Soup Name: Chayotes, Chestnuts and Longan Vegetable Soup
Traditional Chinese Name: 合掌瓜栗子素湯 (hup jeung gwa lì zi sù tāng)
Introduction:
This naturally sweet soup is rich in flavors and oil free. It’s a refreshing soup to drink in the summer and can be served chilled as it’s really quick and easy to make. I really like that it’s meat free because you can taste the chestnuts, the longans and all the vegetables. You can add various vegetables such as onions, green radish or tomatoes.
Soup Name: Salted Mustard Greens with Tofu in Fish Soup
Traditional Chinese Name: 酸菜豆腐魚湯 (suan cai dòu fu yú tāng)
Introduction:
This quick boil soup is an excellent pre-dinner appetizer. With its slight sour tang and refreshing clarity, it is relatively easy to make and very healthy for the whole family. Depending on the type, brand and preservation process of the mustard greens, your soup color can range from pale yellow to a bright yellow (as picture above). With a variety of textures in the soup, it serves as a great supplement to dinner and is an excellent source of protein. This is considered a great summer soup.
Soak the preserved mustard greens in warm water for 10 minutes
Wash and rinse your fish in running water, slice into large pieces (so that they don’t disintegrate as easily in the soup)
Pat dry with a paper towel and salt lightly
In a frying pan, heat oil until hot and fry ginger and fish slices until golden brown
Set aside the fish when finished (it doesn’t have to be completed cooked, but at least with lightly golden surfaces)
Boil your soup water
Rinse preserved mustard greens in running water and slice into edible pieces
Rinse tofu and cut into large pieces
Slice the century eggs in half
When the soup water boils, add ginger, fish, preserved mustard greens, and tofu together
Boil on high for 30 minutes
Any benefits?
Naturally salted because of the mustard greens, so no salt needed!
High source of protein and low in fat
Excellent source of vitamins B1, B2, B6, C, and E, folic acid, calcium, carotenes, manganese, copper, potassium, iron and fiber
Great for your bones and plenty of anti-oxidants
Any precautions?
If you’re concerned about the level of saltiness of the preserved mustard greens, you can soak them longer (for at least an hour)
Be sure to buy preserved mustard greens from a reputable source and be sure to check the expiry date
Be sure to use stiff tofu as this is the only type that will sustain its shape and form when put in boiling water. Soft tofu will break apart, while still tastes OK, the soup doesn’t look as clean
Remove all the bones of the fish as I am not boiling with a fish bag (or take caution when serving children)
Fresh fish slices
Fried fish slices set aside before adding to the soup
Traditional Chinese Name: 芫茜皮蛋魚湯 (yán qiàn pídàn yú tāng)
Introduction:
This quick boil soup is a great soup base (although just as great by itself) in the Chinese repertoire of soups. While some people don’t like Chinese parsley at all (like me), the strong taste of the herb is heavily muted when boiled in this fashion. As a result, the soup is slightly sweet and has a refreshingly mild taste to it. You can use a variety of meats and other vegetables as desired.
A fragrant plant (herb) that has a strong and pungent, unique flavor
The seeds are known are coriander and often used as a spice
It is a small plant that has a very green leaf and stem in color
It is commonly used fresh, but is also available dried (although not as fragrant because that is lost in the drying process)
Used in Asian, Mexican, Middle Eastern and South African dishes
This herb is commonly self-grown (in the home or backyards)
How do I prepare it?
Rinse fresh Chinese parsley in running water, discarding any wilted or dying leaves and stems
For soups, keep as whole stalks (for those who don’t prefer to eat it) or dice
Where can I buy this?
Most supermarkets will sell this product fresh
What is the cost
Chinese parsley is very affordable
At the wet mart in HK, it cost around $5 HKD a small bunch
Any benefits?
Excellent source of antioxidants which help both reduce aging in cells (by killing free radicals) and slowing down the spoiling process of foods containing this ingredient
Said to have some antibacterial characteristics
Helps remove heavy metals and toxins from the body
Helps in the reduction of bad cholesterol in the body
Excellent source of iron and Calcium and helps fight anemia
Helps reduce heatiness in the body
Any precautions?
It is considered a cooling ingredient and should be avoided in early pregnancies, breastfeeding mothers and during menstruation
Additional Information
Use fresh Chinese parsley within 3-4 days of purchase and keep in the fridge
Ingredient Name: Century Egg, Thousand Year Old Egg, Preserved Egg
Traditional Chinese Name: 皮蛋 (pídàn)
What is this?
An egg that dates back as early as the 1640’s in literature and discovered by the Chinese
The preserved egg of a duck, chicken or quail that is preserved in clay, ash, salt, lime that preserves the egg (the process takes a few weeks to a few months depending on the process)
The yolk becomes semi-solid and is gray to dark green in color and has a creamy texture and is said to have a “golden” taste (but is slightly bitter)
The egg white becomes a brown jelly like substance (and is almost flavorless)
The eggs have a strong hydrogen sulfide and ammonia smell
This traditional Chinese egg is served and prepared in various ways (appetizer, in soups, in congee, with tofu, rice and others methods) or used as a condiment
How do I prepare it?
Bought with the clay still in tact is common both in supermarkets and wet marts
Rinse the entire egg under water while peeling away both the outer layer and shell
Use a sharp knife to cut into pieces
Where can I buy this?
Most Asian supermarkets will sell them in packs
Wet marts will also sell them individually
What is the cost
1 pack of 4 from the supermarket costs around $30 HKD
The price varies depending on the producer
Any benefits?
It is an excellent way to preserve eggs (especially from spoiling)
Adds a unique flavor and texture to other dishes that is difficult to replicate with other ingredients
Any precautions?
In recent studies, it has been shown that century eggs have high amounts of lead oxide (by the way they are produced to speed the curing process)
This type of egg (especially raw) is not for everyone and is usually an acquired taste
Extremely high in cholesterol so consume with caution
Additional Information
You can store this ingredient in a tight sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 months (be sure to check expiry label if applicable)
