Chinese Four Herbs Soup (Si Shen Tang 四神汤) helps to strengthen the spleen and digestive system, calms the nerves and improve poor appetite. I love the aroma of Chinese herbal soups. They not only improve our health but they’re delicious too. Si Shen Tang (四神汤) is easy to prepare and is said to be good for the … Read more
Bean curd and meatballs soup with daikon. A delicious quick soup recipe for busy days. Dried bean curd stick (also known as foo chook in Cantonese) may not sound very appealing but it is so delicious and widely used in Chinese cuisine. I love using it for braising, soups and stir-fries. They’re a must-have for … Read more
Aromatic Ginseng Chicken Soup with goji berries to gently nourish and rejuvenate the body. I finally decided to make use of a packet of ginseng beard that has been sitting in my fridge since last year. The thing about dried ingredients is, they can be kept for a longer period of time and I sometimes … Read more
Roasted pumpkin apple soup – a healthy creamy soup without any added cream. Vegan friendly, gluten free and ready to eat in 1 hour! Previously, I shared a Chinese-styled pumpkin soup which is lovely for the warmer weathers. Today’s pumpkin soup is perfect for the colder weathers as it is richer and creamy. I love … Read more
One of my favorite ways to cook pumpkin is to make this Chinese-style pumpkin soup with pork ribs. It is rich in nutrition and imbued with the natural sweetness of pumpkin and corn. Pumpkin was one of the ingredients that I used when I introduced solid foods to my children when they were a few … Read more
For the Chinese, fish maw soup and dishes are popular during special occasions and festivities such as the Chinese New Year (CNY) and weddings. Usually cooked in soups and sometimes steamed and braised, I especially enjoy its gelatinous texture after cooking. What is Fish Maw? Fish maw is the commercial term of dried swim bladders … Read more
Have only 30 minutes to cook? Try this healthy and delicious luffa soup with black fungus and vermicelli. It is perfect for the hot weathers, helps to replenish fluids and is also a meal in itself. In the past, luffa (also spelt loofah) was one of those vegetables that I often see at my local … Read more
This delicious and aromatic cordyceps flower chicken soup is excellent for both children and adults. It replenishes energy, improves eyesight and helps to build up the immune system. Sometimes we find the most interesting things when we are not looking for it. Like the time when I was at a Chinese medical shop searching for … Read more
Bitter gourd is a popular ingredient in Chinese cuisine. This vegetable (or fruit if you want to be precise) can be cooked in many ways. This bitter gourd soup recipe with salted vegetables is one of them. In TCM, bitter gourd is considered a yin food (food with cooling properties). It can help to cool … Read more
Winter melon clam soup has diuretic effects and helps to relieve heat and clears toxin in our body. Enjoy the delicate, sweet flavors of the ocean with this simple, easy and delicious soup. It can be served as an appetizer, a side dish or a light meal. Winter melon is one of my favorite ingredients … Read more
Bitter melon soup has cooling and anti-inflammatory effects and helps the body to detox and lower cholesterol. It also helps to relieve heat symptoms during the hot seasons. If you often stay up late or like to eat fried and spicy food, bitter melon soup is a suitable soup to drink. Bitter melon pineapple soup … Read more
It’s been a long time since I last cooked a beetroot soup. Unlike most other soups, this is one soup that my kids will not drink much of as they don’t like the earthy taste of beetroot (红菜头). The rich red color of the soup does not help either. “Why is the soup so red?”, … Read more
I love the smooth texture of cooked Chinese spinach. It’s so delicious whether they’re in soups or stir-fries. The ingredients for this Chinese spinach soup are all simple and humble and yet when combined together, they produce a very flavorful and comforting soup. This is a soup that you can whip up in a jiffy … Read more
Recently, my kids (Piggy and Jem) had on and off fever and flu so I boiled a soup almost everyday to help them recover faster. This Chinese Yam Soup with dried scallops and goji berries was one of them. What is Chinese Yam? Chinese Yam (also known as nagaimo, cinammon vine and shan yao) is … Read more
Salted vegetable tofu soup with pork ribs. A simple, delicious and appetizing home-style Chinese soup that helps to reduce internal heat and quench thirst. Salted Vegetables (Pickled Mustard) It is amazing how some of the simplest ingredients can turn a dish into something so flavorful. Here, I’m referring to the humble salted vegetable. A common, … Read more
