Soup Name: Cooling Wintermelon Soup

Traditional Chinese Name: 祛濕清熱冬瓜湯 (qū shī qīngrè dōngguā tāng)

Introduction:

A must drink for the hot, stuffy summers.  It helps cools the body, reduces heatiness and eliminates overheating.  While mildly sweet and light to taste, this is an common and very popular soup in the Cantonese soup repertoire.  There are a variety of ways to make this soup, but this is the most basic.

Ingredients:

1 pound of fresh pork shank
1 large slice of wintermelon
5-6  honey dates
2 tablespoons of hyacinth beans
5 g of dried lily bulb (or 5-6 pieces)
20 g of fu ling
10-12 lotus seeds
2-3 L of water

How do I prepare it

1. Blanch fresh pork shank in a pot of boiling water
2. Boil your soup water
3. Wash and cut wintermelon into cubes (separate skin from meat) - skin is still added to soup
4. Rinse all other ingredients in warm water
5. Once soup water boils, add all the ingredients together
6. Boil on high for 30 minutes, reduce to a simmer for another 1.5 hours
7. Serve and enjoy!
   

Any benefits?

Helps reduce heatiness in the body
Eliminates excess heat and helps cool the body

Any precautions?

• Women in their first trimester of pregnancy should avoid as it is an extremely cooling soup and may cause contractions
• Melon soups are best consumed within same day as keeping melon soups overnight or over an extended period will make the melons sour (and so will your soup!).

Soup Name: Fish paste and Lettuce Soup

Traditional Chinese Name: 生菜魚片湯 (sheng cai yú piàn tāng)

Introduction:

A simple and quick boil soup that can be made in about 30 minutes.  It’s delicious with tasty ingredients that satisfies the soup craving.  There are a variety of ways to make the fish paste and bring variety to your quick boil soup.

Ingredients:

3 heads of Chinese lettuce
2 pounds of Fish paste
salt to taste (optional)
ground white pepper to taste (optional)
2-3 L of water

How do I prepare it

1. Prepare your fish paste by adding some salt & white pepper (add a small amount first, you can always add more)
2. In a pan, fry your fish paste flat (flip over when cooked)
3. When fully cooked, cook and slice into edible slices or cubes
4. Wash and dice lettuce in thin, long strips
5. Boil your soup water and when it boils, add all the ingredients together
6. Boil on high for 30 minutes
7. Serve and enjoy!
   

Any benefits?

Easy to make and delicious
Quick soup that requires little preparation
Excellent source of protein and fibre

Any precautions?

• Make sure fish paste is thorough cooked before usage

Ingredient Name: Chinese Lettuce, lettuce

Traditional Chinese Name: 生菜 (shengcai)

• A leaf vegetable that is long, sword-shaped and medium green to dark green in color
• It has a slightly bitter and robust flavor (that is very different from western lettuce)
• Not typically eaten raw, but used in Chinese stews, dishes, dim sum and soups
• Considered a mildly cooling ingredient

How do I prepare it?

• Rinse eat leaf in warm water to remove any dirt or mud

Where can I buy this?

Available in most supermarkets

What is the cost?

• 1 average-sized head of Chinese lettuce cost around $2-3 HKD

Any benefits?

• High in dietary fiber and low in fat
• Good source of Vitamin A and C

Any precautions?

• Pregnant woman in their first trimester should consume in moderation as it is a mildly cooling ingredient

Any additional information?

• Store in a cool, dry place
• Can store up to 5 days in a refrigerated environment

Resources

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lettuce

Ingredient Name: Dong choy, tung choy, tong choy

Traditional Chinese Name: 冬菜(dōng cài)

• A common traditional Chinese ingredient that is composed of (depending on make and brand) cabbage, garlic and salt
• The cabbage is chopped very finely and is preserved in garlic and salt (so it is quite salty)
• Excellent in stewed, steamed, fried dishes and soups

How do I prepare it?

