After all that eating (or should I say overeating) during the holiday season, I think it's time to detox with a soothing (and healthy) soup.
Yes, another common soup, prepared in many households, is the Lotus Root & Peanuts Soup (with Pork Ribs).
Ingredients:
10 pcs pork ribs (about 250g) A knob of lotus root (about 4 - 5 inch in length) 1/2 cup peanuts 10 red dates 5 pcs dried cuttlefish heads 5 dried scallops Salt & white pepper to taste
Preparation:
Cut the lotus root into thick slices. Rinse your dried cuttlefish, scallops and red dates (you can refer to this as my "Holy Trinity" which is a requisite in all my soups).
Rinse the peanuts and steep them in boiling water for half an hour. This well help it soften (a little bit faster) during the cooking process.
Trim off any excess fat from the pork ribs.
Also, another important step is to steep the pork ribs in boiling water for about 5 mins (to separate out the impurities) and then drain. This will give you a less cloudy soup.
Method:
I then dunk everything - the sliced lotus root, pork ribs, peanuts, red dates, dried cuttlefish and dried scallops into my trusted 1.5L slow cooker.
Top up with boiling water until about an inch from the top (that would be roughly about 1L of water). Season to taste.
And then....just let it boil/simmer away for 5 hrs (at least). I know...I know....that sounds like a long time but lotus root and peanuts do take a long time to soften (so you need patience with this one). Never mind though coz the advantage of using a slow cooker is that you don't have to watch over it.
After simmering for 5 hrs, the peanuts and lotus root would be sufficiently soft but with still a bit of a bite to it. If you like them really soft, I would suggest you let it simmer for another hour (for a total of 6 hrs).
Serves 3 - 4 (soup sized bowls) or just 1 (since no-one in my family likes to drink this soup).
Ah good! Now I know how to make peanut soup properly. My partner loves peanut soup and I boiled one for him with pork ribs the previous week. Alamak! I put it in the slow cooker for too long and he complained that the peanuts and meat were too soft. I guess it warrants a second attempt. Your soup would be extra tasty since you have added dried cuttlefish heads and scallops!
Ah, this is my favorite soup! Sadly, my mom seems to have forgotten it. She claims I should not eat too much peanuts, now every time I go back she will make seaweed soup (the soup that I hate most) because she knows I hate it and won't try to make it myself in Penang.
yes, must detox a bit before the chinese new year lap mei fan feasting begins, heheh :D though then again, maybe i'll detox with a western recipe, since there'll be many chinese dishes to wade through next month :) i love lotus root and peanut soups though ... my grandmother used to always make them. you're more generous with your peanuts compared to her though! love the look of your soup :)
so sayang that you are the only one drinking this at home. My mother boils this soup all the time and I will eat the ingredients cos I don't quite like drinking soup though I will drink half a small bowl.
I love this! They say it's good for women with "heavy flow"...
ReplyDeleteYou seem to know 'a lot' about women :D
DeleteAh good! Now I know how to make peanut soup properly. My partner loves peanut soup and I boiled one for him with pork ribs the previous week. Alamak! I put it in the slow cooker for too long and he complained that the peanuts and meat were too soft. I guess it warrants a second attempt. Your soup would be extra tasty since you have added dried cuttlefish heads and scallops!
ReplyDeleteYou must have boiled it for a really long time coz the peanuts and lotus root take a very long time to soften.
DeleteAh, this is my favorite soup! Sadly, my mom seems to have forgotten it. She claims I should not eat too much peanuts, now every time I go back she will make seaweed soup (the soup that I hate most) because she knows I hate it and won't try to make it myself in Penang.
ReplyDeleteHuh, I thought nuts are supposed to be good for health? We are encouraged to eat more nuts and legumes. But I do like seaweed soup too.
Deleteyes, must detox a bit before the chinese new year lap mei fan feasting begins, heheh :D though then again, maybe i'll detox with a western recipe, since there'll be many chinese dishes to wade through next month :) i love lotus root and peanut soups though ... my grandmother used to always make them. you're more generous with your peanuts compared to her though! love the look of your soup :)
ReplyDeleteYa, sure....you can detox with a fresh salad instead ;) before the feasting begins again :D
Deleteso sayang that you are the only one drinking this at home. My mother boils this soup all the time and I will eat the ingredients cos I don't quite like drinking soup though I will drink half a small bowl.
ReplyDeleteNo problem...I can drink all by myself...have it for lunch with rice ("farn low tong") and have it for dinner as well.
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