The Soup Queen

I've been schooled to replenish my blood each month after my menses. This is something drilled into me since I was young, about 12 or 13. It also helped that my sisters and I were often fed with soups and tonics since young so making blood tonics isn't something new at all. Wonderful and nourishing Dang Gui tonic for women. Recommended to be taken  often. When I went away to study in university, I rarely had chance to make these nourishing soups for myself. We couldn't cook in our dorm rooms - the hazard of fire was very real. When I moved out of the dorm and into a student house (located out of campus), my dad bought me a Pensonic slow cooker so I could make soups on my own. That was about 15 years ago. That Pensonic slow cooker is still with me and yes, it still works! The slow cooker is rather small and only makes up to 2 bowls of soup. But back then it was sufficient. After all I was only making soups for myself. The best thing about using a slow cooker ...

This is an updated post where I've added more information and photos. Sometimes it's a revelation to know that certain herbs I thought to be Chinese actually has been in use in the Western world for a long time too. Self Heal or Prunella Vulgaris - a great liver tonic! One particular herb called Self Heal or Prunella Vulgaris is just that. I grew up with this herb. Mom used to make Xia Ku Chao tea (a dark tea which looks just like Lo Han Guo tea ) for us when we were little. It helped to cool down the body. And Xia Ku Chao or Self Heal (flower spikes) is cheap and plentiful. With RM1, you could buy a fairly large packet. Just put this dried herb into a pot of water and boil away. Add rock sugar and you can drink it the whole day. For a robust taste, substitute with brown cane sugar. For a pot of 1.5 liter water, I add about 1 to 2 pieces of the brown candy sugar. Brown candy sugar is made from sugar cane juice. Available at all Chinese shops and herbalist...

My friend, Jo, asked me this question about making watercress soup. She says that her watercress soup turned out bitter. When it comes out bitter, it is really a waste of time and money (and appetite too) as no one will touch the soup. UPDATE: Alan Bergo left me an interesting comment about bitter watercress. Please see his comment below this post.  Naturally I have come across this "bitter watercress soup" puzzle once. Yes, even I - I who profess to know my soups. Actually I am still learning. I am curious about soups and so this question by Jo niggled me to no end. Many years ago, I made a pot of watercress soup and strangely, it didn't taste good at all. It had hints of bitterness. I never really got around to investigating why until Jo asked me this question again. Now that I am a lot better at making Chinese soups, I started to think of whom I could ask. Two people come to mind. The woman who sells vegetables at the market. She's a friendly matronl...

I made this soup a few times already and I really like the combination of two types of beans in the soup. Their textures are completely different and that is what makes this soup a true winner. I usually get fresh pinto beans in pods when I go to the market. Peeling them is Nic's job although it isn't really that hard to peel them. They're beige beans speckled with red dots. My vegetable seller tells me these beans are great for soups as they're nourishing. Pinto in Spanish means "painted". A quick search on pinto beans turns up wonderful information. You can find out more about the nutritional profile of these beans here and here . As for black soya beans, I use the dried variety which I get from my sundry goods store in the market. Before you use them, you have to dry fry them in a pan until their black skins crack open to reveal their green insides. Black soya beans contain antioxidants and are deemed high in Vitamin E content. They are also anti...