• Use directly out of jar

Where can I buy this?

Available in most supermarkets and wet marts

What is the cost?

• Varying prices depending on size and brand, but usually not very expensive

Any benefits?

• Extremely flavorful when added to soups of stews
• All natural ingredients

Any precautions?

• High amount of salt (sodium) so take in moderation

Any additional information?

• Store in  refrigerated environment for up to 6 months

Ingredient Name: Fish paste

Traditional Chinese Name: 魚片 (yú piàn)

• A common Chinese ingredient composed of ground fish (usually 鯉魚 (wan yú) in breed), green onions and salt
• Often used in dim sum, fried dishes, hot pot, soups and stews

How do I prepare it?

• Often usable as purchased

Where can I buy this?

Available in Hong Kong wet marts (at fish, tofu or seafood vendors) - customized amount
Can be purchased in supermarkets as prepackaged amounts

What is the cost?

• Amount pictured above cost $20 HKD

Any benefits?

• Excellent source of non-fat protein
• Extremely flavorful when added to soups of stews

Any precautions?

• Ensure it is thoroughly cooked before consumption (ie: in boiling soup or high heat)

Any additional information?

• Store in  refrigerated environment for up to 3 months

Soup Name:

Traditional Chinese Name: 雞菜湯 (jī cài tāng)

Introduction:

I don’t know if it’s classified entirely as a Chinese soup, but it’s delicious!  It’s similar to this version of Chicken and Veggies Soup, except it’s a more “old fire” soup because it’s boiled for much longer.  There are no herbal additives or Chinese medicine included in this soup, but it is super sweet and extremely tasty.  The Chinese often use a whole chicken, including the feet, heart, liver, neck and everything in between.

1 fresh whole chicken
3 large carrots
2 fresh corn
1 small stalk of celery
2 potatoes
1 onion (fresh)
2 tomatoes

2-3 L of water

How do I prepare it

1. Blanch fresh chicken in a pot of boiling water
2. Boil your soup water
3. Prepare all the vegetables by washing and cutting into edible portions
4. When water boils, add all the ingredients together
5. Boil on high for 30 minutes and reduce to simmering for another 1.5 hours
6. Serve and enjoy!
   

Any benefits?

Easy to make and delicious
Neutral soup that is ideal for any drinker
Excellent source of fiber and nutrition

Any precautions?

• The use of fresh chicken in the soup can create an oily film on the surface of the soup.  Use an oil strainer to remove any excess oil before serving.

See also:

• Chicken and Veggies - Soup for beginners

Soup Name: Bok Choy with Chinese Ham in Pork Broth

Traditional Chinese Name: 菜乾火腿湯 (cài gān huǒ tuǐ tāng)

Introduction:

One of the best smelling Chinese soups I have ever made.  It is deliciously sweet and extremely beneficial to the lungs with it’s perfect combination of Chinese herbs that target to moisturize, heal, cleanse the lungs.  The dried bok choy and preserved Chinese ham are a great and common Cantonese combination for soups.

1 pound of fresh pork shank
3 large carrots
2 fresh corn
50 g of dried bok choy
100 g of Chinese preserved ham

1/8 of a luo han guo
1 piece of dried tangerine peel
1 tablespoon of apricot kernals
20 g of rice beans
4 honey dates
1 Codonopsis Pilosula Root (5 g)
3 g of wind weed rhizome
3 g of root bark of White Mulberry
2-3 L of water

How do I prepare it

1. Blanch fresh pork shank in a pot of boiling water
2. Boil your soup water
3. Prepare carrots and corn by cutting into edible pieces
4. Rinse well in warm water the dried bok choy and all of the additives (other ingredients)
5. When water boils, add all the ingredients together
6. Boil on high for 30 minutes and reduce to simmering for another 1.5 hours
7. Serve and enjoy!
   

Any benefits?

