Watercress Soup

It's Sunday and drizzling outside. My fav day and weather....arrrh....so comfortable and cozy. Decided to just stay in, rest and have some home cooked meals. :)

Today, I'm going to try Watercress Soup. Not sure I've gotten bad vege or I did not put the right ingredients or simply my cooking skill sucks. This is at least my 3rd attempt over the past few years. The last time I cooked it, I totally gave up. The soup turned out bitter and I had to pour most of it away! What a waste!

I was reminded a lot of times by my mum that the watercress need to be put in boiling water and not cold water. I thought I followed her instructions well but I still failed....may be I am a bad student too...hahahah

Health Benefits
- Cooling

- Lung cleansing and suitable for smokers

Ingredients

(yields 1.8L)

1.8 ltr of Water

250g Pork Ribs

A grip of Wolfberries

4-6 Red Dates

100g Raw Peanuts

A bunch of Watercress

Method:

1) Pre-soak raw peanuts for at least 2 hours.

2) Soak Watercress in salt water for about 15 mins, remove roots and cut in half.

3) Blanch the pork ribs with boiling water for about 5 mins to reduce most of the scums.

4) Put all ingredients EXCEPT Watercress in a pot of water bring it to boil.

5) When water comes to a boil, put the Watercress in and simmer for at least 2 hours.

Results:

Nice and satisfying. I finally got it right! Thanks, Ma! Finished the whole pot of the soup in a day. :)

Claypot Chicken Rice using Rice Cooker

Claypot Chicken Rice originates from Southern China region, and later spread to countries like HongKong, Singapore and Malaysia. I call it "One Pot Wonder" as it is packed with lots of ingredients cooked in a pot. Normally, the rice is cooked first and the prepared ingredients added 10-15 minutes later.

One of my all time favourite meals, I recreated my own version of Claypot Chicken Rice using rice cooker.

Ingredients
(serves 2-3 person)

1.5 cup of Raw Rice
1/4 pc Chicken (cut into bite size)
1 pc Chinese Sausage
5 pcs Chinese Mushroom
5 cm Salted Fish (baked/ fried to crisp) + 1 teaspoon of sugar

Garnishing
Spring onion (chopped) - Optional

Chicken Marinade
3 tbs ginger (chopped)
1/4 tsp Dark Soya Sauce
1 tbs Oyster Sauce
1/4 tsp Ground White Pepper
1 tsp Sesame Oil
1/2 tsp Corn Flour
1 tbs Shao Xing Wine
Pinch of salt
Pinch of sugar

Drizzling Sauce
1 tbs Oyster Sauce
1/2 tbs Dark Soya Sauce
1 tbs Soya Sauce
1 tsp Sesame Oil
1 tbs Shao Xing Wine

Method

1. Marinade the chicken in a bowl for at least 2 hours.

2. Soak the mushroom in hot water for about 30 minutes. Squeeze and drain the mushrooms. Remove the stem and dice in cube, biting size. Put aside.

3. Soak the Chinese Sausage in hot water for 5 minutes. Slice horizontally and put aside.

4. Cook the rice as per normal in a rice cooker.

5. 20 minutes prior to rice cooked, put in all the ingredients except Salty Fish.

6. Once rice is cooked, mix in the drizzling sauce and toss.

7.  Garnish with Salted Fish and Spring Onion.

Results

The aroma from the rice cooker is very fragrant and I waited with much anticipation. It turned out to be as good as it smells. Simply mouthwatering, delicious and satisfying! This is definitely a keeper!

Lotus Root with Peanut Soup

As I'm writing this in my room, I can smell the aroma of the soup from the kitchen. The soup has been simmering for the last 1.5 hours. Almost there~ :)

I know I have been MIA for a LONG~~ time. Thanks to the encouragements from my friends, I decided to write again while practicing my cooking skills. For a start, I am cooking the Lotus Root with Peanut Soup to go with Rice Cooker Chicken Rice. For a soup lover like me, I will not classify having a complete meal without a soup.

Ingredients:
(yields 1.8 litre)

1.8 litres of water
400g Lotus Root
200g Pork Ribs
100g Raw Peanuts (pre-soaked for at least 2 hours)
4-6 Red dates (pitted)
2 Dried Scallops (Optional)

Seasoning:
Salt/ Soya Sauce (as desired)

Method:

1. Peel the skin of Lotus Root and cut into 1 cm thick slices.

2. Blanch or boil the Pork Ribs in a pot of water for few minutes to remove the debris and smell.
(This is very important to yield a clear soup later)

3. Rinse the Pork Ribs and set aside.

4. Put in Dried Scallops and Peanuts into a pot of water and bring to boil.
(Important note: Peanuts must be put in the pot prior to boiling to get soft peanuts)

5. Put in the remaining ingredients and simmer for 3 hours.

Results:

The peanuts and the lotus roots are soft, just the way I like them. Thirst quenching and satisfying - yums! Just like how my mom cooks it.