Pork ribs with Gold and Silver Vegetables (金银菜排骨汤)

This is a soup that I recently consume. Due to the hazy weather and am having dry cough; I find this soup nourishes the lungs and clear my throat which also reduce the heat in the body. This soup is suitable for the old and the young. This soup does contain sweet and bitter almonds, which in TCM is beneficial for clearing the lungs and stop coughing. Do refer to this article about Sweet & Bitter Almonds.

Pork ribs with Gold and Silver Vegetables -金银菜排骨汤(serves 4)

120g        Dried Chinese cabbage

600g        Fresh Chinese Cabbage

600g        Spare ribs (blanched)

10g          Sweet & Bitter Almonds

3.5l          Water

3g            Dried Tangerine Peel

2              Honey Dates

Salt to taste

1. First rinse the dried Chinese cabbage properly then soak it in clear water for about 1 hour.
2. Wash the Chinese cabbage and rinse the tangerine peel and honey dates.
3. Place all ingredients except the Chinese cabbage in a pot and bring to boil over high heat, add salt to taste, then turn in down and simmer for about 2 hours.
4. Place the fresh Chinese cabbage in and simmer for another 1/2 hour.

Old Cucmber Chicken Soup (老黄瓜鸡汤)

First of all, this soup is not categorized as herbal. But I blog it as a "Cooling" soup that nourishes all from the young to the old. Not particularly too cold for the old, which is really good for the whole family. As these days the weather is so hot and dry, this soup is just serves the purpose of warding off the heaty elements.

Old Cucumber Chicken Soup - 老黄瓜鸡汤 (serves 4)

900g /1  whole free range chicken with skin

1            Old cucumber 老黄瓜

1            Carrot (cut into chucks)

1 ear      Sweet corn

2-3 pcs  Dry scallops

15g        Solomon's seal 玉竹-Yuk Chuk
1.5 litres Water

1. Blanch the chicken first to remove the oil.
2. Wash the old cucumber skin properly. Cut the old cucumber into bite size removing the seeds but not the skin.
3. Cut the carrots / sweet corn into bite pieces as well.
4. Now boil the water and add in all the above ingredients.
5. When the soup boils, turn to a lower heat and simmer for an hour at least. I cook for a total of 1.5 hours. The soup now is ready. Enjoy!

Braised Pork Belly with Goji (枸杞焖肉)

It's been a while I have not blog here with some new dishes, well for a mother with a 4 year old and a baby, I am almost busy all the time....
Enough of that, today I want to post a new dish which using Pork Belly. I know these days we seldom eat pork belly because of the fat. But, a pork with no fat is not pork already, you better don't touch it, you will not know what kind of chemicals they let the pig eat to reduce the fat!
Right, I am going to introduce this slow cooking method which is braising. This method requires one to place the ingredients into a pre-mixed sauce and boil until cooked. This allows the ingredients to absorb in all the flavour. I hope you will like this pork belly dish.

Braised Pork Belly with Goji - 枸杞焖肉 (serves 4)

500g      Pork Belly
3 stalks  Spring Onion
5 slices  Ginger

Seasonings A:
2tbsp     light Soy sauce
1tbsp     Shaoxing wine

Seasonings B:
250ml    Glutinous rice wine
250ml    Shaoxing wine
1tbsp      Dried Goji berries 枸杞
1tbsp      Light soy sauce
*50g       Rock sugar or
 3 tbsp    Mirin
1000ml  Stock / Water

1. First make some partial cut on your piece of pork belly at the skin. Marinate the pork with seasonings A. Rub it in evenly, set aside for 3-4 hours. (Overnight is even more flavourful.)
2. Then heat up some oil in a pan or stew pot. Place in the pork belly to seal the pork juice. Turn untill all sides are slightly brown.
3. Now set aside the pork. If you are using the stew pot just put in and stir fry the ginger and spring onion till fragrant then add in seasonings B into the pot and bring to boil then add in the pork belly. If not, change into a braising pot,and do the same.
4. After it boil, turn to a lower heat and simmer for another 1-1.5 hours till the pork belly is soft.
5. When it is ready, take the pork out and cut into bite pieces and laddle the sauce on top.
6. Consume it with rice and some vegetables, yummy!