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.