The Soup Queen

I have not gone missing, in case you are wondering. Why no post from SoupQueen for such a long time? Well, I've been busy with clients' work and of course moving office. We just moved to a slightly bigger office space to accommodate our team. Even though it is moving up 2 floors, it seems like we're moving across the island. And we're still in the midst of rearranging furniture and etc. Anyway, today's post is just a quick update. I haven't been home much of the time hence the lack of soup activity in the kitchen! Oh how I miss my soup! So like TV, maybe I should recap some of my old soup recipes for some of you who have just been acquainted with me. (You know how TV sometimes cuts and splices different parts of programmes to make one new episode by itself? Well, this is probably similar. ) Let's see... for superquick soups, you can try Amaranth or Chinese Spinach Soup Szechuan Vegetable Soup And of course, there is this perennial favourite called ABC Soup ...

It helps to be nosey and poke around the wet market. Last week at the market, I saw some fresh cordyceps and asked the vegetable lady how to cook it. It ended up one of the more amazing discoveries - culminating in some soup of course! She told me that fresh cordyceps can be simmered with Solomon's seal/yuk chuk and Chinese sage/ tong sum for a delightfully tasty and nourishing soup. The best part about this Lip Sin wet market is that every stall is within walking distance. In no time I was at the Chinese herbalist - this youthful, ever-cheerful guy who sits in a tiny cubicle of herbs and stuff! He's practically hemmed in by his herbs. Anyway, I show him the fresh cordyceps I just bought and asked him what goes well with this herb. He gave me a packet of pre-packed herbs labeled "Jing Bu Tang" (Clearing and Nourishing Soup). When I got home, I got right into action. And the end result was good. The soup was flavourful and clear, and best of all, it healed my coughing!...

This recipe is thanks to Erina who saw me having a coughing fit yesterday and recommended that I try her mother-in-law's recipe. She said her son had been coughing too and after drinking this concoction 3 times a week, he had been cured. For this cough cure, you will need some slices of American Ginseng and 3-4 dried honey dates . These go into a pot with 2 bowls of water. Simmer until only half the water remains. This could probably take 20 minutes or so. Drink warm. American Ginseng (panax quinquefolius) or Pao Sum (in Mandarin) is one of the milder ginsengs from the ginseng family. It is milder because it is yin or cooling in nature. It was first discovered by the Jesuit priests in Canada around the 18th century. This root herb was shipped in massive quantities to China - it was a valuable export in the 19th century. Hence the name American Ginseng because it really comes from America. The taste of American Ginseng is sweet and slightly bitter but is highly suitable for the Hear...

OK, this isn't really a soup. It's more of a dish than a soup but I want to share this recipe with everyone because my first time trying this recipe was truly a success. And if I can cook this dish, so can you. "Chai boey" is a Hokkien term - we Cantonese call it 'choy mei' or 'leftover vegetable' (literal translation). It's a tangy, salty, sour dish of mustard greens boiled with meat (usually roasted pork/ roast duck). It's great on its own and even better eaten with rice. In the olden days, it's called 'chai boey' because people really used leftovers in this dish. My aunt makes this dish each Chinese New Year eve, once we're done with the reunion dinner. In our reunion dinner, we'd have lots of leftover dishes - roast meats, minced pork balls, etc. One should have leftovers for Chinese New Year as this signifies that we would have "plenty" for the coming year. It's symbolic most times. For the chai boey dish,...

I've written about using fresh wai san in porridge , thanks to the recipe passed on to me by my regular vegetable-seller in the Lip Sin wet market. A couple of weeks ago, I chanced upon fresh wai san again in the market and bought it for cooking porridge. But the wai san was huge, so I used up only half. The vegetable-seller told me I could keep the other half of the wai san in the fridge for a week or so, provided I wrapped it up in newspaper. One of those days while rummaging through my fridge for something to cook, I saw the wai san again and this time decided to try it in a soup. I had read somewhere (forgotten where now...tsk tsk, must be old age) that it is good as a soup too. The recipe is simple (ah, I am a big proponent of simple recipes, ya) and just needs 3 major ingredients: freshly peeled and sliced wai san, 4-6 de-seeded dried red dates and about 400 gm of pork ribs, blanched. As usual, bring a pot of water to boil. Put all 3 ingredients into pot; bring to a rolling b...

