The Soup Queen

I know.  It isn't the sexiest cough cure around.  It's not even exotic. It's just a plain vegetable. But today I shall praises of the humble watercress because it is a well-known cure for the sort of incurable, annoying and keep-you-awake-at-night coughing sessions. So what's in the watercress?  In the West, it is commonly eaten fresh and raw in a salad or sandwich.  Here in Malaysia, I've always eaten this cooked in soups. Never raw.  So what's so fascinating about watercress?  Watercress' botanical name is Nasturtium officinale.  It is a fast grower in aquatic or semi-aquatic environments. It usually grows in ditches rapidly.  It is one of the oldest known leaf vegetables eaten by humans. The plant is native to Europe and Asia.  It has a peppery flavour and is related to the cabbage and mustard family.  The town of Alresford, near Winchester, UK holds a Watercress Festival that brings in more th...

I'm a big fan of watercress because it makes for a delightfully delicious soup. Watercress is big on nutrients too but usually I make the carnivore version - watercress soup with chicken or with pork. This time though I tried a vegetarian version of watercress soup. I was inspired to cook this soup as I've been visiting Than Hsiang Temple almost weekly now for my vegetarian lunch (one of my resolutions this year is to eat less meat and more veg - not that I am a big meat-eater. I just want to do my part for the environment). I salute those who are vegetarian because it's not easy, well for me at least. I still love fish too much! So yeah, I made a pot of watercress soup today. And it's suitable for vegetarians. You need only 3 ingredients: 1 bunch of fresh watercress (pluck leaves and wash. Do not throw away the hard stems. This will go into the soup too. It'll be too wasteful to throw out the stems when they can add flavour to the soup.You don't have to eat the...