Chinese Ginseng Soup
Hello everyone!
Growing up in a traditional Chinese household we were often showered with many good dishes and soups, they were served at every meal. My grandma also made us “special” soups. These were the ones that take extra time to prepare and to boil so that the flavors and nutrients are all boiled out. My grandma was the queen at making soups. She was so good that I don’t think I have tasted anything better homemade than hers. Fortunately, my dad was able to inherit her skills and he makes pretty good ones too. But still, my grandma made the BEST. She does not have any of the recipes written down, it was all memorized.
Today I will introduce one of the most famous and nutritious ginseng chicken soups. Based off of the stories my grandparents have told me, ginseng was one of the key ingredients in the Emperor’s palace. This ingredient was his resource to longevity. I believe in it!
Ingredients:
1 Chicken breast, approx. 4 oz.
1 piece of pork lion, approx. 4 oz.
4 – 5 pieces of ginseng root
1 piece of pork neck bone (optional)
Directions:
1. You will need 1 medium size Chinese soup pot, like the one above. This will hold approx. 2 ½ c of water.
2. 4 – 5 pieces of Ginseng roots.
3. Bring a pot of water to boil, put in the chicken, porklion and pork neckbone.
4. Let the meat boil for a good 2 minutes, so that all the impurities are boiled out. After 2 minutes, take them out of the pot, rinse them under cold water and place them on a plate.
5. Put the meat inside the Chinese soup pot along with the Ginseng roots.
6. Fill the soup pot with water until it reaches to the top.
7. Cover with the lid.
8. Using a large stock pot, fill it with water to about ¼ of the way.
9. Place a paper towel on the bottom of the stock pot. This will prevent the Chinese soup pot from scratching the bottom of the stock pot (also told by my grandma).
10. Put the Chinese soup pots (that has been prepared for) in the stock pot. Cover it with the lid and bring it to a boil. Boil for 20 minutes, turn it down to a medium heat and let this simmer for 4 hours on medium heat. From time to time, make sure to check on the water level, if the water is low, add more to prevent the pot from drying.
11. After 4 long hours of simmering on medium heat, this soup is ready to serve.
I cannot brag enough about this soup and its nutritious values it brings to your health. My family has been making and drinking this their entire life and now it has passed down to my generation. It is comforting and so tasty. After drinking it your mouth feels super refresh. It is one of my all time favorites. My grandma usually advsies us not to eat any vegetables after drinking this soup. Its supposedly takes the value out of it. It’s an old tale of hers which was passed down from generations. Sometimes if I remember I will follow it and if I don’t remember…opps! It’s time consuming to make this soup, but if you have time give it a try. I promise you the results are superb!
Enjoy!
XOXO
Elaine
