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.

Tomato, Potato and Beef Bone Soup | 蕃茄薯仔牛骨湯

Tomato, Potato and Beef Bone Soup

蕃茄薯仔牛骨湯

INGREDIENTS:

3-4 pcs Beef Bones, rinsed

6 Tomatoes

4 Potatoes

2 inch Ginger, sliced

7 cups  Water

1 teaspoon Sugar (optional)

Salt to taste

材料：

3-4 件  牛骨，沖淨

6 個  蕃茄

4 個  薯仔

2 吋  薑，切片

7 杯  水

1 茶匙  糖

鹽  調味

DIRECTION 做法:

1. In a pot, add 7 cups of water, ginger, and beef bones.

1. 在一只湯鍋內，下7杯水、薑片、和牛骨。

2. Bring it to a boil.  Then, continue to boil for another 35 minutes over medium-high heat.

2. 水燒滾，然後用中大火繼續煮35分鐘。

3. Skim off the oil and foam on the surface every now and then.

3. 撇去浮起的油和泡。

4. Cut the tomatoes and potatoes into big chucks.

4. 薯仔蕃茄切大件。

5. Add potatoes and tomatoes into the bone broth.

5. 下薯仔蕃茄到牛骨湯。

6. Bring it back to a boil, and then continue to boil for another 20 minutes or until the potatoes soften.

6. 把湯再燒滾。繼續煮20分鐘或直至薯仔軟身。

7. Season it with salt to taste.

7. 下鹽調味。

Papaya, Peanut and Chicken Feet Soup | 木瓜花生雞腳湯

INGREDIENTS:

1 Papaya

1/2 cup Raw Peanuts,  with skin on

20 Chicken Feet

Water

Salt to taste

材料：

1 個  木瓜

1/2 杯  生花生，連衣

20隻  雞腳

水

鹽  調味

DIRECTION:

1. Rinse the chicken feet and cut off the shape crawls.

2. Peel the papaya.  Cut it in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.  Cut the papaya into big pieces.

3. Rinse the peanuts.

4. In a big pot, add chicken feet and peanuts.  Add water that double the volume of the ingredients.  Bring it to a boil, and then reduce the the heat to medium-high.  With the lid on, continuously cook it for about 35 minutes.

5. Add papaya.  Cook the soup for another 20 minutes.  Season the soup to taste.

做法：

1. 洗淨雞腳；把腳尖去除。

2. 木瓜刨皮。用小匙刮去籽，用刀把果肉切成大塊。

3. 花生洗淨。

4. 把雞腳和花生置於一大鍋；加水。水應是湯料的雙倍份量。把水和湯料煮滾，然後把火調低至中大火。蓋上煲蓋，繼續煮飯35分鐘。

5. 加入木瓜。再把湯煮好分鐘。最後放鹽調味。

Seafood Stew

Although the list of ingredients look a bit long, the soup is actually simple to make.  It requires a quick sauté of the garlic and onion and then put the rest of the ingredients into the soup pot together.  I personally found this soup tastes much better the day after, when the potatoes break down more and create a creamier texture.  Enjoy this wonderful soup and stay warm!

INGREDIENTS:

3 pcs White Fish Fillets, cut into big chunks

10 Baby Squids

6 Oysters

1 small pc Smoked Salmon

4 Small Potatoes, cubed

1 Onion, peeled and cubed

1 Canned Tomatoes, halved

1/2 head Garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

2 Scallions, cut into sticks (optional)

2 cups Seafood Broth ( I used Campbell)

2 cups Water

3 tablespoons White Vinegar

2 Bay Leaves, dried

1/2 teaspoon White Pepper, ground

2 tablespoons of Vegetable Oil

Salt to taste

DIRECTION:

1. To clean the squid, pull the tentacles away from the tube.  Remove the transparent soft bone inside the tube.  Remove the eye balls and ink bag.  Also, remove the teeth that are hidden under the tentacles.  Cut the tubes into thick rounds. Set aside.

2. To clean the oysters, add about two teaspoons of cornstarch on top of the oysters.  Very gently rub clean the black lines off the oysters to remove all the dirt.  Rinse the oyster with water.  Set aside.

3. In a soup pot, add vegetable oil, onion and garlic.  Sauté them over medium heat until the onion is translucent and the mixture is fragrant.  About 10 minutes. 

4. Turn up the heat to medium-high.  Pour in seafood broth and water.  Add tomatoes, potatoes, and bay leaves.  Cover the lid; boil the soup for about 15 minutes.

5. Add fish fillet, oysters, squids, and smoked salmon into the soup.  Continuously cook it over high heat until the soup reboils.  Season the soup with salt to taste.

Asian Moon Scallop, dried Yam and Bone Soup | 日月魚准山排骨湯

In Hong Kong, Asian Moon Scallop is a common ingredient in our cuisine.  It is a type of bivalve which is gutted and dried before being sold to the market for making soup.

The fish-like appearance is the result of the cut when fishermen shuck the scallop and remove the guts.  After the fishermen collect a number of the scallop, they will tie them into a small bundle and dry them in the sun to strengthen the flavour and to preserve them.

Photo by: http://www.sealifebase.org/summary/Amusium-pleuronectes.html

 People in Hong Kong call these scallops "Yat-Yuet Fish".  "Yat" means "daytime 日" and "Yuet" means "moon 月".  The name probably comes from the red and white colour shell.

Asian Moon Scallop has a very similar taste to dried scallop.  It is a great substitute when you are looking for some inexpensive ingredients to make healthy soup.

Asian Moon Scallop, Fresh Yam and Bone Soup 日月魚准山排骨湯

INGREDIENTS:

10 Asian Moon Scallop, about 2 bundles

8 pcs Chinese Yam, dried

6 Pork Bones

4 Carrot, cut into big pieces

3 tablespoons Wolfberries, dried

2 tablespoons Bitter Apricot Kernels

Water

Salt to taste

材料：

10 日月魚乾，約2束

8 片  乾准山

6 塊  豬骨

4 條  紅蘿蔔，切大塊

3 湯匙  杞子乾

2 湯匙  南北杏

水

鹽  調味

DIRECTION:

1. Rinse the pork bones.  In a deep pot, add all ingredients together.  Fill the water enough to cover the ingredients.

2. Bring it to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium-high and boil for another 45 minutes.  Season it with salt to taste.

做法：

1. 洗淨豬骨。在一只深鍋中，加入所有材料。加水； 水應蓋過湯料。

2. 把水和湯料煮滾，然後把火調低至中大火。繼續煮45分鐘，最後下鹽調味。

Spinach Pig Liver Soup | 菠菜豬肝湯

Spinach Pig Liver Soup | 菠菜豬肝湯  

Ingredients:

250 gram Pig Liver, rinsed and patted dried

4 cups Spinach, rinsed

1.5 tablespoons Dried Wolf Berries, rinsed

60 gram Ginger, peeled, cut into chunk

Marinade:

1 tablespoon Ground Ginger

1 tablespoon Corn Starch

1/4 cup Rice Wine

1/2 tablespoon Salt

材料：

250 克   豬肝，洗淨，抹乾

4 杯   菠菜，洗淨

1.5 湯匙   杞子，洗淨

60 克薑粒

醃料：

1 湯匙   薑蓉

1 湯匙   粟粉

1/4 杯   米酒

1/2 湯匙   鹽

DIRECTION: