Ginseng Fruit and Gobo in Vegetable Soup

Soup Name: Ginseng Fruit and Gobo in Vegetable Soup

Traditional Chinese Name: 牛蒡人参果湯 (niúbàng rénshēn guǒ tāng)

Introduction:

A very clear and deep sweet soup that is extremely flavorful and rich in Vitamins.  Both the ginseng fruit and the gobo root give this soup all the flavor it needs, so no meat is required.  You can add a variety of vegetables to it like carrots, corn, chayotes, onions to make your soup creation.  The great thing about using ginseng fruit is that the soup actually smells and tastes like ginseng, but without the hole in your wallet!

What ingredients are required?

3 fresh carrots, cut into large pieces
2 fresh corn, cut into large pieces
2 fresh gobo root, cut into large pieces
5 fresh ginseng fruit, halved
1 tablespoon of apricot kernels
2 L of water

How do I prepare it?

  1. Soak apricot kernals in water for 10 minutes
  2. Start boiling your soup water
  3. Wash and prepare ginseng fruit, gobo root, carrots and corn
  4. When soup water boils, add all the ingredients together
  5. Boil on high for 30 minutes
  6. Serve and enjoy!

Any benefits?

  • Oil free soup
  • Naturally flavorful because of both the ginseng fruit and gobo root
  • Excellent source of protein and vitamins
  • High amount of natural minerals
  • Easy to make soup
  • Neutral soup for any soup consumer

Any precautions?

  • Be sure to use ripen ginseng fruit as unripe ones contain an ingredient called saponin, which dries out your mouth

Moroccan Sweet Potato, Carrot and Chickpea Soup

To my readers:  Project Food Blog is a competition hosted by foodbuzz to find the ultimate food blogger.  I am an active participant – here’s my profile and this is my second challenge.  I know that this is not a Chinese soup – but the challenge called for something out of my comfort zone so I have decided to venture away from anything Asian and yes, all the way to Africa.  Please vote for me on Sept 27, 2010 when voting opens!


Something that is outside of my ethnic comfort zone would definitely have to be a place where I am DYING to go and have NEVER been.  How does MOROCCO sound?  It’s in the Kingdom of Morocco, located in North Africa.  To me, this is foreign, exotic, sexy and new.

Because I am the Chinese soup lady and while being true to my passion for soups, I decided to try and make a Moroccan Sweet Potato, Carrot and Chickpea Soup.

The challenge of this challenge:  I’m in Hong Kong and while it’s supposedly an international city – finding non-Asian ingredients aren’t always easy.  Lucky for me (after 2 rounds of local supermarkets), I went to an international supermarket and paid an extravagant amount of money (as compared to my normal soup fare) for organic and imported goods.  The interesting thing about this soup is that you almost start it like cooking a meal, but the end result is a delicious and fragrant soup.  The Chinese don’t use such fragrant spices (in fact, a majority of the Chinese herbs are quite smelly), so my house immediately became an exotic place as soon as I added the spices with my husband coming home to say that the hallway of our apartment smelled “different”.  Ah-haha… right.  If he only knew how different dinner would be tonight! Ah-hahahaha…

The end result?  I loved it and my husband compared it to a borscht, but he still downed 1 giant bowl.  I then brought over a container full for my family the day after and my mom had 2 bowls, my pregnant sister had 1 bowl and even my sister in confinement (a Chinese postpartum methodology) had to sample some.  You see, I could totally be an everything soup lady!  The only damper to this experience was that my kids didn’t seem to appreciate it like the adults did (after experimenting the soup on 4 kids).  I suspect that I will need to help broaden their horizons in the culinary arena by introducing more new and exciting flavors to their relatively limited Asian cuisines.

Here’s the recipe I found.

The magic ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 large white onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon of ground coriander
  • 2 teaspoons of ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder
  • 600g of sweet potato, peeled & diced
  • 500g of carrots, peeled & sliced
  • 6 cups of chicken stock (homemade or store bought)
  • 300g of canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 small lemon, juiced
  • Bread croutons (optional)

Road to soup greatness:

  1. Heat olive oil in a large pot with medium heat.
  2. Add onion and garlic, stirring, cook for 5 minutes.
  3. Stir in coriander, cumin and chili powder.  Cook, stirring for 1 minute.
  4. Add in sweet potato and carrots.  Cook, stirring for 5 minutes.
  5. Add chicken stock and cover.
  6. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes.
  7. Add chickpeas, stir and cover.  Simmer for another 10-15 minutes or until chickpeas have softened.
  8. Blend in batches and return to pot, simmer for 5 minutes, stirring.
  9. Ladle to soups, top with croutons and serve!

See, it looks like a meal….but I love the colors, smell and these are some of my fav ingredients.

Like I said in my previous challenge, my palette prefers a little more H2O.

Getting up close and personal to the soup.

The great thing about making this soup is that it is a complete 180 degree of what I normally make and eat.  To put this into perspective, it’s probably near impossible to find a Moroccan restaurant in Hong Kong – so instead of going there now, why not bring Morocco to Hong Kong?  And no honey (this part dedicated to my husband), it doesn’t mean that I no longer want to go there, it makes me want to go there MORE!

Water Chestnuts and Pork Spring Soup

Soup Name:  Water Chestnuts and Pork Spring Soup

Traditional Chinese Name: 馬蹄豬湯 (matí zhū tāng)
 
Introduction:
With Spring just around the corner, this simple and hearty soup is a perfect way to welcome in the warming weather.   This soup, along with a simple bowl of brown rice, served as dinner for my whole family, including our two-year old daughter.   Water chestnuts add a delicious sweetness, a crunchy texture and creates a “cool” soup perfect for the season.   Add in some hearty beans and vegetables to round out the meal.

What Ingredients are required?

1 pound of fresh pork meat (or pork bones)
3 carrots
8 chinese mushrooms
1 handful of dried black beans
15 – 20 pieces water chestnuts
2-3 L of water

How do I prepare it?

  1. If using pork bones, pre-marinate the pork with the salt and let it sit for at least an hour (overnight is best)
  2. Begin boiling your soup water
  3. Boil a separate pot to blanch pork
  4. Soak black beans and chinese mushrooms
  5. Chop chinese mushrooms into quarters or slices
  6. Wash, peel and cut carrots
  7. When water boils, add all the ingredients together
  8. Boil for at least 1 hour (longer if you wish the snow fungus softer)
  9. Serve and enjoy!

Any benefits?

  • Water Chestnuts are a relatively cooling food and can help relieve coughs
  • Pork contains many nutrients (including 6 essential vitamins) and is a good source of iron, zinc, Vitamin B6 and protein
  • Black beans are an excellent source of cholesterol-lowering fiber, iron, manganese and high quality protein
  • An easy, hearty and nutritious soup!