Minestrone Soup!

When you have leftover vegetables in the refrigerator, the best way to get rid of them is to make a soup. Make sure you cut up the vegetables that can be easily scooped up with the spoon so you don't have to reach for your fork.

You can boil the tomato lightly, peel and seed to make a tomato concasse if you are serving this for guests and you want the presentation to look more appealing without the tomato skins and seeds floating around. Certainly you can use canned diced tomato to save time.

Ingredients (yield 2 - 3 servings):

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large tomato, sliced
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 cup cut Swiss chard, (or thinly sliced)
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced carrots
• 1/2 cup button mushroom, diced
• 1/2 cup cooked beans
• 1/4 cup green beans, cut into inch-long pieces
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped basil
• 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper to taste
• 2 cups of water or stock
• parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Heat a pan and add olive oil. Add onions, carrots and saute for 3 minutes until they browns. Add garlic to saute for 1 minute. Add the mushroom and cook for 1 minute.
2. Add tomato and cook for 2 minutes until they soften. Add zucchini and water or stock. Bring to boil on high.
3. Add half of chopped parsley, half of basil, and Swiss chard.
4. Next you will add cooked beans. You don't add them at the beginning because they are already tender and you want them to remain a little crunchy. Adding them too soon will overcook them and make them mushy. 
5. When it boils again, turn the heat off and add salt, pepper to taste.
6. Serve with parmesan cheese, the rest of chopped parsley and basil.

Note: 

• I often add cooked pasta, brown rice or cooked beans to make it into a meal. Add these before you add the cooked green beans.
• You can also serve it with toasted rustic bread or baguette slices. 
• Feel free to throw in celery, corns, potato or peas. 

Simple Tomato and Ham Soup!

This soup is what I made out of the chicken bones, removed from the chicken breast (my homemade chicken breast sandwich meat). I had some sandwich ham from last week so I threw that in.

When use the sandwich ham or the cooked chicken breast slices to pump up the protein, don't put in too early and overcook them. Add them lastly after everything else is fully cooked to your desired doneness.

There are many vegetables that can add natural savory flavors to your soups or dishes. (I will talk about that later.) Tomato is one of them. The dried Chinese yam and longan also help to bring more complexity to the result, with a touch of sweetness.

The soup is infused with all the natural flavors released from the ingredients that I add no other seasoning to my soup, but if you like it, season away with some salt.

Ingredients (yield 2 servings):

• 1 cup of cut or diced tomatoes
• three longan pulp or with pit (out of shell)
• 3 to 4 pieces of dried Chinese yam (huai shan, what?), rinsed and drained
• one scallion, cut to short sticks
• 1/4 cup enoki mushrooms, cut into shorter strips
• 3 cups of water
• 2 teaspoon of goji berries, rinsed
• 1 slice of ham.
• salt to season (optional)
• ground white pepper (optional)
• chopped scallions (or green onions) to garnish

Directions:

1. Place tomatoes, longan, dried Chinese yam, scallion sticks, enoki mushrooms and water in a soup pot. Bring to boil and cook at least for 30-40 minute. I cooked for 1 hour. 
2. Lastly, put in your ham or chicken to warm up before serving. 
3. Put the rinsed goji berries in. At this point you can turn the heat off and let it seep for 5 min.
4. Serve with chopped green onions and ground white pepper. 
5. Season with salt if desired. 

Garlic Detox Tofu Soup!

Ingredients (yielding one serving):

• 1 1/2 cup of water
• 1/4 cup green bell pepper sliced (about 1/2 bell pepper)
• 1/4 cup sliced shiitake mushroom from one mushroom
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced daikon turnip
• 1/3 cup diced tofu (about 1/8 of a block from the box, or 30 grams)
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water to make slurry

Directions:

1. Thinly slice green bell pepper, daikon turnip and shiitake mushroom. Dice tofu.
2. Mix 1 teaspoon in 1 tablespoon of water. 
3. Place shiitake mushrooms, tofu, daikon, soy sauce, garlic and water in small soup pot and bring to a boil.
4. Cook for 10 min, and add the green bell pepper. Add the cornstarch mixture to thicken. Bring back to boil again, stir to mix evenly and turn the heat off. 
5. Serve with some ground white pepper. 
6. Season with more salt if desired.

Miso Detox Soup!

Ginger is great to warm you up and promote circulation.

Ingredients (yield one serving):

• 1 cup onion (about 30g), sliced
• 1 cup cabbabe leave (about 50g) cut up
• two shiitake mushrooms (about 40g) sliced
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk or almond milk
• 1/2 tbsp miso (preferably white miso)
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• chopped scallions or green onions (optional)

Directions:

1. Put ginger, vegetables and water in a small soup pan. Bring to a boil and turn to low heat. Simmer 4~5 min until the vegetables are softened.
2. Add soy milk or almond milk, miso and keep stirring until all are mixed evenly. 
3. Turn the heat off. Serve with chopped green onions.

