Shark's Bone Cartilage Soup

 

I know the environmentalists are gonna frown at me but still, I have to admit that Shark's Bone Soup is one of my all time favourite soups, even more than the expensive shark's fin. Then again, I was never a fan of the ubiquitous shark's fin soup to begin with. Lest the common perception that this is another version of a shark's fin soup, you will be surpised to know that it has absolutely no shark's fin in it. All you get is a thick milky gelatinous soup that is packed with all the collagen extracted from the shark's bone after hours and hours of brewing. Don't ask me why I like this, I just enjoy that sticky aftertaste in my mouth, evidence of a collagen overload.

 

Ingredients:

 

1                        chicken carcasse, blanched

1 packet             pork shank, blanched

10                      chicken feet, blanched

1 thumbsized    Jin Hua ham, diced 

1 piece              dried tangerine peel

1 tablespoon     white peppercorn

5 pieces            large sharks soft bone

3 slices             old ginger 

1 tablespoon     wolfberries, rinsed

 

Method:

 

Place all ingredients except the wolfberries in a large stock pot and place in 4 litres of water. Bring to boil.

 

Lower heat and simmer for a good 4 hours covered, stirring constantly to ensure that the ingredients do not stick to the bottom of the pot. Add in more water if required.

 

After 4 hours, what you should get is a thick milky gelatinous consistency. Add in the wolfberries and cook for another minute or so before serving.

 

 

Samyetang - Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup

I was craving for a nutritious and nourishing soup but have grown sick of the ubiquitous Chinese soups that I've been having. Inspired by yet another Korean drama that I've watched recently, I've decided to try out with a Samyetang - Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup recipe instead. I'm not too sure if the taste is truly authentic (the last time I tried a traditional one in Korea was a decade back) but it was  definitely slurping good.

Serves 3 - 4
Ingredients:
1                        small chicken (feet and wings removed), rinsed and pat dry
10 cloves           garlic, peeled
10                      red dates
3                        ginseng root
1/2 cup              glutinous rice, soaked for at least an hour
2 stalk               spring onion, chopped
                         salt and pepper

Method:

Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the soaked glutinous rice, 4 to 5 garlic cloves, 4 to 5 red dates and 2 ginseng root.

Place the chicken into a small pot and add in 1 litre of water.

Add in the remaining garlic cloves, red dates and ginseng root.

Bring to boil on high heat and lower heat to simmer for a minimum of 40 minutes, adding additonal water if necessary.

Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped spring onion before serving.

蛤蜊冬瓜汤 Clam and Winter Melon Soup

I first tried this soup in a small traditional Taiwanese restaurant in Kaohsiung, Taiwan and was instantly bought over by the intense flavour of the clams in the soup. This is something pretty novel to us but it was apparently a very common every day dish in Taiwan, given how simple it is to make and the little ingredients it requires. The key step to this dish is soaking the clams in water for a good amount of time in order to get rid of the sand in the clams. Do take note not to overcook the clams too or it will be chewy like rubber.

Serves 2 to 3

Ingredients:

1 slice                          winter melon, skin removed and cut into small pieces

500ml                          chicken stock or water with boulillon cube

300g                            clams, soaked in water for at least 2 hours

1 thumb sized               old ginger, julienned

2 tablespoon                rice wine

Method:

Bring the chicken stock to boil with the winter melon and ginger. Lower heat to simmer for another 5 minutes.

Add in the clams and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes or until the clams open up.

Switch off the fire and add 2 tablespoons of rice wine just before serving.

The Chinese Soup Special

I love a bowl of piping hot soup. Be it a cream based western soup or a clear chinese broth, I am a slurping devotee no less. I am not Cantonese but often felt inadequate without a bowl of soup on my dinner table. If you are a fellow fan, I'm sure you will enjoy today's post of some of my best-loved soups.

When boiling a pot of Chinese soup, do note to blanch the pork ribs in boiling water for about one to two minutes and rinse it thoroughly, before cooking. This is to remove any impurities and to reduce that 'porky' smell from it. Remember, a good pot of soup is achieved through low heat and slow simmering so it is not a chore for the impatient.

Serves 2 -4

Lotus Root & Peanut Soup

Ingredients: 250 grams of spare ribs (blanched), 1 small lotus root (sliced), 1/2 cup peanuts, 1 honeyed date, 1 dried octopus or dried squid

Method: Place all ingredients in 2 litre of boiling water and simmer on low heat, covered for 2 hours. You can season with a little salt if desired but I do without.

Watercress Soup

Ingredients: 250 grams of spare ribs (blanched), 1 bunch of watercress (rinsed with roots removed), 8 small or 5 medium red dates, 1 dried octopus or dried squid

Method: Place all ingredients in 2 litre of boiling water and simmer on low heat, covered for 2 hours. You can serve the soup with or without the cooked watercress. If using without, place some fresh watercress in the soup just prior to serving.

ABC Soup

Ingredients: 250 grams of spare ribs (blanched), 1 tomato (quartered), 1 onion (quartered), 1 corn (cut into 4 pieces), 1 large or 2 medium potatoes (peeled and cut), 1 medium carrot (cut)

Method: Place all ingredients in 2 litre of boiling water and simmrer on low heat, covered for 2 hours. Season with salt.

