BOTTLE GOURD SOUP WITH CONCH AND BLACK-EYED BEANS

Perfect for hot days, this refreshing soup can help to 'clear heat' and combat the toll that it can take on the body. Just like the winter melon (which is actually a gourd and not a melon), bottle gourd makes a great soup in the summer. It tastes sweet and it can help to reduce heat, promote diuresis and reduce swelling. Also known as 'lauki' in Hindi, the Indians usually make this into an amazing, thick, rich, creamy and nutritious soup. But I've chosen to use a Chinese-style recipe and the result was this light, naturally sweet, refreshing and healthy soup.

This is a good and easy recipe when you’re in the mood for a Chinese soup that satisfies.

A clear and pleasing soup that will keep you cool when you’re heaty :)

Clockwise from top left: Bottle gourd, honey dates, dried conch, black-eyed beans and corn silk.

Bottle gourd, corn silk and black-eye beans promote urination, relieve edema and reduce high blood pressure and high blood sugar. Conch nourishes yin and brightens eyesight, while ginger dispels coldness in body, warms stomach and detoxifies.

Ingredients:

1 bottle gourd
2 slices dried conch
2 taels (Approx 75g) black- eyed beans
2 maces (Approx 7.6g) corn silk
3 honey dates
2 slices ginger
Approx 250-300g lean pork

Scald lean pork and conch separately in boiling water for 5 mins. Rinse and set aside.
Rinse bottle gourd. Peel, scrape off the seeds and cut into big pieces.
Rinse black-eyed beans, corn silk and honey dates. Drain and set aside.
Place all ingredients in a pot together with 2500ml water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Turn to low heat and simmer for 3 hours. Serve.

Comments

YACON SOUP WITH CORN AND CARROT

Was shopping at the usual supermarket recently when I saw a lady promoting something which, from far, looked like sweet potatoes to me. I didn't pay attention to her til she called out to me and handed me a piece to sample. She was promoting organic yacons, not sweet potato. The moment I put it into my mouth, I remembered eating this looong time ago, but because I seldom see it in the supermarkets, I had totally forgotten about such a thing. The yacon is a traditionally grown for its crisp, sweet-tasting, tuberous roots. Though the root looks like a sweet potato, the taste and texture are completely different. Its crispy texture, juiciness and mildly sweet taste makes it somewhat similar to water chestnut or snow pear. It can be eaten raw or cook. It is said that yacon is very high in fiber and low in calories which makes it a healthy and nutritious snack. Some of the health benefits of yacon include its ability to regulate blood sugar ...

LEAN'S @ ATRIA SHOPPING GALLERY

Tong sui are a Cantonese specialty. If you've grown up in a Cantonese family, you must have had tong sui before. The term 'tong sui' literally means 'sugar water'. It is a collective term for any sweet, warm soup or custard served as a dessert at the end of a meal in Cantonese cuisine. My dad is a huge fan of tong sui : red bean soup, peanut soup, barley ginkgo and black sesame soup being his favorite. I'm not really a tong sui person but I remember seeing this Lean's place in Atria that sells a variety of desserts, including tong sui , nyonya kuihs and light meals, so I brought my dad there to try when my parents came over. It was afternoon teatime when we arrived. We were feeling a little hungry, so we ordered 2 nasi lemak bungkus, a cucur udang, steam cakes for my LO, black sesame cream, barley ginkgo and bubur cha cha. Nasi Lemak bungkus (RM3.70). Cucur udang (RM3). Pandan and vanilla steam cake (RM1.50 each). Nasi lemak is a famous lo...

CHINESE ARROWROOT SOUP WITH PORK BONES

This is the simple version of the Chinese arrowroot soup (Also known as 粉葛湯 'Fun Kot Tong' in Cantonese). Our family love drinking this soup. It is tasty and cooking it with pork bones and dried squid makes it sweet and refreshing. Some people who like boiling arrowroot together with lotus roots or peanuts, and my mother-in-law usually boils it on its own and drink as 'cooling' tea. Naturally sweet and tasty. If you don't like seafood, you can choose to omit the dried squid. This is how the Chinese arrowroot looks like. The arrowroot is a type of root plant similar to taro, potato or tapioca. However, it is harder in texture and incredibly starchy. When it is cut up, it has patterns that looks like the ages of a tree trunk. It is usually made into powder and used as thicken agent in cooking. The arrowroot is high in protein and fiber which is very beneficial to our body. Ingredients: 1 medium-sized Chinese arrowroot (Approx 700g) 10 red dates, ...

Lava Queen

Search This Blog