Chinese red date 红枣 (jujube) is one of the most popular Chinese foods used as a health tonic and traditional herb, especially to improve qi (energy) and blood for the body. It is too bad that the western world does not know about the health benefits of red dates because red dates also strengthen the spleen and stomach qi (energy) which helps to digest food, tonify blood and relax the mind. When you have good overall qi, it is reflected through your healthy rosy cheeks (that’s our natural blusher 🙂 ) Continue Reading →
Like most popular dishes, Beggar’s Chicken is a dish with an interesting story of origin. A starving, homeless beggar in rural China stole a chicken from a yard and was about to cook it when the emperor’s guards passed by. In his state of panic, he tried to hide the chicken by covering it with mud and threw it into the fire. Hours later when the coast is clear, he ended up with a chicken that was said to be the most tender and flavoursome he’s ever eaten. Continue Reading →
This year’s Chinese New Year have been filled with feasting and travelling with family. After coming back from Bangkok, I still could not get my backlog pile reduced. It seems to be getting higher and I’ll be travelling again tomorrow for a week. I’ll just have to take one thing at a time. At the meantime, I’ll share this easy healthy Chinese dessert with you. Continue Reading →
As I was digging around my files, I found this Lotus Root Soup photos in my archive that has yet to be published. The photos were taken almost a year ago. Time sure flies.
I come from a family of soup lovers, there’s never a day without Chinese soup during my growing up years. Papa would come home after work and be happy with just a big bowl of hot simmered soup. And the tradition continues. Sometimes I do that too, on the days where I want a light dinner. Maybe others will find it strange that we drink hot soup in hot tropical weather. To me, a simple bowl of soup like this is the essence of the wholesome goodness of home-cooked food. Continue Reading →
Chinese dessert soups (or Tong Shui in Cantonese) typically consists of sweet and usually hot soups. One common dessert soup is Red Bean Dessert Soup. To those who are not used to Asian or Chinese Cuisines, yes we Asians love vegetables in our dessert – red beans, green beans, corn.. A Middle Eastern friend was appalled when I served her green bean coconut pudding.. It was interesting to see her reaction, well there’s always a first time for every thing.
The classic recipe is just red beans sweetened with sugar. I prefer the recipe my mama always make – with the addition of barley, black glutinous rice, pak hup (lily bulb), lotus seed and dried mandarin orange peel. One trick to shorten the cooking time is to put a ceramic soup spoon into the pot while cooking helps the beans break up faster. Sometimes I like to cook this soup in the slow cooker overnight, and I will have this soup for breakfast 🙂 Continue Reading →
I grew up with homemade Chinese soups at our dinner table every day, and Chinese soup is somehow very comforting for me. I think soup is in the Hokkien people’s food culture. Hokkien people are from the Fujian Province in China (my papa was born in Longyan, west of Fujian Province). Papa loved soup so much that he could just drink a big bowl of soup for dinner. Somedays when I want a light dinner, I have just a big bowl of soup.. aahh
One of my favourite soup is Chicken Herbal Soup. I love to take this gentle and nourishing tonic soup frequently to maintain good health. Herbal soups are most convenient to cook with a slow cooker – I put all the ingredients in the slow cooker before in the morning and it’s ready when I return home for dinner. These photos are taken at night in my kitchen under the white fluorescent light, not bad huh? Continue Reading →
