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Wednesday, 16 March 2016

#ewew cooks 3-Ingredient Herbal-Like Soup

When my mom was recuperating in my home, she asked me to make her a soup with just 3 ingredients....and that was how I learned to make this (new) soup.  It almost tastes like a herbal soup but without the strong herbal taste associated with herbal soups.  

I've always made herbal soups by just buying already pre-packaged herbs (from the market or Chinese medicinal shops) which I've always found to be a bit overpowering in terms of taste.  So, when I made this soup for my mom, I had some and ended up liking the taste.  I don't have a name for this soup, so I'm just going to call it my 3-Ingredient Herbal-Like Soup.

The Only 3 Ingredients You Need:

1/2 a "ma lai kai" (Malay chicken) with skin removed (which I get the chicken seller to do for me)
15 dried red dates or jujubes (I buy deseeded ones)
2 tbsp dried wolfberries or goji berries ("kei chee" in Cantonese)
[#Note: You can vary the amount of red dates and wolfberries to your liking depending on how neat ("kaw") you want your soup to be.]

Preparation:


None.....other than to rinse your red dates and wolfberries! ;D

Method:

Steep your chicken pieces in hot water for a couple of minutes to rid it of any impurities.  [#Tip: I use Malay chicken coz my chicken seller says it's the best for soups as it's smaller and less fatty than a "choi yin kai" (kampong chicken).  The one I got cost me RM17.]

Then, chuck everything into a slow cooker and pour in hot water up until it's about an inch from the top (I'm using a 1.5L slow cooker, otherwise it would be around 800ml) and let it simmer away for 3 hours.

Season to taste when it's near the end of its cooking time.

The 3-Ingredient Soup is ready.....super easy :)

This is one 3-ingredient soup that's totally easy to make but yet tasty and comforting.  It can be thrown together quickly from pantry staples that most of us would have in storage in our fridge since these dried red dates and goji berries keep really well for long periods.

We should try to add wolfberries into our soups...and steamed chicken too as it's such a healthy ingredient. Not expensive either.

Even more so, it's a concoction known to boost one's immune system, improve blood circulation and poor eyesight.  No wonder it's one of the more popular Chinese herbs.

Soup is one of my "go to" easy meals.  Have it with some rice and stir-fried greens...for a simple, nutritious and healthy meal!

Serves 3 - 4 (soup sized bowls)

12 comments:

  1. Very nutritious chicken soup. I have lots of red dates in the fridge and I should cook this chicken soup too. I actually like those prepackaged herb mix and it was introduced to me by my partner. My family does not take Chinese herbs and I used to hear my mum say that those herbs are "smelly" especially dang quai. So I was under the impression that those herbal soups are yucky until I tried the soup myself. I love it!

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    1. Since you love herbal soups, then you must try this super easy to make herbal-like soup. But I'm surprised to know that your mum doesn't like herbal soups as it's a common assumption that older folks love anything herbal (like my mom and mother-in-law).

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  2. Hahaha unfortunately I am not one of "most of us", because you can never find red dates and wolfberries in my pantry. Maybe I should stock up some for soup, although I don't like eating them at all :| ...

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    1. Oh, you actually don't eat the red dates (at least I don't) but you can eat the wolfberries. I wouldn't expect to find these two ingredients in your pantry coz I've not seen you make soups.

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  3. I would love to eat the chicken in your soup as it is without any skin. Your soup is very tasty with dates and wolfberries. I think I spot my favourite vegetable too. Is that yin choy in your photo?

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    1. Yes it is....but it's baby yin choy which is a whole lot better coz it's more tender. I chanced upon these at the market the other day...no more 'full-grown' yin choy for me as the stems can sometimes be quite stringy.

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  4. I really enjoy the addition of goji berries and red dates.

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    1. Yes, they add subtle sweetness to whatever dish you may be making :)

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  5. thanks for a recipe that looks easy enough that even i could make it (maybe, heheh). it has the basics of the chicken soup that my grandmother used to make, and which i've always loved ... hmmm, based on the benefits of wolfberries, i should try to consume more of them :D

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    1. Yes, you should....and even you can make this easy-peasy soup...no problem! ;)

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  6. Definitely one of the most popular soup that I will frequently prepare at home. I like herbal soup!

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    1. It's good for us...and it also tastes good :)

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