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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
I think I’m falling in love. With this pear soup that is. Hehehe.. Seriously, this soup turned out so sweet and delicious I think I’m going to make it again soon. Perhaps with a different variety of pear the next time. Cooking with Pears Did you know that fruits can taste so good when boiled … Read more
This Chinese herbal chicken soup recipe never fail to perk me up whenever I feel tired or under the weather. For centuries, Chinese herbs have been used in cooking to promote general well-being, boost energy and strength and treat various body ailments. Used correctly, they not only enhance the flavor of a dish but herbs … Read more
When I was pregnant with my children and also after giving birth, I would take black bean soup (黑豆汤) regularly as black beans reputedly nourishes the blood and is also good for maintaining overall health. This Chinese black bean soup is a popular soup for Chinese ladies in confinement and it is also suitable for … Read more
Lotus Root Soup with Pork Ribs and Peanuts ( 排骨莲藕汤 ) The combination of lotus root with pork ribs and peanuts is a classic Chinese soup. In Cantonese, we call lotus root soup ling ngau tong (莲藕汤). Lotus root signifies abundance and prosperity to the Chinese so this is a popular soup for many who … Read more
ABC Soup is often cooked with either pork ribs or chicken, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, onions and sometimes celery. It is a nourishing soup that many Chinese children have grown up with and is one of my family’s favourite soup. You may wonder why this soup is called ABC Soup. ABC soup sounds like it contains … Read more
A soothing and nourishing soup, old cucumber soup helps to cool the body and aids in detoxification. Old cucumbers are mild tasting on its own. The addition of sweet corn, dried cuttlefish, dried scallops, honeyed dates and dried red dates creates a naturally sweet tasting and rich flavored soup. Recently, the haze returned to Singapore … Read more
Daikon Radish Soup helps to clear heat and detoxify the body. It neutralizes toxins, stimulates weight loss, aids digestion and reduces inflammation. Daikon (白萝卜) is a root vegetable that looks similar to carrots but it is white in colour. Besides cooking in soups, daikon (or white radish) is also used in Chai tow kway, a … Read more
I couldn’t resist getting a bunch of watercress when I saw them this morning at a local supermarket. Sold in wet markets and supermarkets, watercress is packed with anti-oxidants and vitamins. This watercress with pork ribs soup (西洋菜汤) is not only tasty but it is very nutritious as well. Watercress is a semi-aquatic plant often … Read more
Chinese Sweet Corn Soup with Chicken and Dried Scallops Naturally sweet and tasty, this Chinese sweet corn soup with dried scallops helps to improve the appetite, strengthen the kidneys and balance the digestive system. I love corn however they’re cooked – grilled, boiled, roasted, steamed, baked, fried, you name it.. they all taste … Read more