麻油雞 Sesame Rice Wine Chicken

 

 

Ingredients:

2 pounds of chicken.

10 slices of ginger

1 bottle 600 ml rice wine

Sesame oil-3 table spoons

Optional-Chinese herbs (Go Ji)-2 tea spoons  

 

Method:

1.       Cook sesame oil with ginger at medium heat for 3 mins (The longer you cook the more ginger flavour you will get.)

2.       Boil chicken with a pot of hot water. Add chicken to the pot. Stir with sesame oil and ginger.

3.       Add rice wine. (Make sure they cover the chicken) and cook for 30 mins with medium heat.

Tip (If you don’t want, too much alcohol. You can add 300 ml water and 300ml rice wine)

Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup (Samgyetang) 韓式人蔘雞湯

Ingredients:
Whole Chicken-1 medium small size
Dates-10
American Fresh Ginseng- 4 small ones or two big ones. (Cut off the ginseng roots at the bottom. Korean's believed that if it's not removed, it will give you a fever. You can also use the dried ones. Be careful what type of ginseng you use. American ginseng can be eaten in all seasons. Whereas Korean ginseng in traditional herbal medicine, is considered as "hot". It's suggested to be only used in the Winter.)
Green Onion-1 (Chopped them into small thin slices.)
Garlic-20
Sweet Rice-1/4 cup of sweet rice (Soak in water for 1 hr first.)

Method:
1. Boil a pot of hot water and put the chicken in. When the chicken changes color outside, take it out.
(This is the cleaning process.)
2. Put all the dates, ginseng, garlic and sweet rice inside of the chicken.
3. Prepare another pot of boiled water. Put the chicken in and add the rest of the ingredients, except green onion.
4. When it starts to boil, turn it to medium low heat and cook for 1 hr.

(When it's done, use a pair of chopsticks to break the chicken from the middle. Spray green onions on top and start eating!)

5. Serve (or you can let it cool down and refrigerate it first. The next day you will see the fat on top. Just scoop them out. It will become a healthy low fat chicken ginseng soup.)

*Benefit of this soup:
American Ginseng
The taste of gingseng is a bit bitter. If you don't like it, drinking the soup can get same benefits. Ginseng helps to boost the immune system, lower blood sugar levels, inhibit cancerous tumor growth and neurological benefits. Details please check http://www.livestrong.com/article/118223-benefits-wild-american-ginseng/

Red Dates:
Help to strengthen the functions of heart and lung, as well as nourish the stomach and spleen.

Chinese Lotus Root Barley Soup

Ingredients:
Pork Bones-600g
Lotus Root-600g
Chinese Barley-50g
Red Dates-12 pcs
Green Onion-2
Ginger-3-4 slices
Water-2000cc

Normally after I buy the green onions, I wash and chop them into chunks. Store them in the freezer. Whenever I need them, I just take them out.

Seasoning Ingredients:
Rice Wine-2 big teaspoons
Salt-1 teaspoon

Method:
1. Soak the barley overnight
2.Chop the green onion into chunks
3.Wash red dates
4. Peel the skin of the lotus roots and wash them. Chop them into thin slices.

5. Boil a pot of hot water and cook the pork bones. When the pork bones change colour, take them out. Rinse them with water. (Cleaning process)

6. Cook the 2500cc water. When it's boiling, add green onion and ginger. (Make sure the water level can cover all the ingredients.)
7. Add pork bones, barely, red dates and lotus roots.
8. Cook them with high heat until they start to bubble. Turn to medium low heat. Cover the lid and cook for 1 hr or until the pork bones are soft.
9.Serve

*Benefits of this soup:
1. Red dates help to strengthen the functions of heart and lung, as well as nourish the stomach and spleen.

2. Lotus root is a good source of dietary fiber, thiamin, vitamin B6, phosphorus, potassium, copper and manganese, and a very good source of vitamin C.

3. Barely helps you maintain your overall health in the long term. These whole grains are rich in protein, vitamins, minerals and amino acids essential for our health. More importantly, barley is one of the richest sources of both soluble and insoluble fiber.

Bak Kut Teh (Pork Rib Tea Soup) 肉骨茶

Check this link out to find out more about this dish. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bak_kut_teh

Ingredients:

Ribs- 1.5 lbs
Ginger-3 slices

Garlic -5

Red chili-2 ( Use a knife to press the chili. So when you cook them, the flavour will come out)

Mushrooms-10 (optional)

Taiwanese Cabbages (optional)

Water 1500cc

(You can also add 6 dried Shitake mushrooms (soaked and cut into halves) or a handful of tofu puffs)

Seasoning:

Soy sauce paste-2 big teaspoons

pre-packed Bak Kut Teh herbs -1 pack (I got mine from T&T.)

Rice wine-2 big teaspoons

Method:

1. Boil a pot of water, cook ribs. When they are cooked, take them out and rinse with cold water. (Cleaning process, so when your dish is done, there are no black or gray bubbles at the side of the pot. By doing so, the presentation of your dish will look better and it’s cleaner.)

