Miso Clam Soup

After d 1st try-out using clam as soup base, I starting searching d web for more clam broth recipe & decided to try this recipe out. Hubby & Hayden loves it!

• 2 dozen clams, scrubbed
• 1½ tbsp Miso paste
• 2 tube egg tofu, cut into 1/2 -inch cubes
• 1 med scallions, thinly sliced crosswise

1. Rinse d clams at least 3 times to rid d sand/grit. Fill a pot with just enough water to cover d clams be4 bringing it to boil. Off d heat & remove d meat for later usage, discard d shells.
2. Pour d clam broth through a strainer into a bigger pot. Add more water to make up 1.8l & whisk in d miso until smooth. Bring soup to a simmer over moderate heat. Add tofu & cook for 4mins.
3. Return clams to soup to heat through. Sprinkle the scallions on top and serve immediately.

Waterchestnut Carrot Soup

I have tried quite a few water chestnut soup recipes & this is just another simplified version. Very suitable for d recent weird weather.

• 10 cups water
• 12 water chestnut
• 8 red dates, stoned
• 1 big or 2 med carrots
• 500g lean pork (subs with black ckn)

Simmer for 2-3hrs

Chayote, Corn, Mushroom in Clam broth

Chayote, Corn, Mushroom in Clam broth (佛手瓜, 玉米, 蘑菇, 蛤肉汤)
I saw this recipe from BH’s blog & went ahead to give it a try. It’s actually quite a mild flavor soup. MIL likes it but hubby finds it too plain. So on my next try, I actually added fresh clams & what a big diff it made! Hubby loves it! In fact, his words were “ yr soup had definitely improved by a GAINT step!” Wow!

So here’s my modified version.

• 20-25 fresh clams (soak them in salt water 2-3hrs be4 use)
• 500 pork ribs
• 200g agrocybe aegerita (茶树菇)
• 1 large chayote
• 2 fresh corns (I normally used only d kernels)
• 1.5 - 2 litre of water

1. Trim away the ends of d agrocybe aegerita be4 washing & soaking them in water.
2. Wash & cut d chayotes into cubes, pluck out d kernels from d corn after washing.
3. Blanch pork ribs/lean meat.
4. Rinse d clams at least 3 times to rid d sand/grit. Fill a pot with just enough water to cover d clams be4 bringing it to boil. Off d heat & remove d meat for later usage, discard d shells.
5. Pour d clam broth through a strainer into a bigger pot.Add more water to make up 1.8l.
6. Add all ingredients in it & bring to boil. Once boil, switch to med heat & continue boiling for 30 min. Then reduce to small flame & simmer for 2 hrs.
7. No salt is needed as d clam broth is tasty enough.

Chicken Broth - Jamie Oliver's

Have been making my own ckn broth & this time, I decided to give Jamie Oliver’s version a try.
End result – so much tastier than my old version. I cant believe adding herbs & a rasher of bacon can made so much diff!

• 1.5kg ckn
• 2 carrots
• 2 sticks celery
• 1 rasher of smoked bacon
• 2-3 sprigs of fresh Rosemary
• Handful of shitake mushrooms
• Port of sea salt
• Olive oil

Put ckn, carrot, celery & bacon in a pot cover with water. Bring to boil. Low heat & simmer 1¼ hr, skimming white residue off top now & then.
Add Rosemary & mushroom only in d last 10 mins.
Season with salt if desired

Poached Ckn - Jamie Oliver's

At 1st, I don’t quite understand what ‘poaching’ really meant. Then when I saw this recipe in Jamie Oliver’s book, I went online to have a better understanding of ‘poaching’.
Turn out ‘poaching’ is a process where food is gently simmering in liquid. To me, isn’t this just like cooking in d slow-cooker? So does this means that I have been ‘poaching’ all this while whenever I used d slow-cooker?
End result – very tasty soup esp with d nice smelling fennel.

• 2kg ckn
• Handfull of flat-leaf parsley
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 handful new potatoes
• 2 handful baby carrots
• 2 handful baby turnips/radishes
• 1 blub fennel
• 2 handful peas
• 2 handful broad beans
• 1 handful of spinach
• 1 tsp salt

*stuff herbs into ckn, cover ckn with enough water by abt 1inch. Scatter in potatoes & bring to boil. Cover & simmer 20mins.
Then add carrots, turnips/radishes, & fennel (herby top remove & reserve). Simmer another 30-40mins.
Remove ckn & add peas, beans &spinach. Cook 1 min & serve with ckn, sprinkle fennel top & olive oil.

