Skip to main content

Kelp Soup

Discovered how to make a new soup this time during my travel back to my husband's hometown of Kuching, Sarawak.

He used to tell me that his favourite soups were seaweed soups. I always thought seaweed was seaweed until I tried kelp. It's not that I have not heard of kelp before. I had a bad experience a few years back when I tried cooking soup with kelp. It turned out rubbery and to this day, I call it my Tyre Soup because it looked like rubber! Also, it could be that the kelp was "old" and tough.

So this time around, mom-in-law cooked kelp soup and it tasted very much different from mine. In fact, the kelp wasn't rubbery at all. It was soft but still had a bite to it.

Kelp is called 'hai dai' in Chinese or 'kombu' in Japanese. Like most seaweeds, this is a nutrient-packed ingredient. In Kuching, it is sold in dried strips. It is cheap too at RM1.90 per packet.

Remember that a little kelp goes a long way as it expands during cooking. We made the mistake of not cutting them small enough and ended up with huge strips of kelp!

Soak and slice kelp into long strips.

For this kelp soup, I am using chicken carcasses as a base because it complements the lovely, light taste of kelp. If you use pork bones, the flavour might be a tad too heavy.

Use about 1 whole chicken carcass for a soup which feeds 4 persons comfortably. Blanch the carcass to get rid of scum.

Bring a stock pot of water to boil. Add in the chicken and pre-soaked kelp. Also to counter the 'cooling' properties of kelp, add in some smashed young ginger.

Bring to a furious boil for 10 minutes. Lower fire, cover tightly and simmer for 2 hours. Season with salt and let the soup 'rest' before you serve it hot.

Delicious and affordable and full of vitamins and minerals. What more can you ask for in a soup?!

NOTE: Just a note of warning, DO NOT OVERDO IT by eating too much kelp or seaweed. While it is good for health, overeating it (more than 2-3 times a week) can make you feel weak and cold (as seaweeds are cooling anyway). That is why seaweed, if needed, can be cooked with a slice of young ginger (ginger is warming). If you suffer from cold feet (usually happens to women more than men!), do not drink too much of seaweed soup.

Comments

Kingy said…
Hi Soup Queen! I stumbled on your blog a few weeks ago and have been trying out a few recipes especially those with the winter melon ones! I am glad there is such a blog for soups for me to learn more about soups! Will certainly try out the kombu soup recipe too! Btw, do you have any herbal soups for colds/flus?
Krista Goon said…
Hi Kingy: Welcome to my blog! Am so glad my blog is helping people re-discover the goodness of soups, which I swear by all the time. For flus/colds, try the regular chicken soup to strengthen the body. I call it the ABC Soup because it's made more robust with the addition of potatoes, carrots and onions boiled with some chicken thighs. Once you have recovered from the cold/flu, you can try heavier herbal soups to strengthen the lungs. Most times, it is a sign of weak lungs if you constantly succumb to colds and flus and cough. Try American Ginseng Tea (just boil some american ginseng with dried red dates in water) to sip throughout the day. For soups, try Cordyceps with Chicken, also White Fungus with Chicken is also good for your lungs.
Unknown said…
Hi soup queen!
I am in Australia, and have heard about using kelp in soups. I really want to try it, though I am not sure if all kelp species are edible, or just a few?
I read that the dark brown ones are kelp, but are they all edible, or just some?
Thanks, if you could please get back to me soon.
Brentan
:)
Krista Goon said…
Hi Brentan
The best way is to buy kelp from Chinese sundry stores in your local Chinatown. Most Chinese kelp are safe to consume. I just wouldn't eat those picked up from the sea shore! ;-) Anything that's from a supermarket or grocery store should be safe.

Popular posts from this blog

Astralagus Tea (Huang Qi) For Liver, Kidneys and Immunity

I recently bought a small container of wild astralagus slices when I was back home in Banting to visit my dad. There's really nothing much to do in Banting except spend time with my dad or take him out for breakfast of bak kut teh or nasi lemak.  The nearest and most interesting place is Tanjung Sepat which is a seaside village that has become rather prosperous due to the influx of local tourists from other parts of Selangor or even other states.  Many come to Tanjung Sepat for its fresh seafood and fish and the seafood restaurants are a big attraction. There's also a scenic spot called the Lovers' Bridge which in the 1990s was a rickety, almost falling down wooden bridge jutting out to sea.  This is where the fishing sampan or fishing boats would moor and have their catch hauled up to the shore. I am not sure if this bridge was demolished but the bridge is no longer there. A little further down is now a man-made cement bridge that juts out to sea. Tourists can walk out to

24 Herb Tea - Bitter, Foul-Tasting But Oh So Good For You!

Was out running a couple of errands this entire afternoon and ended up buying groceries at the nearby supermarket. If I had a choice I wouldn't go into this decade-old supermarket because it's small, cramped and you tend to knock into other shoppers with your trolley (yes, the aisles are that narrow). Nic and I figured that we might as well buy our groceries since we were in this vicinity and he did need some coffee. Finally we ended up with a trolley full of cheese, butter, coffee and noodles. Anyway, I was getting thirsty after all the errands and shopping. We decided to stop and have a drink at this stall which sells Chinese herbal tea. This uncle who mans it is actually a Hong Kong native who has been living in Malaysia for a long time. He drives a little white van which he parks at the corner of a junction and opens up for business. You see, he sells hot and cold Chinese herbal teas of all types - the kind that is slowly boiled and brewed. It's common to see Mal

Have You Seen Curry Leaf Berries?

Ripe berries or fruits from my 9 foot curry leaf tree.  This is a photo of the ripe fruits from my 9 foot curry leaf tree or known scientifically as  Murraya koenigii   . Yes, most curry leaf plants are about human height.  Mine is a bit special because when it was still a young sapling, I used a lot of my own homemade compost . It had so much of nutrients that it started growing taller and taller.  Right now, it is shading the compost pots!  Which means I am cooler when I stand under this tree to do my daily composting. You see how wonderful it all works out to be?  Because these berries attract the Asian koel (black birds with fiery red eyes which make the annoying loud "ku-yo, ku-yo" sounds), the curry leaf seeds get propagated everywhere.  Yet some drop right under the tree and start growing. I have a curry leaf sapling attack haha. I keep pulling the saplings up as there's just too many.  Besides throwing them into my curries (my most