2. Prepare a pot and add 1500cc water (about 6 cups of water). Add ginger, garlic and chili, Bak Kut teh tea bag, mushrooms, cabbages and all the seasoning ingredients into the pot. Cover the lid and cook with high heat, when it starts to bubble, you can turn to medium low heat and cook it for 1 hr or until the ribs are soft.

3.  Add salt

4. Serve (You can also cool it down to room temperature and then put it in the refrigerator overnight. You will be able to see the fat on top. You can scoop them out, and it will become a low fat dish.)

5.  Serve (You can serve this with rice. Or cook some noodles and mix with the Bak Kut Teh stew soup and become Bak kut Teh Noodles soup. )

This package is imported from Taiwan. You can aso go to Chinese supermarket or Chinese herb stores to buy other brand of  Bak Kut Teh tea bag.

The herbs and spices:  Black dates, Radix Rehmanniae, Polygonatum Odoratum, Angelica Acutiloba, Szechwan Lovage Rhizome,Cinnamon, Fennel, White Pepper, Liquorice and Anise . 

*Pregnant women are not recommended for eating this dish.

White Fungus Soup Mix

Ingredients:

White Fungus 雪耳

Polygonatum玉竹

Dioscorea 准山

Chinese South Almond 南杏

preserved dates蜜棗

Barley 薏仁

Pork Bone

Method:

1. Boil the pork bone with water first and then rinse it with cold water. (Cleaning process)

2.Soak white fungus with water for 15 mins. (Break them into small pieces)

3. Rinse all the ingredients with water

4. Prepare a pot and add 15 cups of water. Put all the ingredients in there.

5. Cook with high heat first, when it starts to bubble, turn to low heat and cook it for 2 hrs.

6. Add salt

7. Serve

Benefits of this soup: Good for your lung and throat. Skin wise: Fungus can give you collegen and Barley can give you white skin color tone which will  help to lighten the dark spots on your skin.



Taiwanese Rice Wine Chicken-台灣燒酒雞

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken

3 bottle of rice wine.

1pkt. Of mixed herbs ( I bought it at T&T Supermarket)

Method:

1.      Rinse Chicken (Before cooking them, you can chop it into small pieces if you want. I didn’t want to make a mess, so I cook the whole chicken instead.)

2.      Take the herbs out of the package and rinse with cold water.

3.      Put the chicken, herbs and rice wine in a pot. Cook with high heat. When it starts to bubble, turn to low heat and cook for 2 hrs.

4. Serve (If the rice wine you buy is salted, then you don't have to add salt at the end. You might have to add some water to balance out the flavour. So it's not too salty. If the rice wine you buy is not salted, then you can add some salt at the end.)

(If you want to drink them low fat, you can wait until they cool down and put them in the refrigerator overnight. The next day you can see the fat on the top layer, just scope them out and heat the soup)

Below is the list of the mixed herbs. (it is recommended if you want to make this dish, to get the package from the herb store. They will know what’s the right amount to put)

當歸Angelica sinensis, commonly known as "dong quai"

枸杞Wolfberry, commercially called goji berry,

川芎Ligusticum chuanxiong

黨參Codonopsis pilosula

甘草Glycyrrhiza uralensis

Benefit of this herbal soup:

Improve cold hands and feet during the winter time. (Women during the menstruation, can’t drink this soup.)

American Ginseng Winter Melon Soup-西洋參冬瓜湯

American Ginseng Winter Melon Soup

Ingredients:

Winter melon-250g

Pork bone or  Pork ribs-200g

American Ginseng-10g

Sweet date 蜜棗-1

Method:

1.       Boil a pot of water and cook pork bones. When it’s done, take them out and rinse with water.

(Cleaning process)

2.       Prepare a pot, add all the ingredients into the pot, including the pork bones. Add 1200cc of water. Cook them with high heat first. When it starts to bubble, turn to low heat and cook them for 2hrs or until the bones are soft.

Benefit of this soup:

Benefits: Winter melon is a good source of Vitamin B1, B2 and vitamin C, rich in beta carotene, calcium and so on. Helps clear the heat and toxin, promotes urination, reduce water retention, expels phlegm, stop cough, improves metabolism, reduce fats and etc.

American ginseng contains ginsenosides, which are thought to fight fatigue and stress by supporting the adrenal glands and the use of oxygen by exercising muscles.

If you are the type that get tired and have diarrhea easily, you can add Chinese Peral Barley 20g and Semen Lablab Beans 30g.

You can also add Coix Seed or Chinese pearl barley or Job's Tears (生薏仁) 20g.

THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS  of Chinese pearl barley :
Promote diuresis and invigorate the spleen; relieve dampness obstruction and eliminate phlegm; clear away heat and drain the pus; anti-rheumatic. Suitable for scanty urine; swelling and pain in joints and sinews; rheumatism; lung infections; cough with blood in sputum and dry scaly skin.

You can also add SEMEN LABLAB Beans(白扁豆) 30g

Benefit of Semen Lablab beans- The white hyacinth bean is traditionally used in Chinese medicine to invigorate the spleen and remove damp. It is especially beneficial during the summer months to alleviate “summer damp”.

*Women during menstruation, shouldn’t drink this soup.