Coconut Stewed Ckn

Weather is really heating up! Really need something to cool down! Coconuts! Yes! Had this recipe for d longest time & cant really remember where I got it from. I think it might have be from a Chinese mag.
End result - tasty enough for Hayden to asked for 2nd helping!

• 1 young coconut
• 1kg ckn
• 1 stalk lemongress (cut into section)
• 6 bowls water
• 5 slices ginger
• 1 stalk spring onion
• rice wine for taste

cut upper part of young coconut, pour out juice & scoop out flesh
Rinse ckn. scald Ginger, spring onion & rice wine in boiling water. put in ckn, scald for a while. remove & drain.
Put ckn, lemongrass & coconut flesh into coconut, pour in juice & water, bring to boil.
Switch to low heat & stew 3hrs. add seasoning be4 serving.

Apple & Pear dessert

On d very same nite, I also made some sweet dessert in order to used up d bal apple & pears be2 they get spoiled. I decided to use this apple/pear soup recipe but change it by replacing d meat with rock candy (冰糖) instead. Even with d modification, I understand it’s still very effective for soothing throats & removing phlegm.
End result – too sweet for me but both Hubby & MIL loves it.

• 1 apple, peeled & de-cored
• 2 sand pears砂梨, peeled & de-cored
• 4 candied dates蜜枣, washed
• 10g sweet & bitter almonds南北杏, washed
• 1l water
• 400g lean meat (replaced with 25g rock candy冰糖)

Put all into slow cooker & cook over low heat for 3-4hrs. Better effect if serve warm but can be drink chilled.

Water Chestnut soup

Another soup therapy which is supposed to be good for soothing cough & remove phlegm. This 1 tasted more like a soup as compared to d罗汉果soup. Hayden loves it.

• 10cups water
• 12 water chestnut
• 8 red dates
• 1 big or 2 med carrots
• 500g lean pork

Put all into d slow cooker & cook over low heat for 2-3hrs.

罗汉果西洋菜汤

Hayden started coughing again so I decided to try out this soup therapy which is suppose to effective in soothing throats & removing phlegm. It has d nutritious of d watercress too.

End result - a very sweet soup! Thus, will reduce d LHG by half next time.

1 LuoHanGuo罗汉果

500g lean pork

200g watercress西洋菜

2 candied dates蜜枣

1.8l water

1. Rinse LHG, wrap in a bag & smash. Rinse pork & cut into big pieces. Separate watercress leaves from stem & rinse.


2. Pour water into slow cooker. Add stem, pork, LHG & dates & cook over low heat ½hr.


3. Lasrly, add leaves & cook further ½hr.

Left-over Veg soup

Another recipe from d Women’s Wkly mzg. This recipe is very low in fat (2.7g) & calories (275cal). It also used up whatever bal veg u have in d fridge.

• 2 cups veg stock
• 250g corn cob, trimmed
• ½cup bal veg
• 1 small carrots
• 30g snow peas
• 1 green onion, sliced thinly
• Add 500g lean meat if u preferred stronger taste.

Bring stock to boil be4 adding corn/veg/carrot. return to boil be4 reducing heat & simmer (covered) for abt 15mins. then stir in rest of ingedients & simmer (uncovered) for another 2mins.

Veg Stock

I saw this soup recipe in d Women’s Weekly mzg & decided to give it a try since it’s suppose to be part of a detox program…

End result – a very tasty soup even on its own. Hayden had 1 ½ bowls of it! Will take d pix d next rd.

Veg Stock original ingredients (I halved all of it)

• 2 med onions 300g
• 3 med carrots 360g
• 3 med parsnips 750g
• 2 med turnip 450g
• 1 small fennel bulb 200g
• 1 large red capsicum 350g
• 1 trimmed celery stalk 100g
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 black peppercorns (I omitted this)
• 4l water
• 1 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley

Put all (except d parsley) into a slow cooker & cook over low heat for 4-5hrs. Then add parsley & simmer for 1hr more be4 serving.
Stock can be kept, covered, for up to a wk in d fridge. It’s also suitable to freeze for up to 3 mths.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Been trying to search d web but am not able to figure out where I got this recipe from. So if any of u recognizes it, do tell me where it’s from so that I can credit it back to d recipe’s owner.
End result – a very tasty dish. Definitely a keeper for being so easy & simple.