I got this soup recipe from The Star newspaper a couple of months ago. Haven't had time to make this soup but since it's so easy, I thought I'd share this with all of you. Maybe you can try it and see how it goes! I've always enjoyed vegetarian soups at Buddhist temples. There's one near my home and the soups are often clear and sweet! Vegetarian Lotus Soup 1 whole lotus root or 200gm, washed, peeled and sliced thick 1 cup peanuts , soaked and rinsed 5 red dates , seeded 2-3 honey dates 50gm vegetarian chicken 1.5 liters of water salt to taste Combine all ingredients in a pott and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours. Add salt after 2 hours of simmering and serve hot.

I was at my favourite TCM shop (Veng Tatt Soon @ Campbell Street, Penang) two days ago to pick up some bee pollen for myself when I saw this packet of tea called Gynostemma pentaphyllum. Nic and I were looking to buy some nice Chinese tea, maybe Ti Kuan Yin, as our tea supply was running low and we were sick and tired of our regular brand. The shop assistant told us that this Gynostemma tea (it looks like tea) is good for health. I like the honesty of the owners and shop people at Veng Tatt Soon (they also have a branch at Jalan Paya Terubong, Air Itam but I usually frequent this corner shop at Campbell Street) and I decided, sure, why not try it? At RM10 for 70gm, it wasn't very expensive. Of course, I am often curious and when I got back, I did an internet search on what this gynostemma herb is about. What a surprise to find out that this herb is actually very beneficial for health - particularly for stress, cholesterol, blood pressure, immunity, antioxidant properties, the list ...

Here's a peek at some of my favourite herb books on my bursting bookshelves! Many of these books can be bought or sourced from any good bookstore like Borders, Popular, Kinokuniya and MPH. I refer to these books a lot as they're full of information and one read cannot glean them all. Books by DK ( www.dk.com ) or Dorling Kindersley are fantastic - they come with colour photos and that's always helpful when I am trying to figure out which herb is which! Slowly build up your books on TCM and herbs as there are plenty out there. Get them with hardcover if you can - they're sturdier and last longer because you will be referring to them a lot in your study of herbs off and on. I started collecting these books about 5 years ago and am still slowly building up a collection. I cross-refer when I am unsure (and refer online when I am really stumped!). But books, unlike websites, can be picked up anytime for a quick perusal. Switching on my laptop takes much longer! If you have ...

I know this is not a soup BUT it does taste so good and takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. It has a bit of a gravy that goes well with plain rice. White radish is a versatile root vegetable. You probably have eaten radish in its other forms in Japanese or Korean cuisine. In Korean food, you probably have eaten radish as a spicy kimchi. In Japanese cuisine, you would have been familiar with "daikon" used in Japanese stews or even as a white shredded pile of mush you usually add to the dipping sauce for tempura. But a word of caution, if you have taken herbal soups such as ginseng a few hours before, you should NOT take anything (soup or otherwise) that is cooked with white radish. White radish detoxes the body of all the goodness that you have just eaten. I once heard that if you have food poisoning, taking white radish is good as it helps flushes out the unwanted from your body. Anyway, white radish is a vegetable you should eat if you want a clear complexion. Perhaps tha...

This is one of my favourite blood tonics! I have grown up with this herb because my mom used to boil dong quai for my sisters and me especially when our menses are over. Mom used to emphasise that women benefit most from this herbal soup/tonic. Now that I've married and left home, I still make this dong quai tonic for myself each month. Not many people like the smell of dong quai - but I do. The smell of dong quai simmering in the slow cooker for a few hours is out of this world. Again, I am one of the many odd ones out. Many people I know will run at the smell of chinese herbs but not me. I enjoy going into Chinese medicine shops, and the smell of herbs is divine! Dong quai is really a woman's herb because it helps to correct women's problems such as painful periods, irregular periods, PMS, hormonal imbalance, anaemia, fatigue, high blood pressure, postpartum conditions and menopausal symptoms. If you're a woman and feeling blah most of the time, you should ...

