Fish head soup

It took me quite some time before I actually dared to buy a fish head. ALL the recipes that I have on fish head soup looked delicious but seemed difficult to me. Yea, it's difficult because it needs you to FRY the fish head before boiling it as soup.

So, the last trip back to Johor to visit my  mom-in-law, a co-owner of a restaurant, I took the opportunity to ask on how to make a pot of good fish head soup.

I needed the confidence that fish head need not be fried to make a pot of good soup.

Ingredients:
3 cloves of garlic
1 onion (to add sweetness)
2 tomatoes (to add sweet with soury taste)
1 slice of ginger (to remove the fishy smell)

some cut spring onion
1 fish head

Taste enhancer:
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of soy sauce or to taste

1) Stir-fry the garlic till fragrant.
2) Put the fried garlic and the rest of the ingredients into a pot to be boiled.
3) When the water is boiling, put in the fish and let it be boiled for 15 minutes before turning off the heat.
4) Garnish with spring onions.

NOTE: The soup is ok for me but not my husband. He is quite sensitive towards fishy smell. I guess I need to put in more ginger the next time if I'm having this soup again.

Tong Sum with black and red dates to cure dry cough

I have been having dry cough for almost 2 weeks now. The "dry" I mean is those cough without phlegm and I can feel my lung is sort of breathing heavily at one time and breathless at the other.

This is what recommended by the Chinese medicine shop.

10 Tong Sum (Codnopsis Pilosulae Radix)
1 handful of black dates
1 handful of red dates

1) Cut the Tong Sum sticks into small pieces.
2) Remove the seeds from black and red dates.
3) Add in water to the brim of the pot.
4) Put to slow cooker for 4 hours or boil for at least 1 hour and 30 minutes.

NOTE: My cough has reduced. Another good thing is that, my son's diarrhoea has stopped after drinking this!

Tung Kwa (Winter melon)

My mom heard that this drink can help reduce bodily heat caused by sleeping late at nights.

Pictures show ingredients (clockwise)
1 pack of Pao Sam Sou
1/4 Tung Kwa (winter melon)
1 Matt Chou (honey date)
1 Lo Hon Ko (Luo Han Guo in Mandarin)


1) Cut Tung Kwa (winter melon) into cubes.

2) Crack open Lo Hon Ko.

3) Put all the ingredients to boil for 2 hours.

If you want it to be sweeter, you can add more Matt Chou (honey date).

Cordyceps to heal cough

My son is having his once-a-month cough and it always worries me. He has to be on nebuliser for once a month since last November. And it has gotten serious in March and he was on nebuliser twice. Doctor said he might be asthmatic. 

This month, when he started to cough, I wasted no time. I quickly gave him Chinese medicine (Hou Chou San). Thank God, it helps to dissolve his phlegm. Although he has not been cured totally, he could avoid the nebuliser. And to make him better, I bought the so-so-so expensive cordyceps.

To be frank, RM300 just for 14 small bundles of it is extremely expensive to me. Nevertheless, for the sake of my son, I trust the money is well spent.

As advised by the Chinese doctor:
1 to 2 small bundles of Cordyceps
1/2 bowl of water

Put to slow cooker to double boil for 4 hours.

NOTE: Cordyceps improve breathing functions and strengthen immune system. It also helps to cure chronic cough. Ask any Chinese doctor and I believe they will tell you the same. And actually, RM300 is the cheapest Cordyceps I could get. The doc even asked whether I want the RM600 one. HUH? What do you think?

Herbal chicken soup

You can easily get a pre-packed herbs for chicken soup. But I prefer to go to the store I know to get the things.