Note:

• Feel free to add tofu dices (about 1/4 cup).
• Feel free to add some wakame seaweed.

Basic Detox Soup!

This soup is high in potassium and fibers that can help reduce water retention and alleviate constipation problems.

Ingredients:

• equal part of the following vegetables:
• 1 cup of cut or diced daikon or white turnip
• 1 cup of cut or diced shiitake mushrooms
• 1 cup of cut or diced tomatoes
• 1 cup of cut or diced onions
• 1 cup of cut or diced cabbage
• 5 cups of water
• salt to season (optional)

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a soup pot with water. Bring to boil and cook for 10-15 minute if you prefer the vegetables to remain crunchy, or cook for 30-40 min if you prefer them tender.
2. Use salt sparingly especially if you try to reduce water retention.

Simple Two Ingredients Soup!

Well, to make a soup, you can make it as complicated as Pork and Daikon Soup, or you can make it quick and easy like this.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Pork Spareribs
• 1/2 pound of daikon or turnip, peel and cut into chunks. 
• 5 cups of water
• 1 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Cut the ribs into smaller pieces between the bones.
2. Wash them thoroughly. If you have time, blanch (what??) them in boiling water so the end result soup will be clear without too much scums.
3. In soup pot, add all ingredients including the blanched ribs and cook for 30 to 45 min, depending on how tender you like your daikon to be. 
4. Salt to season and serve.

Note:

1. Blanch means to cook an ingredient in boiling water for a short period of time and fish out to rinse in cold water. 

Options:

• Serve with sesame oil.
• Serve with white pepper.
• Serve with chopped scallion (green onion) or chives.
• Replace pork ribs of other pork portions, preferably with bones because the bones are more flavorsome than the meat. However, it's okay to use boneless lean pork, such as top loin or even tenderloin. 
• Replace daikon and cook ribs with tomatoes (cut into 8 wedges).
• Replace daikon with cauliflowers  (cut into big pieces) or cook both with ribs.
• Replace daikon with English cucumbers (peel and remove seeds, cut into thick slices) or cook both with ribs.
• Replace daikon with Chinese yam (peel and cut into chunks) or cook both with ribs.
• Add carrots (peel and cut into chunks) so it will be ribs, daikon and carrot soup.
• Add celery (cut into chunks) so it will be ribs, daikon and celery soup.
• Add 2 slices of ginger in the very beginning. Boil water with ginger and ribs for 15 min before adding the rest to cook 30 min more.
• Add one green onion, cut into long sticks. Add with the daikon (or replacement vegetable).
• Add 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine together when you add ribs.
• Add 1 to 2 table spoon of Goji berries, rinsed. Add them in the last 5 min of cooking process.
• and on and on...  

Secret Weapon:

• Add 1/4 teaspoon dashi (What?).

Pork and Daikon Soup.

The burdock root can be found in Asian grocery stores and is optional if you can't find it. It is a great source of fibers. 

Ingredients (yield 6 servings): 

• 1 lb of lean pork or spareribs
• 1lb of burdock root (or gobo), peel and cut into chunks.
• 1 lb of daikon (or turnip), peel and cut into chunks.
• ½ lb of carrot, peel and cut into slices.
• 3 slices of ginger root
• 2 tsp cooking wine
• ½ tsp salt 
• ½ tsp white pepper
• 8 cups of water

Directions:

1. Cut the lean pork to ¼ inch slices. Marinate with cooking 1 tsp of wine, salt and white pepper for 15 min. If you use the spareribs, cut into small pieces between the bones.
2. Bring up a pot of water to boil and blanch the pork for 1 min. Drain and set aside.
3. Boil 8 cups of water with ginger. Add pork, burdock, daikon, carrot and 1 tsp of cooking wine. Bring to boil and turn to low heat. Cover to simmer for 30 min. 
4. Add salt to season and cook for 10 more min.
5. Serve with cilantro if desired.

Note:

1. The carrot can be added later if you like it with a bit crunch.

2. Using spareribs will make the soup richer in flavor.

Simple One Ingredient Soup!

I don't count canned chicken soup as ingredient and it can be optional.

Simple Egg Drop Soup:

Ingredients (yield one serving):

• one large eggs
• 1 cup Canned Chicken Soup
• 1 cup water
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Directions:

1. Beat the egg to mix egg yolk and egg white.
2. Boil 1 cup chicken soup with 1 cup water on medium high.
3. When water is rolling boil, turn the heat to medium, and slowly drizzle the egg mixture into the boiling ware, in a steady stream to create egg ribbons. 
4. Season with salt and serve.

More Options:

• If you don't have canned chicken soup, use 2 cup water with one pack of Nissin Top Ramen seasoning pack to make soup base.
• To step up, some options,

• Cook with corns.
• Cook with diced carrots.
• Cook with tomato cut into 1/2 inch chunks.
• Cook with soft tofu cut into small cubes.
• Cook with 4 to 5 goji berries. 
• Serve with sesame oil.
• Serve with white pepper.
• Serve with chopped scallions (green onions) or chives. 

