Nutritious Soups

WINTER MELON SOUP

(Good for helping to relieve water retention during the advanced stages of pregnancy)

½ winter melon, cut into cubes
200g chicken fillet, diced
5 Chinese Mushrooms, soaked & sliced
1 carrot, cut into cubes
10g medlar seeds ("kei chee"), rinsed
10g snow fungus, soaked, trimmed, and torn into florets
2 slices old ginger

Put all ingredients into a Crockpot. Fill ¾ full with HOT water. Boil for 3 hours.

SALTED VEGETABLE SOUP

(Good for early pregnancy - especially when you don’t feel like cooking much! The salted preserved vegetables and the slightly sour taste of tomatoes will perk up your appetite. It’s easy to prepare, and when served with rice, makes a complete meal!)

50g salted preserved mustard ("Ham Choy")
100g beancurd, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
2 slices old ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups water

  • Bring some water to a boil. Scald the salted vegetables in the boiling water for 10mins. Drain & slice thinly.
  • Heat 1 Tbsp Oil. Fry ginger & garlic until fragrant. Put in 4 cups of water to boil.
  • Add salted vegetable & tomatoes. Boil on high heat for 15mins.
  • Add the beancurd cubes for a few minutes before serving.

OXTAIL SOUP

(This is a very well-balanced soup of meat & vegetables. Tasty too!)

2 pieces of oxtail sectons
100g beef fillet, cut into slices / cubes
1 carrot, cut into medium-thick slices
2 potatoes, cut into cubes
2 tomatoes, wedged
1 Big Onion, wedged
3 slices old ginger

  • Scald oxtail bones boiling water for 3mins. (You can use the microwave to do this).
  • Put all ingredients into a crockpot, fill ¾ full with HOT water, and simmer for 2 to 3 hours.
  • If you wish, you can also add some cubes of soft tofu to the soup before serving. 

HAIRY MARROW SOUP

(Hairy marrows help improve the general health of the body. If taken as a Post-Natal dish, it can be eaten towards the end of the confinement period. If you have a baby who’s already eating some solids, you can mash up the marrows for baby to eat.)

1 Hairy Marrow, cut into slices & halved again (like semi-circles)
200g Meat Bones, scalded in Hot Boiling water for 3 minutes
8 red dates, stoned
2 slices old ginger
3 or 4 pieces dried scallops ("kong yue chee")

Put all ingredients into a crockpot, fill ¾ full with HOT water. Boil on high for 3 hours.

LOTUS ROOT SOUP

(Lotus roots purify the blood & dried octopus improves blood circulation)

1 lotus root, washed well & cut into circular slices
200g Meat Bones, scalded in boiling water for 3 mins
2 slices old ginger
8 red dates, stoned
2 pieces dried octopus, washed

Put all ingredients into a crockpot, fill ¾ full with HOT water. Boil for 4 hours. You may serve soup with light soy sauce to complement the cooked ingredients (I personally don’t bother! I just eat the ingredients together with the soup!).
 
 

DELICIOUS VEGETABLE SOUP

(This is a GREAT soup to cook for the whole family! The ingredients can also be simply mashed up for a baby who’s eating solids)

1 carrot, cut into medium-thick slices
1 sweet potato, cut into cubes
2 tomatoes, wedged
1 Big Onion, wedged
1 stick celery, cut into squares
3 slices old ginger
200g Meat Bones, scalded in boiling water for 3mins.

Put all ingredients into crockpot, fill ¾ full with HOT water. Boil for 3 hours before serving.

CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOM & CARROTS SOUP

(A simple and easy soup.  Especially if you do not have much of other ingredients around!).

1 whole chicken
8 dried mushrooms, soaked & cut into slices
1 carrot, cut into medium-thick slices
2 slices old ginger

  • Gut & clean chicken. Scald in boiling water for 3 mins.
Put all ingredients into crockpot, fill ¾ full with HOT water. Boil for 3 hours.

"CATERPILLAR" SOUP

(Our kids LOVE this soup!  It was our daughter who came up with this name.  This is because after the corn has been cooked in the soup, we take it out & cut out the kernels in a strip with a knife before putting it back into the soup bowls to serve with the rest of the soup.  As a result, some of the kernels stick together in a chain and looks like a "caterpillar"!  According to the friend who passed this recipes to us, this is a "cooling" soup.  Great for hot days & when the family seems "heaty", especially with coughs.)

1 red carrot, cut into cubes
1 green carrot, cut into cubes (yes, believe me - you CAN find green carrots in the wet markets)
1 white carrot (or otherwise called "radish"), cut into cubes
1 whole ear of corn, together with the husks & cornsilk ("Hair").
200g Meat Bones, scalded in boiling water for 3mins.

Put all ingredients into crockpot, fill ¾ full with HOT water. Boil for 3 hours before serving.  As mentioned above, we take out the corn & cut out the kernels before serving.


 

FILIPINO SAYOTE CHICKEN SOUP 

(Learnt this recipe from a Filipino Mother on my Asia Parents' Email Group.  Adding the Sayote to an otherwise ordinary Chicken Soup seems to make it extra sweet & TASTY!) 

           1 Sayote (or "Choyate" - can even buy from NTUC supermarket or wet
           markets), cut into cubes. 
           1 or 2 large chicken thighs (scald & rinse) 
           1 or 2 tomatoes, cut into quarters. 
           1 onion, cubed. 
           2 slices ginger 
           1 carrot, cubed. 

           Put all ingredients into the crockpot with Hot water and simmer on High
           for at least 2 hours.  I also like to use this soup for chicken macaroni -
           then the older kids can also have a meal of it! 

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