Herbs (from top left; then clockwise)
1) Pak Kei (Bei Qi in Mandarin)
2) Yuk Chuk (Solomonseal Rhizome) 
3) Tong Sum (Codnopsis Pilosulae Radix)
4) Wyai San (Chinese yam)
5) Hong Chou (Red dates)
6) Kei Chee (Wolfberry)
7) Longan (dried Longan)

2 chicken drumsticks (skin removed)

1) Put all the herbs to boil under HIGH heat for at least 15 minutes.
2) Turn to LOW heat and simmer for at least 1 and a 1/2 hour
3) Add in the chicken to boil for 30 minutes under HIGH heat before turning off the heat.

This soup has natural sweetness. There is no need for sugar or salt. It is good for pregnant ladies as well as exhausted working adults.

Pak Kei (Bei Qi in Mandarin) helps delay aging and enhance immune system while Tong Sum is good for treating fatigue and pale complexion.

ABC soup

I forget when was the first time that I drank this soup but it must be when I was extremely young. And I've been wondering why people call this soup as "ABC".

Probably it's because it contains vitamins A, B and C? Or because it's like a rojak, having a little of everything in a pot?
Anyway, hope you'll enjoy it!

Ingredients:
2 large carrots
4 potatoes
4 medium size tomatoes
2 large onions
1 corn (optional)
5 Hong Chou (Red dates) - optional

1) Cut everything into cubes.
2) Put to boil for 2 hours and serve.

Note: Do you know anything about water soluble? My friend told me that carrot needs oil to release its Vitamin A. So, unless you include bones or meat into the soup, it's unlikely that you're going to get Vit.A from the carrots. I do put a few drops of oil into the soup. Don't worry, it tastes good!

Papaya Soup

Papaya is good because it contains a lot of nutrients. And it is especially good for nursing mothers.

After I gave birth and was with little milk, my sis in church advised me to take this soup to increase the amount of breast milk.




Ingredients:
1 unripe papaya (600gram) is enough for 3 to 4 people.
1 handful of Hong Chou (Red Dates) - flattened and cores removed
1 pork rib (cut into pieces)

1) Shred off the papaya's skin. Then, cut and remove the seeds.
Cut papaya into small pieces.

2) Add in a handful of Hong Chou (Red dates) and wait till the water boils. Turn to LOW heat and simmer for 2 hours.

3) Add in pork ribs and let boil under HIGH heat for 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve while hot.

Lo Hon Ko (or better known as Luo Han Guo in Mandarin)

Tips on choosing a good Lo Hon Ko:
Get one of the fruit and check whether it can bounce. A good Lo Hon Ko will bounce like a ball.

Wash it. Crack open it. Halved the fruit. Boil for 1 to 1 and 1/2 hour.

Lo Hon Ko is known to cure sore throat, cough and cold.

If you want the drink to be sweeter, add in a Matt Chou (Honey date). Otherwise, Lo Hon Ko itself is sweet enough.

Jack Beans to treat eye discharge

This one is introduced to me by my mom. She says that Jack Bean has the function of healing people with extra eye discharge and also remove the "wet heat" in the body.

Hmm...how should I describe the "wet heat" mentioned by Mom?

Chinese believe that if our body has "wet heat", one will have a lot of eye discharge and loose stool.

Ingredients:
RM2 of Jack Beans
1 handful of Hong Chou (Red date)
1/2 handful of Kei Chee (Wolfberry)

Put to boil for 2 hours and it's ready!

Lou Wong Kwa Soup (Old Cucumber Soup)

This is one of the easiest soups you want to try out!

Buy one Lou Wong Kwa (Old cucumber) from the market. One thing I like about wet market is that, the aunties or uncles are so willing to serve you. I have one very honest vege seller and she will really choose the best out of her stall for me.

Ingredients:
1 Lou Wong Kwa (old cucumber)
1 handful of Hong Cou (red dates)
1 pork ribs (chopped into small pieces)
1 Matt Chou (Honey date)

Pictures show the process (left to right) from the first row

1) Put some salt on the old cucumber and rub it. This is to clean the old cucumber outer part thoroughly since we boil the soup with the skin too.

2) Cut the tips of the old cucumber. Rub the tips to the old cucumber. You will see thick white liquid coming out from the ends. Wash them away.

3) Cut the old cucumber into half. Scrap away the seeds.
Then, cut it into small pieces.

4) Flatten the Hong Chou and remove the cores.

5) Blanch the pork ribs and pour away the water. Keep aside.

6) Put in all the ingredients except for the pork ribs to boil under HIGH heat for 15 minutes.

7) Simmer the soup under LOW heat for 1 to 2 hours.

8) Add in the pork ribs 30 minutes before dishing out. Remember to turn to HIGH heat again when you add in the pork ribs. You need HIGH heat to cook the pork ribs thoroughly. The heat also prevents the blood from the pork ribs to flow out from the bones.

This soup is good especially when one feels heaty.

Have a try!

Pao Sam Sou to reduce heat

New mothers really need this...

WHY?

Because we don't get enough of sleep and most of the nights, we have to wake up to feed the baby. This will cause the body to be 'heaty' and soon the three 'best friends' of sickness will join in - sore throat, flu and cough.
And being a mother, I definitely don't want to get any of those and then pass on to my son. So, taking care of my own health is as important as taking care of my son's.

Hence, if you could, get a pack of Pao Sam Sou (around RM5) from a Chinese medicine shop.

Put 4 bowls of water to it and boil for around 30 minutes.

Wait till the liquid cool off entirely before drinking. Drink it throughout the day and you will feel better.

I've tried taking honey at the same time and it helps tremendously.

Wish you well too...

Commonly used ingredients for soup

Let us take a closer look at the four ingredients commonly used in soups.

Top left photo shows Wyai San (Chinese Yam). It is chalky.

Benefits:
1) Nourish the lung
2) Nourish the kidney
3) Strengthen the spleen
4) Stop diarrhea
5) Improve vitality

Top right photo shows Kei Chee (Wolfberry)

Benefits:
1) Improve eyesight
2) Strenghten immune system
3) Nourish liver
4) Nourish kidney
5) Activates blood circulation

Bottom right photo shows Yuk Chuk (Solomonseal Rhizome)

Benefits:
1) Nourish yin
2) Moistens internal dryness
3) Quench thirst
4) Heals cough
5) Clear internal heat

Bottom left photo shows Hong Chou (Red dates)

Benefits:
1) Nourish blood

Walnut & Corn soup

My uncle bought a pack of walnuts from Australia for us. I am not a fan of walnut but my mom was. She used to eat walnuts like snacks! But ever since she knew her blood is against nuts, she keeps to strict diet.

So, I have to do something with the walnuts...

Today, I boil walnut with corn soup. To be honest, I find the taste weird. Probably I am not used to the taste of walnuts. Nevertheless, it is worth a try since walnuts are good for the brain and I definitely need that!

Ingredients
1 handful of walnuts
2 corns
1/2 handful of Kei Chee (Wolfberry)
1/2 handful of Hong Chou (Red date)
1/2 handful of Yuk Chuk (Solomonseal Rhizome)
4 to 5 sticks of Wyai San (Chinese Yam)

1) Flatten Hong Chou (Red date) and peel off the cores.

2) Rinse all the ingredients before putting to boil

3) Boil under HIGH heat for 15 mins before turning to LOW heat and let it simmer for another 1 to 2 hours.

4) If you have chicken bones or pork ribs, add in after 1 hour and let it boil under HIGH heat for 15 to 20 minutes before turning off the gas.

The concept of soup boiling is rather easy. It is the preparation of the ingredients which one might find difficult. But you can always purchase more at one go and keep them in the refrigerator.

The first photo (top left) shows the main four ingredients commonly used for Chinese soups. Buy those in packets. You will find most of the recipes for soups are using those.

Juicing

Juicing is not something new. There are tonnes of books on juicing and how it cures sicknesses.

Now, I am talking about pure fruit and vege juices and not something you order from restaurants, which have been added with water and lots of sugar.

It is said that our body is able to absorb 90% of the nutrients from juices while if we eat them, we can only absorb 30% of the nutrients. Another book I read said that juices go straight into our blood stream, cleansing it and balancing our body pH level. I am not sure how true it is but it's worth a try. After all, there is no harm in taking more fruits and vege.

Juicing is quite simple. Just wash and cut the fruits and vege and put them in the machine.

The juice is ready within minutes and you have to drink them within 15 minutes to prevent it from being oxidised.

And an important thing to remember, while you are drinking a glass of juice, you have to chew the liquid. I know it sounds funny but books on juicing said that when we chew or the motion of chewing produces saliva and at the same time causes the production of enzyme or so. Hence, making the juice we drink to have greater positive effect in our body.

For the beginners, you will find yourself going to the toilet more often to poo. You will feel so much lighter and healthier.

Juicing is easy. The most difficult part I find is washing the machine!

A clean toothbrush is recommended for the purpose of washing the blender.

Oh yea, at the moment I take apple, carrot and celery juice in the morning, empty stomach.

2 apples
2 carrots
2 stalks of celery.

Let's stay healthy!

Lotus Root Soup

I know of a very honest vege seller. She is known as Rabbit Teeth Aunty. She would go a distance for her loyal customers.

When I asked her which lotus root was better, she took the lotus roots and cut away a little of the ends. Magic happened here!

When the ends were sliced off, watch the colour of the lotus root. If it is pinkish, then it is a good one for soup. Otherwise, don't bother to make a lotus root soup at all.

A good lotus root will make the soup 'powdery' and thick.

It depends on what else you want to add into the soup.

As for me, I put in:
1/2 handful of Kei Chee (Wolfberry)
1/2  handful of Hong Chou (Red dates)
1 Mat Chou (Honey Date)

Flatten the Hong Chou (Red Dates) with a knife. Then, remove the cores.

Bring a pot of water to boil and put in all the ingredients.

High heat - 15 minutes.

Turn to low heat and simmer for 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours.

If you like to add meat, then, put in the meat and turn to high heat. Cook for another 15 minutes. Meat boiled for too long will become hard. So, to keep the meat tender, don't boil for too long.

Boiling lotus root soup is quite easy. The toughest part is cutting the lotus roots into very thin slices. It takes patience and some "kung fu". My right arm ached after finishing the task.

Phlegm Dissolver

I had a very exhausting weekend.

My son had a serious nose block due to flu in the evening of Saturday. He woke up throughout the night and needed to be carried. Being a mother, this is one of the sacrifices I have to make...

On Sunday's evening, around 10.30pm, he woke with a cry again. We knew we had to send him to the hospital. He has history of difficulty in breathing due to thick phlegm. Once, doctor even said that he might collapse due to suffocation if we had not send him earlier. It really worried me.

We sent our son to Hospital Selayang, reaching there at 11.30pm. Blood test done and doctor checked on him and gave him Ionised Seawater Nebuliser. We were back home at around 4am. Thank God, the baby slept through the night.

My husband took leave on Monday so that he could have enough of sleep. I asked him to buy some pears.

He called back so many times asking whether it is: crystal pear, yellow pear, green pear, Korean pear or China pear.

I didn't know there are so many types of pears in the market...Each time I would just go and grab the things I wanted, pay for them and leave.

Just get the cheapest pear. Cut it and discard the core.

Go to Chinese medicine shop to get Lam Hang (Sweet Almonds) - 100grams, Chun Pui 40grams, and one Mat Chou (Honey Date). Pei Pa is optional. The amount of water is between 1.2 to 1.5 litre (serves 3 to 4).

Put everything to a slowcooker and let the soup be cooked for 3 to 4 hours.

I let my baby drank for two days and I see improvement in him. He has lesser phlegm. Though he still has flu, he can sleep through the night.

My mom saw this recipe in TV, said to dissolve phlegm and cure cough. It worths a try before taking antibiotics!