Secret Weapon:

• Add 1/4 teaspoon dashi (What?).

Ginkgo Barley Tonic Soup.

This soup is mildly sweet and is nourishing, soothing, relaxing while improving blood flow to brain.

(Questions about the ingredients? Check out Chinese herbs and Asian Ingredients .)


Ingredients (yield 6-8 servings):

• Fifteen Ginkgo nuts
• Pearl barley 40g
• Yu Zhu (Solomon's Seal Rhizome) 15g
• Lady Bell Root 15g
• Five dried shiitake mushrooms
• 20 cups of water

Directions:

1. Wash all ingredients. Soak pearl barley for 2 hours before cooking.
2. Boil 20 cups of water in a big pot.
3. Put all ingredients in boiling water and bring to boil.
4. Cook on medium high for 20 min and then turn heat to low. Cover and simmer 3 hours.
5. Serve.

Walnut Chestnut and Lotus Root Tonic Soup.

Walnut can improve appetite, enhance body energy and blood circulation. Note that if you cannot bear the slight bitterness from Jujube pit, you have to remove the pit from Jujube.

There is a bitter germ inside the lotus seed that is usually removed before sold. If you are preparing this for young children or people who could not stand bitterness, check and remove them if you see any remaining green embryo in the center.

(Questions about the ingredients? Check out Lotus Seeds / Chinese herbs and Asian Ingredients .)

Ingredients (yield 6-8 servings):

• Walnut 80g
• Lotus Root 600g
• Lotus Seeds 80g
• Chestnuts 300g
• Ten seeded red dates
• One dried orange peel
• 20 cups of water

Directions:

1. Wash all ingredients. Cut lotus root into chunks. Check lotus seeds to remove the green germs. 
2. Place one dried orange peel in big pot with 20 cups of water and bring to boil. 
3. Add all ingredients into the boiling water. Cook on medium heat for 20 min. 
4. Turn heat to low. Cover and simmer 3 hours. 
5. Serve. 

Lotus and Longan Tonic Soup.

This soup is mildly sweet and is calming, soothing, quenching and relaxing after a long day.

(Questions about the ingredients? Check out Lotus Seeds / Chinese herbs and Asian Ingredients .)


Ingredients (yield 6-8 servings):

• Lotus Seeds 80g
• Lotus Root 600g
• Dried lily bulbs 15g
• Longan pulp 15g (about 8-10 longan with pit)
• 20 cups of water

Directions:

1. Wash all ingredients. Cut lotus root into chunks.
2. Boil 20 cups of water in a big pot.
3. Put all ingredients in boiling water and bring to boil.
4. Cook on medium high for 20 min and then turn heat to low. Cover and simmer 3 hours.
5. Serve.

Cook Your Own Beans.

In a pinch, you may use canned beans, but if you don't like canned food, you should cook your own.

It's pretty easy to cook it if you know the trick.

1. Soak it well

Small beans like adzuki beans or mung beans, soak for at least 2 hours. Bigger beans like white beans, kidney beans or garbanzo beans  (aka chickpeas), soak for 8 hours or overnight.

2. Cook low and slow

It's okay to add ham but to speed up the cooking process, don't add salt or sugar until almost cooked. Then add salt towards the end to add flavor.

3. Simmer, not boiling hard in a big pot

If you want them creamy in the center while not split or burst at the seams ( a sign of overcooking), don't let the beans roll vigorous in the boil. Keep the heat low and gently simmer with just a few bubbles breaking at the surface.

4. Cool in their cooking water

Or the skin will shrivel and crack. Let them cool completely in their liquid, drain them. If not to finish them all at once (I cook for the whole week), keep them refrigerated in their liquid, or marinate them, toss with salt, pepper, olive oil, and herbs.

5. Cook more than one serving

To save the trouble, I always cook more than what I will eat at one meal. They are a great source of plant-based protein and are good in about everything from salads, egg dishes to soups. (Check out my strawberry soup with chickpeas). Refrigerate or freeze the excess beans for later.

Also, check out my bean page to know why it's better to soak longer, to 2 days.

Cold Berry Soup.

Dried Goji Berry

Cold Berry Soup with Chickpeas (yield one serving):

Ingredients:
For soup:

• 1/2 red grapefruit, about 100g, peeled and diced     
• Six strawberries, halved

• 30g raspberries (about 6-8)
• 10 dried Goji berry
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

• Honeydew 50g, cut into bite-size dices
• 2 tbsp cooked chickpeas or beans

Directions:

1. Soak dried goji berries in a little water to soften.
2. Put half of total red grapefruit (50g), half of total strawberries (3 strawberries),  raspberries, 10 dried goji berries, salt black pepper in blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
3. Combine the mixture with honeydew dices, the other half of red grapefruit dices, the other three strawberry halves, and cooked chickpeas. Serve.