What do you do when you're too tired to cook dinner? Sometimes I resort to making porridge or congee. Porridge is filling yet nutritious and with a rice cooker, you can cook porridge in 1 hour or less. This time, I will show you how to cook a simple chicken porridge with 3 basic ingredients - chicken, dried scallops and rice. I use chicken wings because I like the texture and softness of chicken wings but you can use any part of the chicken you like. Chop the chicken meat into fairly large pieces. Set aside. Wash rice as if you are going to cook rice. A cup of rice is enough for two persons. Put rice into your rice cooker and add 3 times the water. More water is better than less. Your porridge will thicken as it sets. Into this rice + water mix, add chicken. Add 3 large dried scallops (pre-soak in water to soften). Break up the scallops gently. That's it. Place the lid on the cooker (do not cover tightly or your porridge will boil over! And what a mess that will be) and switch...

It's often difficult to find soups which cater specifically for vegetarians as most Chinese TCM soups do contain some meat or other. I got this recipe from Bao Ma, that famous Taiwanese mother of Ah Bao (Eric Tsang's bubbly daughter who is a TV host in Taiwan). A few years ago, Ah Bao and her mum (or Mrs Eric Tsang) did a cooking show over TV - all about soups! How I loved that show. I was inspired to be more kitchen-friendly after viewing those episodes. Bao Ma used to recommend super simple soup recipes which I often scribbled down, and that's how I brushed up on my Mandarin. I never went to a Chinese school (which is often a big regret) but I have always felt at home with Mandarin. I do speak the language though, and am able to read basic Mandarin. With Bao Ma's how to make soup TV series, it was two favourite passions rolled into one: I got to learn how to make soups and learnt how proper Mandarin is spoken. As well as what certain herbs were named in Chinese. Well,...

It's been a busy month for me. Every other day, I've had to work on some client's project or go out and discuss something or another. That's why the SoupQueen has been missing from the kitchen and as such, not many soups to recommend! Anyway, I came across a website which talks about TCM and TCM herbs. I'm always on the lookout for good herb glossaries because herbs are just wonderful for health. And always good for soups. This website which I came across is called Sacred Lotus Arts Traditional Chinese Medicine. I was looking for a reason why I am spotting after my menses. Yep, there is a term for this. It's called Metrorrhagia. Anyway, one search led to another and that's how I ended up at the Sacred Lotus website which is truly a gem of a find. It has herbs plus photos of herbs. I always believe photos are always better than illustrations. And the herbs are in Pinyin too so it's easy to find the herb you want. If you like, you can search using Latin or...

I'm a big believer in flower teas - you know, teas made from real flowers. Of course, the easiest is chrysanthemum tea . But lately, there's been much interest about other flowers such as rose, lavender, jasmine, rosemary, sweet osmanthus and globe amaranth which can be made into healthy teas. Plus the fact that it helps with detoxing and beautification is another reason why women like me buy into these teas! Personally I've enjoyed drinking rose tea . Just add a few dried roses into a mug, pour in freshly boiled hot water and let it steep for 10 minutes. Instant rose tea. Add some honey if you want it sweet. Roses naturally add to women's health because it relieves menstrual pains, invigorates the blood and helps rid one of bruises. Rose is essentially the woman's flower! Globe amaranth tea is also easy to brew. Buy dried globe amaranth (those purple heads of flowers in any good tea shop) and add to a mug of hot water with a slice of dried haw, some cubes of rock ...

Amaranth or Chinese spinach is a leafy vegetable streaked with red. If you make a soup with amaranth, your soup will look red! But don’t worry. The colour is all natural and is really good for your health. I always remember this soup because as a child, I’ve often been persuaded to drink it so that I would grow strong like Popeye the Sailor Man! Only when I grew up that I realized Popeye’s spinach and Chinese spinach were totally different! Amaranth is called ‘een choy’ in Cantonese or ‘bayam’ in Malay. It is good for women particularly as it contains iron for blood-building and folic acid for women who intend to get pregnant. But amaranth like spinach contains oxalic acid too so it may not be too suitable for those who cannot digest too much oxalic acid. According to Wikipedia, the high content of oxalic acid prevents calcium absorption and this vegetable should not be taken by people with kidney problems, gout or rheumatoid arthritis. Reheating this vegetable is also not encouraged b...