Black Bean Soup

Ingredients: 250 grams of spare ribs (blanched), 1/2 cup of peanuts, 1/2 cup of black bean, 1 dried octopus or dried squid

Method: Place all ingredients in 2 litre of boiling water and simmrer on low heat, covered for 2 to 3 hours. Season with salt.

Radish Soup

Ingredients: 250 grams of spare ribs (blanched), 1 medium radish (peeled and cut), 1 dried octopus or dried squid

Method: Place all ingredients in 2 litre of boiling water and simmrer on low heat, covered for 2 hours. Season with salt.

Bittergourd Soup

Ingredients: 250 grams of spare ribs (blanched), 1 bittergourd (seeds removed and cut into smaller pieces), 5 large or 8 small dried oysters

Method: Place all ingredients in 2 litre of boiling water and simmrer on low heat, covered for 2 hours. Season with salt.

Chicken Feet and Peanut Soup

Contrary to the popular belief that good, tasty Chinese soups will usually require a lot of ingredients. This simple chicken feet and peanut soup is here to prove that wrong. What is required though, is plenty of time in order to extract that sweetness from the ingredients. According to your preference, black beans can be added to this soup for extra flavour as well. I've been told by my Mum since young that food must always look decent so I've removed the claws from the chicken feet like the way I will ,with EACH and EVERY tail end of bean sprouts.

Ingredients:

10                  chicken feet, claws removed
3/4 cup           ground nuts, washed
1 medium       dried octopus or cuttlefish
1 teaspoon     salt

Method:

Blanch the chicken feet in boiling water for a minute to remove impurities. Strain and set aside.

Bring a pot of water  (approx. 1.5 to 2 litres) to boil. When the water is boiling, add in the blanched chicken, washed ground nuts and dried octopus.

Lower heat and simmer covered for at least 2 to 3 hours. Season with a teaspoon of salt prior to serving.

Pig Stomach Vermicelli

The Lunar New Year is a time for family gatherings, red packets and most importantly plenty of sumptuous food. Many Chinese families will be familiar with a common dish served up on the dining table during the festival - Pig Stomach Soup. The key ingredient to this dish is the usage of white peppercorn to give the dish an extra oomph. Often served as a soup by itself, I added vermicelli to make it a complete meal. You may also wish to include some of the abalone slices or sea cucumber that are left over from the reunion dinner.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

300g               pork ribs

1                     pig stomach, whole

1 tablespoon   white peppercorn, crushed (not grind please)

1 teaspoon      salt

1.5 litres          water

1 packet          rice vermicelli

Method:

Blanch the pork ribs and pig stomach in boiling water and set aside. Bring 1.5 litres of water to boil. Add in the pork ribs, pig stomach and 1 tablespoon of crushed white pepper corns. Simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours until the pig stomach is soft.

Remove the pig stomach and slice them into thin slices. Return them to the soup and season with salt.

Bring a pot of water to boil, add in the vermicelli and cook for 30 seconds. Drain and serve with the pig stomach soup.

Kiam Chye Ark or Itek Tim

I had a near full packet of Kiam Chye (salted mustard) left over from steaming a fish and the natural thing to do is boil a pot of soup. Kiam Chye Ark or better known as Itek Tim to the Peranakans is a simple, amazingly flavoursome soup that tastes even better the next day! So if you do have any leftovers, be sure to keep it in the fridge and heat it up again the next day. All you need is a bowl of steamed rice!

Ingredients:

1/2 whole       duck, chopped into smaller pieces
1 packet          salted mustard (kiam chye), soaked and cut into smaller pieces
2                     tomatoes, quartered
6 slices           old ginger
2 slices           tamarind
3                    preserved salted plums
2 litres           water

Method:

Place all ingredients into a stock pot and bring to a boil. Skim off any scum that floats to the surface of the soup. Lower the heat to a simmer for 90 minutes.

红糟面线 － Chicken Vermicelli with Red Wine Dregs

This dish may look a little peculiar to you but my family literally grew up with this traditional Hock Chew signature. Not only is this hearty noodle soup served every Lunar New Year both at home and at Granny's place, it has also became a common quick fix breakfast or lunch throughout the years. What really gave this dish an extra touch of warmth, is the bottle of homemade 红糟 handed down from my granny. I hope you will feel the homeliness of this family recipe.

Serves 4
Ingredients:

1/2 whole            chicken, chopped into smaller pieces
2 tbsp                  shaoxing or rice wine
3 tbsp                  red wine dregs
10 pieces             dried Chinese mushroom, stem removed, soaked and cut into smaller pieces
4 slices                old ginger
2 tbsp                  sesame oil
3 cups                 chicken stock (you may replace it with water and a piece of chicken bouillon cube)
4 pieces               rice vermicelli

Method:

Add 2 tablespoons of sesame oil into a heated pot or claypot and saute ginger till fragrant. Add in 3 tablespoons of red wine dregs, 2 tablespoons of rice wine and fry for a minute (be careful not to burn the red wine dregs).

Add in chicken and continue stirring for another 2 minutes. Add in pre-soaked chinese mushroom and chicken stock. Bring to boil and lower heat to a simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes.

In another pot of boiling water, blanch the vermicelli for about 1 to 2 minutes and serve with the soup.