Working on my resolutions #2

After clearing all the unwanted, expired, long-frozen food stuffs in my fridge, I restocked a little just to make myself feel more secure. I dunno. I’m quite anal when it comes to empty fridges. I don’t feel secure if my fridge is empty. What if there’s a war tomorrow? What if friends come to visit? What if I crave for some fruits sandwiches in the middle of the night?

A couple of days ago, I got this particular craving for soup. Not those creamy frothy one. Not those whipped out within half and hour and definitely, not those powder mixed one from cans or boxes either. I wanted some nutritious soup which can make me feel revitalized. Especially those I’ve heard from the aunties and mommies. About how the winter melon soup can help detoxify the body or about how turnip soup can help cool and cleanse the body.

Until today, I don’t really know much about the benefits of Chinese herbs though I’ve been raised in a family where herbs are boiled in soups with the belief that these herbs and tonics would strengthen, improve ‘qi’, warm the body etc. So, I went to the market and talked to some herb seller. I actually got a lot of information on how to mix and match some of the herbs so as to create a wonderful blend of healing properties as well as tasty.

During my early years in my marriage, I tried to be the exemplary wife everyone thought I would be and tried to cook up some soup recipes myself. With the help from my mom and a dash of my own creativity, I boiled some soups in the past. However, most of the soups I cooked didn’t really taste as nice as my mom’s.

They say that the more you cook, the more experience you’ll get in the kitchen. It’s really true especially when it comes to boiling soup. No matter how exact I followed the instructions, the soup would come out slightly different in taste. I realized I put in too much or too little of something.

Anyway, I have not given up, yet. So, I made a couple of calls and roughly got the idea of which herb or vegetable to mix so that their taste would blend in well.

And yesterday, I boiled a very special soup. I don’t know what it’s called. Let’s just call it, The Naturally Sweet Soup.

TA-DAH!

Today, I swiped up some stuffs from my trusty old fridge and got the pot boiling yet another nutritious soup, the ever likable Papaya Lentil Soup. They say that papaya soup is meant for women who are breastfeeding. It’s quite true, but it’s actually a healthy choice of soup for all. My sister is drinking this soup more often these days as she’s breastfeeding my little nephew. Try this too if you are in for a tangy sweet soup! Great taste!

Tags: soups