Chinese egg drop soup is one of the easiest soups to cook. I can’t seem to get enough of them. This shrimp egg drop soup recipe is so tasty and easy to cook. Perfect for busy days and busy individuals. My kids are having a one-week school holiday break right now. Usually when they’re at … Read more
This delicious simple egg drop soup recipe with seaweed takes just 15 minutes to cook and prep! Seaweed is one of my favourite things to eat whether it is in salad, wrapped with sushi or boiled in soups. It makes a comforting light meal or a side dish. The Chinese laver used in this seaweed … Read more
Quick, easy and delicious tomato egg drop soup recipe with bacon ready in 20 minutes! Tomatoes: A natural sunblock for your skin Did you know that tomatoes are nature’s sunscreen? Ever since my elder girl learnt that tomatoes are nature’s sunscreen, she has been going batty over them. Whenever there are tomatoes in the house, … Read more
Refreshing, minty and tasty Mint Egg Drop Soup. Ready in 15 minutes! Mint egg drop soup brings back memories of my late mother as she cooked this soup quite often with mint that she grew herself. She had green fingers; anything she grew flourished. A gift that I wish I have. She was much better … Read more
This simple egg drop soup recipe makes use of leftover chicken to create a light, comforting and delicious meal. Prep and cook in under 20 minutes. One of my favorite quick cooking Chinese soup is a simple egg drop soup. It’s so easy to prepare and takes just minutes to cook. Great as a light … Read more
Apple pork ribs soup helps to moisten the throat and lungs and soothes coughs and sore or phlegmy throats. Naturally sweet tasting, it is one of my favourite soups and definitely help to quench my thirst during hot and humid weather. For many Chinese, we believe that drinking soups regularly is beneficial for our skin, … Read more
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, hairy gourd is neutral in nature and is good for people with weak body constitution. It is also mildly cooling and helps to relieve thirst and heat. This Hairy Gourd Soup is one of my quick and easy soup recipes and it can be cooked in about 35 minutes. What is … Read more
Luo Han Guo with Watercress Soup I love spicy and fried food but too much of it recently made me feel very ‘heaty’ and I ended up falling sick and had a bad cough. So for the past week, I’ve been making and eating lots of steamed food and soups as well as herbal teas. … Read more
It’s not hard to learn how to make wonton soup. This simple shrimp pork wonton soup recipe is so satisfying and comforting, especially on a cold, rainy day. I may be biased, but I think homemade wontons are simply so much better than those you eat outside! Making wontons may seem like a daunting task … Read more
Green papaya fish soup (青木瓜鱼汤) is traditionally taken during the confinement period after giving birth. It is a zuò yuè zi (坐月子) food that the Chinese believe will help to boost milk supply for breastfeeding mothers. The last time I had this soup was during my confinement month and that was 11 years ago. I remember as … Read more
Learn how to use a thermal cooker to cook a light and tasty soup with this Chinese sweet corn soup recipe. A delicious everyday soup. This simple and delicious soup is naturally sweetened by the sweet corn, dried honey dates, ikan bilis (dried anchovies) and pork ribs. It makes a great one-dish meal and I … Read more
Intrigued by this type of melon that I always see at my local wet market, I decided to give it a try today. This melon is called shark’s fin melon because (you may have guessed it) when it is cooked, the melon flesh will turn to strands resembling shark’s fins. In vegetarian meals, shark fin … Read more
(This article first appeared on Jan 2016 and now updated with new pictures and recipe.) There are some food which I find completely gross (pig’s brain for example) but not when it comes to chicken feet. I. Love. Chicken. Feet. I can’t say I have a favorite way to eat them. Whether they are braised, … Read more
Winter melon, also known as Ash Gourd and Winter Gourd is known to be a neutral and slightly ‘cooling’ food in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It is often consumed to bring down heat in a person’s body. This Winter Melon with Barley Soup helps to eliminate excess fluids, clears internal heat and weight loss. Winter … Read more
Ginseng with Chicken Soup For centuries, ginseng has been highly esteemed by the Chinese for its reputation for its amazing health benefits. Ginseng is perhaps most well known to boost our memory power and energy levels. Regular intake of ginseng helps to strengthen our vitality and strength, increase metabolism, refresh the mind, strengthen the physique … Read more