Pork Bone Soup with Chayote, Carrot and Corn 合掌瓜蘿蔔粟米豬骨湯

It's the season of the year, many people seem to either get a cold or a bad cough. A pot of vegetables and pork soup certainly helps relief the dryness of our throats and even skins.

The almond seeds and apricot seeds have great benefit to our body.  They can be easily found in Chinese stores.  These two seeds share a nearly identical apparence, though their flavours are different.  Keep in mind that apricot seeds contains trace of cyanid, we should be caution on the amount of the use.

INGREDIENTS:

8 Pork Bones, rinsed

3 Chayotes, cut into big pieces

2 Carrot, chunked

3 Corn, cut into segment

3 tablespoons Almond Seeds

2 tablespoons Apricot Seeds

2 Chinese Honey Dates

Salt to taste

DIRECTION:

1. In a soup pot, place the pork bone on the bottom.  Then add the rest of the ingredients on top.  Fill the pot with water until the water is enough to cover the ingredients.  Bring the pot to a boil over high heat. Skim off the foam on top. 

2. Reduce the heat to medium heat and boil for another 1 hour.  Season the soup with salt to taste.

Stir fried Chayote with Spices 青炒香料合掌瓜

Growing up in Hong Kong, the spices I most often use in stir-frying are garlic and ginger, if you count them as spices. But of course I know in some provinces in China, the use of star anise and bay leaves are equally common. Last week, I came across a Chinese cooking video, in which the lady was cooking lettuce stems with spices and chopped chilli. It was absolutely mouthwatering.  However, I am the only person who like spicy food at home so chill is a 'no, no" in my cooking.

For this recipe, I highly encourage you to sprinkle a handful of chopped chilli when stir-frying. The heat can certainly bring extra depth of the flavour of the chayotes.

The look of chayotes

INGREDIENTS:

3 Chayotes

2 Carrots, peeled

2 Bay Leaves

1 tablespoon Gloves Cloves

2-3 pieces Ginger

3 Star Anises

1 teaspoon Sugar

2 tablespoons Chinese Cooking Rice Wine

4 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

1/2 teaspoon Salt

DIRECTION:

1. Combined all the spices together; set aside.

2. Cut chayotes into about 1/2 cm pieces; cut the carrot in the same manner.

3. Heat up vegetable oil along with the spices over medium heat.

4. When the spices are fragrant, add chayotes and carrots. Stir fry for about 5 minutes.

5. Drizzle in the rice wine and allow it to evaporate. Add sugar and salt. Continue to stir fry until the chayotes are slightly soften, about 10 minutes. Transfer them to a serving plate.