Soup

Lotus & Cranberry Bean Soup

Ingredients:

• 350g Pork Ribs
• 100g Lotus Roots
• 200g Cranberry Beans
• 6 Red Dates
• 1 piece Dried Octopus
• 2 Litre Water

How to do it:

1. Blanch the pork ribs.
2. In a new pot of water, add in the pork ribs, lotus roots, red dates and dried octopus.
3. Bring it to boil and reduce to a simmer.
4. Continue to simmer for 2 hours.
5. Add in the cranberries and continue to simmer for another hour
   
6. Add salt to taste.

Note:
I love the beans really soft and the soup more powdery, hence I added the beans after 1 hour of simmering.

Mushroom & Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

• 500ml Water
• 8 Button Mushroom, diced
• 4 Shitake Mushroom, sliced
• 15g Butter
• 4 slice Cheese
• 1 tablespoon Flour
• 2 tablespoon Water

How to do it:

1. Melt butter in a sauce pan.
2. Add in the mushroom and saute till mushroom softens.
3. Add in the water and bring to a gentle boil.
4. Add in the cheese and stir to melt it.
5. Mix flour with water.
6. When soup begins to bubbles, gradually stir in the mixture to give the soup a creamy texture.
7. Serve with bread.
   

Note:

• I do not add salt as it's salty enough with the cheese. However, if you find it not salty enough for you, add more cheese.
• You don't have to use 2 types of mushroom. I used 2 types, more if I have, as I prefers different texture.

  Corn and Celery Soup

  

  Chicken and Mushroom Soup

  Ingredients:
  
• 8 Dried Chinese Mushroom, soaked to soften and drained
• 35g Dried Longan
• 1 Chicken Breast
• 100g Pork Ribs
• 1 slice Ginger
• 1.5 litre Water
• 1/2 tablespoon Chinese Cooking Wine
• Salt to taste

How to do it:

1. Blanch both meat.
2. Remove the stalks from the mushrooms and squeeze out excess water.
3. Half the mushrooms if they are big.
4. Place all ingredients except salt and wine in a pot.
5. Reduce to a simmer after it is brought to a boil.
6. Simmer for 2 hours till the mushroom are soft.
7. Add wine and salt to taste.
8. Serve.

   Black Chicken with Angelica Sinensis Soup

   Ingredients:
   
9. 1 Black Chicken, washed and cleaned
10. Approxiately 27g Angelica Sinensis 当归(DangGui)
11. 15g Wolfberries 枸杞子(GouQiZi)
12. 6 Black Dates 黑枣 (HeiZao）
13. 2 litre Water
14. 1/2 tablespoon Chinese Cooking Wine (optional)
15. Salt to taste

How to do it:

1. Blanch chicken.
2. Place all ingredients except wine and salt in a pot.
3. Bring to a boil.
4. Reduce to a simmer and continue cooking for 3 hours.
5. Add wine and salt to taste.
6. Serve immediately.

Note:
A better way to cook this will be double-boiling which ensure the essences from all the ingredients are not loss through cooking but it will take much longer to cook. Expect at least 5 hours! And you have to keep check on the water.

Corn and Melon Soup

Ingredients:

• 250g, Pork Ribs, blanched
• 300g Winter Melon, cubed
• 1 Corn, chopped into 4-5 pieces
• 1 tablespoon Wolfberries
• 1.5 litre Water
• Salt to taste

How to do it:

1. Put all ingredients except salt and wolfberries.
2. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce to a simmer and continue cooking for 2 hours.
4. Half way to cooking, add in the wolfberries.
5. Add salt to taste.
6. Serve.

   Papaya Soup

   Ingredients:
   
7. 2 Chicken Drumstick or 250g Pork Ribs (I use Chicken here)
8. 200g Snakehead Fish, sliced
9. 500g Papaya, skinned and seed (I use pear shaped "Dole" papaya from Philippines)
10. 2 slice Ginger
11. 2.5 litre Water
12. Salt to taste

How to do it:

1. Blanched chicken or pork and set aside.
2. Lightly pan fry fish with very little oil till slightly brown.
3. Put all ingredients except salt and papaya and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer for another 1 hour.
5. Add in the papaya and continue to simmer for another hour.
6. Add salt to taste.
7. Serve.

   Cabbage Soup

   Here, I used home-made chicken broth instead. It's really simple to make. Just cook 1 litre of broth with 1 to 1 1/2 handful of shredded cabbage for 20 minutes or till the cabbage and soft. Season with salt and that's it. If you are adding meatballs like what my mother did, add them after the soup starts to boil. How easy is that!

   Sukiyaki

   It usually has Shitake Mushroom, Onions, Chinese Cabbage, Enokitake, Carrot, Spring Onion, tofu, Shirataki noodles and of course very thinly sliced meat. All these in a cast iron pot over burning flame.
   
   It's often served with a raw egg for you to dip the meat and veggies in before you eat them to reduce the heat, so as not to burn your lips. *wink* There is always a bowl of rice to go with it as the soup is slightly salty and sweet. Some restaurants even come with a bowl of udon for you to cook it in the soup after you finish eating all the ingredients. Very filling!
   
   Sometimes when we are out during the weekends, dear hubby wants to have his favourite Chinese food when we rather have Japanese food *son knit eyebrows and pout lips*, I'll get some stuff from the supermarket and make sushi (for my son) and this, Sukiyaki, later in the week. It's not as good as those in Japanese Restaurants but it does curb our cravings. *laughs*
   
   It's actually rather simple to make the Sukiyaki broth. Though it may not be authentic, it taste close enough. My way to do it, is to add 4 tablespoon Soy Sauce, 3 tablespoon Sugar and 2 tablespoon Mirin to 500ml Water preferably in a steamboat, unless you have the cast iron set. Then you can add your meat, vegetables, tofu, etc in the broth and eat it as it cook, just like how the Chinese have their steamboat.
   
   Oh, you don't have to go around hunting for Shirataki noodles, which is not available here in my neigbourhood supermarkets too. I always use glass noodle. It's a perfect replacement and taste great with the broth! Just have it soak in water first before use. And adjust the amount of sugar and salt according to your taste but those I have in the restaurants are far more sweeter and salty then my concoction.