikan billis (aka anchovie)
6-8 red dates, pitted or alternatively 1 tbsp wolfberries
5-6 cups water
salt to taste


ps. Red dates has blood-nourishing properties and can be widely used with other ingredients to nourish the body.

Wolfberry is suppose to improve eyesight, strengthen immune system, nourishes the liver and kidney, and activates blood circulation and delays aging.

Method:

1. In a pot, fry the ikan billis with a little oil for about 5 min until fragrant. Add water and chinese herbs, bring to boil before lowering fire to a low simmer and cook soup for about 1 hour.

2. Remove cooked ikan billis. Add spinach to the soup in the last 10 min.

3. When ready, add salt to taste.


Bench notes - Alternatively, can cook spinach in chicken or pork soup. If using pork meat/bones, scald/blanch it in boiling water for 5 min first to remove scum before using it in the soup. For the purist, kampong or free-range chicken can be used instead!

Sweet Apple Soup

If you haven't noticed, am on a soupy roll - ha ha!!

Made this soup aka tong sui as Master Prince's been having this linger spat of dry cough that doesn't seem to go away.

Ingredients

3 red apples (optional - can swap one red for a green), peeled cut in the centre with core removed
8 red dates, pitted
8g sweet & bitter almonds
10g white fungus, soaked in water for 2 hours and remove any hard bits
8g chuan bei (was told crushed is more effective but can use them in seed form)
2 pieces of rock sugar (to taste)
4.5 cups of water

ps. White fungus benefits the spleen, strengthens the stomach and expels dryness. It is also said to be effective in nourishing the lungs, healing dry cough and clearing heat in the lungs.

Chuan bei (Fritillariae Cirrhosae) removes heat, moistens the lungs, clears phlegm and relieves cough. It is very effective against prolonged cough due to vacuity of the lungs.

Sweet and bitter almonds helps and relief cough. Note that sweet almond seeds do not contain amygdalin and can be eaten, whereas bitter almonds can be toxic (so don't eat them raw). The poisonous hydrocyanic acid contained in bitter almonds breaks down when heated, so the poison is unlikely to accumulate when used in any cooked dish.

Red dates has blood-nourishing properties and can be widely used with other ingredients to nourish the body.


Method:

1. Put everything into a pot and cover with lid (with small opening ajar) and bring to boil before lowering heat to simmer for about 2 hours.

2. Taste whether sweet enough. Serve warm with some white fungus.


Bench notes - Choose white fungus that are slightly yellowish in colour as white ones means that they have been bleached!

Watercress Soup

This is a very popular everyday soup!

Ingredients

1 bunch of watercress, washed with thicker stem and leaves separated
carcass of 2 chicken
6-8 red dates, pitted
1/2 piece dried squid (optional)
5-6 cups water
salt to taste


ps. Red dates has blood-nourishing properties and can be widely used with other ingredients to nourish the body.


Method:

1. Bring water, bones and red dates to boil before lowering heat to simmer for about 1.5 hours.

2. Add watercress stems and continue to simmer for about 30 min before adding in the leaves and cook for another 30 min.

3. When ready, add salt to taste.


Bench notes - Instead of chicken bones, other alternatives are pork bones, lean pork meat or chicken thigh (remove skin). If using pork meat/bones, scald/blanch it in boiling water for 5 min first to remove scum before using it in the soup. For the purist, you can use kampong or free-range chicken instead!


Some people may not like eating the stems of watercress - we don't mind it as its extra fibre and roughage! Besides, once you boil it long enough, everything gets to be quite soft; hence the 2 part cooking process of the vegetables.

Simple Papaya Soup

Before you start frowning at me, take it from me....it's REALLY is a good, clear and yummy soup!

Ingredients

1 small half ripe papaya, peeled and sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

Carcass of 2 chicken

5-6 cups water

salt to taste

*optional - can add some 1-2 tbsp wolfberries Chinese herbs

ps. Wolfberry is suppose to improve eyesight, strengthen immune system, nourishes the liver and kidney, and activates blood circulation and delays aging.

Method:

1. With a little oil, fry garlic with papaya for a few minutes so that you get the flavours out.

2. Pour in water and add chicken bones.

3. Bring water to boil and then lower heat to simmer for about 2 - 2.5 hours.

4. When ready, add salt to taste.

Bench notes - Instead of chicken bones, other alternatives are pork bones, lean pork meat or chicken thigh (remove skin). If using pork meat/bones, scald/blanch it in boiling water for 5 min first to remove scum before using it in the soup. For the purist, you can use kampong or free-range chicken instead!

To your health

Sharing a Chinese herbal drink supposedly to keep your body 'strong' so that you will not be so easily infected with swine flu.

MP calls it ‘FLC’ - flu leong cha.

We usually boil a big pot for about an hour or two with a little rock sugar for taste. Note that the sugar is added towards the end when almost ready. Bottle them and keep them fresh in the refrigerator. Warm up a little before drinking it. Sometimes I have it cold, especially if it is a HOT day!

Taste wise, its like any other leong cha, sweet with a slight herbal taste. Quite nice actually. And if you are concerned, there is no bitter aftertaste.

No translation as I can’t read it myself but am sure any shop selling Chinese herbs will be able to assist you easily. Just a note to say that if you have any sensitive allergies or pregnant, etc. pls consult your doctor first.

Have a good weekend.

Fish essence

This is further to my earlier post on this wonder fish.

Finally found the fish in Section 17 morning market after placing an order with the fish seller who gave us an early wake up call around 6.30 am to come collect the fish.

The Resilient Haruan

a fish that would not die.
A good fright it gave us, accompanied with plenty of screams and shouts (especially when it leaped out of the plastic bag onto the kitchen counter top!!).
Not to mention a good slippery fight.
Even after being disembowel and without water, it could still swish around.
With respect, we admit it is truly a hardy fish.

A slippery escape?

For herbal soup ingredients, please refer to the picture below. I do not know the English translated equivalent.

Clean the fish (1 kg in weight) properly before putting into a pot of water (enough to cover the fish). Boil the fish and herbs for approximately 6 hours or until the liquid reduced to almost 2 Aisan rice bowls. When almost ready, add a pinch of salt (to taste).

Strain the soup into a bowl and skim off any excess oil.

PS. With the above herbs, my dad consumed this tasty soup once a day, 3 times in total.