Pork Ribs with minced balls in Hairy Marrow Soup

Ingredients:

1 green marrow
6 pieces of pork ribs
120g minced pork
5 pieces of dried mushrooms
½ tsp oyster sauce
½ tsp soya sauce
½ tsp corn flour
1 litre of water
½ tsp sesame oil
Pepper to taste 


Directions:

1. Scald bones with hot water to get rid of any smell before adding into boiling water.
2. Marinade minced pork with oyster & soya sauce, sesame oil, pepper & corn flour & set aside.
3. Soak mushroom in water till soft. Remove stem & dice mushroom. Do not dispose stem but instead, add to soup, giving it a fragrant boost.
4. Add diced mushroom with minced pork & mix well.
5. Roll into balls of equal-size & set aside.
6. Add meat balls into soup 15 minutes before serving.

Stuffed Bitter Gourd Soup

Ingredients:

half bitter gourd, core removed 300gm

grounded pork

1 tbsp goji berries, soaked in water for 5 minutes and drained

1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine

1 tbsp light soy sauce(to taste – optional)

1 tsp sugar

¼ cube chicken stock

600ml water

Pork Marinades

1 1/2 tbsp fermented soy bean, mashed(use Hoisin sauce if you prefer or Plum Sauce)

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp oyster sauce

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Steps:

1. Boil a pot of water, add 1 tsp salt to the water and boil the bittergourd for about 2mins. Remove and soak into cold water for 2 mins. Pat dry.

2. Marinate the minced pork for 2 hours in the fridge.

3. Stuff the bitter gourd with marinated minced pork. Shape the left over minced pork into meat balls.

4. Bring water to a boil. Add the stuffed bitter gourd and the meat balls. Boil the soup over high heat for 1 hour.

5. Turn the fire down to low heat and simmer soup for another ½ hr. If you prefer your bittergourd very soft, then add additional ½ hr more.

6. Toss in goji berries.

7. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Pork & Shrimp Dumpling Soup

Ingredients:

• 150g minced pork (or called ground pork)
• 175g medium green prawns (shrimp), peeled and deveined
• 30 fresh wonton wrappers (1 packet, available at Asian store)
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 bunch Chinese vegetable (Choi Sum or baby bak choy)
• yellow chives (or chopped spring onion) for garnish
• A dash of sesame oil
• A dash of chinese cooking wine

Seasoning for pork:

• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp cornflour
• a pinch of white pepper

Seasoning for prawns (shrimps):

• 1/2 tsp chicken powder (chicken bouillon powder)
• 1 Tbsp egg white
• a pinch of salt
• pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Marinate minced pork for at least 20 minutes. Put peeled and deveined prawn under cold running tap water for 5 to 10 minutes. This step will make the prawn meat crunchy. Drain well and pat dry with paper towels. Dice prawn meat into 1.5cm cubes to make about 175g. Blend the prawn well with the seasoning. Cover and chill them for 15 minutes.
2. Stir chilled prawn meat in minced pork. Prepare 4 tablespoons of water in a little bowl for wrapping wontons. Place one rounded teaspoon of prawn and minced pork filling in center of wonton wrapper. Dip a finger in the little bowl of water and run along bottom edges of wrapper to moisten. Gather the corners of the wrapper, lightly twist to enclose filling. Repeat with the remaining filling and wonton wrappers. Set aside.
3. Heat chicken stock in a large saucepan on high and bring to a boil. Cook Choi Sum or baby pak choy in the stock. Usually I place the hard stems in the stock first, then followed by the leaves. Cook until softened. Add salt, white pepper and sesame oil to taste. Set aside.
4. Use another wok or saucepan to cook wontons with boiling water. Carefully place wontons in the boiling water, stir immediately and don’t let them stick to the bottom or stick together. When the wontons float to the surface, that means they are cooked. Transfer the cooked wontons out with a strainer and divide them between bowls. Ladle over chicken stock and serve with vegetables. Sprinkle spring onion or yellow chives if desired.

** The water will become cloudy after cooking wontons. And that’s why we used another saucepan to cook wontons.

Egg Drop Soup

Ingredients:

300g minced pork(chicken or beef)

1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine

2 tablespoons corn starch mixed with 3 tablespoons water

1 ¾ cups (425 ml) homemade chicken broth (page 00) or 1 can (14-oz/400-g ) store-bought chicken broth

1 cup (250 ml) water (if you prefer more soupy, then 500ml of water)

½ tomato, diced

3 dashes white pepper

½ teaspoon salt or to taste

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Method:

1. In a small bowl, mix the corn starch with the water. Stir to blend well. Set aside.

2. Bring to boil the chicken broth and water in a pot. Add the minced pork, tomato, white pepper, salt, and thicken the soup with the corn starch mixture. Stir the soup with a ladle and turn off the heat.

3. Swirl the beaten eggs into the soup and immediately stir around for three times with a pair of chopsticks. Cover the pot with its lid for 2 minutes. The eggs should be cooked and form into silken threads.

4. Dish out into individual serving bowls and serve immediately.