Ingredients

• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 500g collar pork
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cups sliced carrots
• 1 small red potato
• ½ cup snow peas
• ¼ cup chopped parsely

Directions
In a slow cooker, mix cream of mushroom soup, chopped onion and pot roast.
Cook on High setting for 3 to 4 hours, or on Low setting for 8 to 9 hours.
Add vegetables 1.5 hours before it's done.

芫荽鱼头豆腐汤

Was surfing d ard when I saw that my fav blog has posted a new soup recipe so I gave it a try today.
End result - It’s not that bad except that it’s a bit too oily due to d frying. Maybe next time I use less oil on a non-stick pan..

Ingredients:

姜片 : 3 – 6片 Ginger slices
鱼头: ½ 个/ 1个 (洗净, 用少许盐涂抹鱼头) Fish head - washed & season with little salt
米酒: 15g rice wine
水: 700ml water
嫩豆腐: 2块 (切小块) tofu, diced
盐、胡椒粉 : 适量 salt & pepper - small amt
芫荽: 5束 (洗净切段) Coriander 5 stalk

1) 烧热2汤匙爆香姜片
Heat 2 tablespoons & sauté d ginger
2) 投入盐腌制过的鱼头煎至金黄色时, 盏入米酒
Add d salted fish head & pan-fry till golden be4 adding d wine
3) 加入水煮至汤沸腾, 约15-30分钟至汤变成奶白色
Then add water be4 bringing to boil, abt 15-30 mins until soup turn into a milk white color
4) 放入豆腐煮约5分钟后
Add tofu & cook abt 5 mins
5) 加盐和胡椒调味, 撒入切成段的芜茜即可
if desired, add seasoning. Top with Coriander be4 serving


功能
有祛风清热, 开胃健脾的功效不寒不燥, 适合一家大小饮用如受风寒或淋雨后, 或长期在冷气房, 常感觉头痛,身痛, 鼻塞等, 可再加青葱(大颗的葱白效果更好)煮食效果更好

Function
Relieve/dispel pathogenic wind, clear internal heat, whet d appetite, & strengthen d spleen
Not cold or dry, thus suitable for whole family consumption
For those who :
a) was subjected to cold weather or rain;
b) was spending long hrs in air-conditioned rooms;
c) often feels headache, body pain, nasal congestion and so on,
Can add scallion or big green onions for a even better result/effect.

Apple Soup

Another simple recipe from Mon's Crazy Kitchen, again, to use up bal ingredients.
End result – a very, very sweet soup due to d apples. Might increase more onions next time through.

• 5 small Gala apples (cut into chunks)
• 15 red dates (de-cored)
• 1.4 liters water
• 450g ribs (washed & scalded)
• 1 Yellow onion (peeled & cut into chunks)

Put all ingredients into d pot & bring to boil. Lower heat & simmer for abt 2hrs.

Peanut soup w/ribs

Another easy recipe from Mon's Crazy Kitchen to use up bal ingredients. I only used 5 med size scallops & its alrdy sweet enough for my family.

• 5 med size dried scallops (can increase to ¼cup if desired)
• 1½ cup peanuts (washed)
• 1.4 liters water
• 500g ribs (washed & scalded)

1. Pour d water into d pot & soak d scallops in it for ard ½hr.
2. Then put rest of ingredients into d pot & bring to boil.
3. Lower heat & simmer for abt 2hrs or more if u prefer softer peanuts.

ABC Soup

As we are due to move back SG in 2 wks time, am trying to finish up all the ingredients in the kitchen/fridge. So I went surfing for recipe again & found this interesting soup recipe. However, I was not able to locate d reason why it’s named “ABC soup”. As stated in most blog/post, d main ingredients do not all start with the letters A, B and C, so most ppl also do not know why it’s called “ABC soup” too.

Anyway, it’s super easy enough for me to give it a try & end result – a very sweet tasting soup indeed!

Ingredients (Serves 2-3)

• 400g pork ribs
• 1.5 liters water
• 2 small onions (cut to chunks)
• 3 small carrots (peeled & cut to chunks)
• 4 stalks celery (cut to chunks)
• 1 sweet corn (cut to chunks)
• 10 cherry tomato (optional if u prefer a little tangy taste)

Directions
1. Blanch pork ribs in boiling water for about 5 mins be4 rinsing with cold water. Remove & set aside.
2. Put all ingredients into a pot. Bring to boil be4 lowing d heat & simmer for another 2hrs.