Great for healing, aiding and cleansing the lungs
Ideal for relieving cough symptoms
Helps remove some heatiness

Any precautions?

• Considered a cooling soup, so women who are less than 3 months pregnant should take caution
• People who also can’t take too cooling soups should drink less (or avoid)

Ingredient Name: mulberry root, root bark of white mulberry, white mulberry root, morus alba extract, cortex mori extract

Traditional Chinese Name: 桑白皮 (sāng bái pí)

• A common Chinese herb that is used in Chinese medicine
• The dried and extracted root of the white mulberry tree - which is a tree common to China (and is considered a weed)
  
• The root itself is yellow and white in color with a few reddish-brown spots
• It is usually long in length and not very brittle (so difficult to break)
• It is cold in nature and slightly bitter in taste
  

How do I prepare it?

• Rinse well in warm water

Where can I buy this?

Available in Chinese herbalist or specialty stores
Sometimes available in HK wet marts

What is the cost?

• Relatively affordable

Any benefits?

• This herb removes heat from the body and lungs
• It is ideal in aiding with symptoms of cough and asthma

Any precautions?

• As it is a cooling ingredient, pregnant women in their first trimester should take caution as cooling ingredients cause contractions

Any additional information?

• Store in a cool, dry place
• Can store up to 3 months in a sealed container

Resources

• http://www.fzrm.com/plantextracts/White_Mulberry_Root-bark_extract.htm

Ingredient Name: Zhi mu, Wind weed rhizome, windweed rhizome, anemarrhenae asphodeloidis, anemarrhena rhizome

Traditional Chinese Name: 知母肉 (Zhī mǔ ròu) or 知母 (Zhī mǔ)

• Commonly known Chinese medicine
  
• The extracted and dried fibrous roots of a perennial herb called Anemarrhena
• The roots are slightly brownish yellow to brown in color and often string (or hairy)
• It is slightly bitter to taste and classified as cold (or cooling)

How do I prepare it?

• Rinse well in warm water

Where can I buy this?

Available in Chinese herbalist or specialty stores
Sometimes available in HK wet marts

What is the cost?

• Relatively affordable

Any benefits?

• This herb targets the lung, stomach and kidneys
• Helps are removing internal heat (or heatiness)
• Excellent for relieving symptoms of coughs, dry coughs and constipation
• Often used in medicine combination for people with asthma or shortness of breath
• Aids in sleep and relaxing tension

Any precautions?

• As it is a cooling ingredient, pregnant women in their first trimester should take caution as cooling ingredients cause contractions

Any additional information?

• Store in a cool, dry place
• Can store up to 3 months in a sealed container

Resources

• http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Anemarrhena+asphodeloides

Ingredient Name: Rice beans, rice bean, vigna umbellata, ricebean,

Traditional Chinese Name: 飯豆 (fàn dòu) or 赤小豆 (Chì xiǎo dòu)

• The small edible beans of a warm season annual vine that has yellow flowers that is commonly grown in India and Nepal, but also now extending to China
  
• Easily grown as they grow in most conditions and any soil, is pest resistant and often used to produce animal fodder and high quality grain
• Rice bean is used in soups, sauces as whole or sometimes ground as flour to be fried or used in snacks
• The beans are small and narrow in length and quite hard and usually dark red or brown in color
  

How do I prepare it?

• Rinse well in warm water
• If used in soups, soaking is not needed

Where can I buy this?

Wet marts in Hong Kong will carry this
Also sometimes available in your local herbalist

What is the cost?

• 20 g cost around $5 HKD

Any benefits?

• Helps in conditions of the eyes (red eyes)
• Good source of protein

Any precautions?

• A cause of flatulence
• There is not much scientific study in this type of bean, so there is not much information or impact of this product (as compared to azuki bean or other popular Asian beans)

Any additional information?

• Store in a cool, dry place
• Can store up to 6 months in a seal container

Resources

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vigna_umbellata