Tuesday

Soup Guilds

ONCE again, it’s that special day of the year when everyone is thinking of giving mum a special treat. Why not prepare these beautiful soups for her this Mother’s Day?

Mummy’s Sweet Delight is a wonderful sweet soup that can be served either hot or chilled, while the other two soups are hearty and filling. Prepare them on the very day and mum will enjoy such a treat. Make her happy and be praised by your family members for your efforts. It’s worth it.

Mummy’s Sweet Delight

  • 1 litre boiling water
  • 50g fresh lotus seeds
  • 12 gingko nuts
  • 3 dried honey dates (mat choe)
  • 10g white fungus, soaked and trimmed into florets
  • 3 red dates
  • 5g dried chrysanthemum flowers (kok fah),rinsed
  • 70g rock sugar or to taste
  • ½ can sea coconut slices, drain away the syrup

Steamed Yellow Cucumber Soup

  • 3 large yellow cucumbers (lo wong kua)
  • 75g chicken fillet, diced
  • 10g white fungus, soaked and trimmed
  • 3 button mushrooms, diced
  • 10 gingko nuts
  • 50g carrot, diced
  • 3 red dates, pitted and sliced
  • 1 litre fresh chicken stock
Seasoning
  • Salt and sugar to taste
  • ½ tsp chicken stock granules
Slice off the top of the yellow cucumber.

Trim and cut the edge decoratively. Scoop out the seeds and soft pulp. Be careful not to damage the firm flesh.

Rinse well and surround the cucumber with tin foil to prevent it from slipping.

Bring the fresh chicken stock, white fungus, mushrooms, gingko nuts, carrot, chicken fillet and red dates to a simmering boil. Adjust with seasoning to taste.

Put the cooked ingredients into the hollowed yellow cucumber. Stand each yellow cucumber in a small bowl; steam for 25-30 minutes or until the cucumber is just soft but still retains its shape. Remove and serve immediately.

Steep chrysanthemum flowers in boiling water for 10-15 minutes. Strain to remove the flowers and add in the rest of the ingredients except the sea coconut. Bring the sweet soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the sea coconut to mix. Dish out and serve.

Herbal Chicken Soup

  • 4 pieces dried baby abalone
  • 1kg kampung chicken, skinned and chopped into bite-sized pieces
Herbs
  • 20g American cultured ginseng (fa kei sum)
  • 10g dried cordyceps (toong choong choe)
  • 10g bilberries (kei chi)
  • 8 seeded Chinese dried dates
  • 10g dried longan
  • 2 dried scallops
  • 1 litre boiling water
  • 1 tsp salt
Soak dried baby abalone in purified water and leave in the refrigerator overnight.

Blanch chicken pieces in hot water. Drain well in a colander. Place boiling water, chicken, baby abalone, all the herbs and dried scallops into a medium-sized crockpot. Cook on low heat for 6 hours.

Add salt to taste and dish out and serve immediately.

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