The Soup Queen

This is one of my favourite sweet soups! It is very much a dessert that can be taken hot or cold. Clockwise from right: Buddha Fruit, dried lotus seeds, dried red dates and dried longan. The Buddha Fruit or Lo Han Gua (actually I think it should be called Lo Han Fruit instead of Buddha Fruit) is a fruit from China that helps to reduce coughing. It supposedly aids longevity. You can read more about this amazing fruit by going to http://www.itmonline.org/arts/luohanguo.htm It is usually dark brown and very light. Its sizes range from as small as a golf ball to as big as a tennis ball, any Chinese medicine hall or herbalist would have this available. It's not too expensive either, about RM1 per fruit. To use it, just wash it and light crack it open. I use one medium size fruit for one pot of water (about 1.5 liters of water). Besides the Buddha Fruit, I use a handful each of dried longan, dried red dates and dried lotus seeds. The red dates are already pitted so it saves me time (yes,...

I know, I have not been updating this blog for some time now although I have been simmering soups! The weather here in Penang has turned mild - less sunny but a total 180 degree change. It is now rainy and cloudy! Not cold but a lot cooler. It also signals the coming of the Chinese Qing Ming Festival - something like All Souls' Day. Rains are more frequent and the ground is wet and splotchy each year as I make the climb (or hike) towards my great-grandfather's grave. So, news and weather aside, what soups have I been concocting? A few familiar soups come to mind. But one that I love for its simplicity is watercress and pork rib soup. It's great for clearing heat in the body and sputum in the lungs. I know that watercress is used raw in salads and sandwiches in the West but for the Chinese, nothing is more comforting than a bowl of watercress soup. It's also popular in Chinese restaurants and roadside stalls. Sometimes the soup is steamed instead of simmered over a stove...