Today I looked up a recipe for nourishing lungs and found this simple dessert soup. I’ve been feeling out of sorts for the past two days, itchy throat, blocked and stuffed nose and sniffles all about. These symptoms indicate that my lungs were weak and if you have problems with your lungs, you will also have constipation because the nose, lungs and large intestine are interconnected, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine. You can use acupressure to relieve the stuffed nose, like I did. Press with your fingers both sides of your nose, on your cheeks. You can also press on the ‘third eye’, the area between your eye brows. Or press both sides of your nostrils, near your eye area. These will help clear your sinus a bit or at least allow you to breathe easier. The other point is behind your head, near your ears. Feel for a soft spot on both your left and right and press to get rid of the stuffy nose. You can also massage your jawline to stimulate the lymph glands so they can work overti...

This is a nourishing tea/sweet dessert soup recipe I picked up from a recipe book which I bought a few weeks ago. It’s decidedly simple and easy to make – that’s why it makes a great introduction to 2007 – it is in fact the first post of the year. I would call this a nourishing drink because the three main ingredients (see title above) are good for building blood, regenerating Qi and beneficial to the eyes. This can be served on its own, as an afternoon drink (please serve it warm) or after a lovely dinner to clear the palate. Here’s how you make this tea/sweet soup which serves 4 persons easily: Red Dates, Longan and Medlar Seeds Tea * 8 large red dates, pitted * 2 tablespoons of medlar seeds/boxthorn seeds, rinsed and soaked in water for 10 minutes and then drained * 10 dried longans, washed * 4-6 small cubes of rock sugar * 1 liter of water Method: Bring a liter of water to boil in a pot. Add all ingredients and let it come back to a boil f...

I recently got to know of a simple recipe while browsing in the bookstore. This is very simple but very beneficial to everyone especially if you are prone to tiredness or generally feel out of sorts and need a pick-me-up that's gentle and soothing. It's a tea made using a Chinese herb called Huang Qi (which is a root). It is sold cheaply in chinese herbal shops as strips of dried root, sliced thinly. Just put some into a liter of water, bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. That's it. Sip throughout the day. Despite the simplicity of this drink (which you can drink throughout the day), this herb is full of health benefits (In English it is known as milk vetch root). It is a herb that helps with your Qi, Spleen, Blood and Stomach. I read that it is also good for the Heart. It is used to tonify one's defensive Qi and as such, drinking huang qi tea helps to boost one's immune system. If you are prone to colds (it means your lungs are weak), Huang Qi is the herb ...

We Chinese pay particular attention to the yin and yang balance of our bodies. Our concept of eating has to be balanced with the changes in weather. Although in Malaysia , the weather is tropical all year round and we don’t experience snow or fall, the fluctuations between hot, humid and warm can take a toll on how we feel and taxes our bodies too. It must be global warming because the weather in Penang right now is very hot! The mornings start off extremely warm and the heat increases during noon . My skin literally burns when I get out into the sun. It’s a searing heat that can be quite lethal. The sun keeps this dry heat going on the whole day until dusk sets. When evenings come, the day’s heat has become heavy rain clouds, pregnant with rain and thunder. The evenings are stormy and rain comes often. It is these two very extreme ends of the weather that causes many people to feel uncomfortable. Hot in the day and cold in the night. To combat this hot weather, I remember the...

This week I am going to talk about a Traditional Chinese Herb in the form of a root. We Cantonese call it “wai san” but it is also known as “shan yao ”. It is a root that is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine – dried white slices which are added to soups. It is also called Chinese yam, Japanese mountain yam and Korean yam ( Radix Dioscoreae Oppositae ) . The wai san that I usually know is in the form of dried slices which is not very tasty even though it has been boiled and simmered in soups. When I was in the wet market, I chanced upon the fresh version of wai san when I asked my vegetables-seller what this funny-looking root was. Here’s a little bit about this humble herb which actually is very good for the body. Wai san is an anti-ageing herb (that should be enough to get you scrambling to your nearest wet market in search of this root) and is particularly beneficial for the stomach, spleen and lungs. According to Alternative Healing http: //al ternativehealing.org/huai_...