Black Bean, Lotus Root & Sparerib Soup

Every now and then I will make this soup when I see lotus root selling at the Chinese grocery store. Alexander likes the black beans in the soup. Ethan will take some lotus root slices besides the beans. We don’t have soup everyday in our house so whenever I make it I will make extra to last for another meal. Since we eat the soup ingredients so I use pork spareribs instead of lean pork which is too chewy.

Black Bean, Spareribs & Lotus Root Soup

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb spareribs– cut into chunks
1 cup dry black bean– soaked at least 30 minutes, rinse
1 lb lotus root– peeled, trim off both ends and slice into 1/2 inch thickness
3 gallons water
salt to taste

Method:

1. Boil 3 gallons of water in a big pot. In the meanwhile, fill a medium pot with enough water then bring to a boil. Add spareribs to blanch. Remove from heat. Rinse blanched spareribs under water to get rid of any bloody impurities, drain.
2. Rinse soaked black beans a couple of time to get rid of the dark water, drain.
3. When water in big pot is boiling, add spareribs, soaked black beans and lotus roots. Be sure there is lots of water covers the ingredients (the ingredients will have room to flow freely in the water when you stir it). Cover and cook on high heat for 30 minutes. Turn heat down to medium and cook for another 2.5 hours, until the black beans are soft to bite. By this time the soup should be cloudy looking. Add salt to taste before serving.

Note:

• For making soup, choose lotus root that are mature– they usually feel heavy and have pinkish/brownish flesh.

Stir Fry Bitter Melon with Shrimps

Stir Fry Bitter Melon with Shrimps

Growing up, I always hate bitter melon and don’t understand why people would eat it. But since some not so bad bitter melon tasting last year, I start to accept this vegetable– what can I say with me and the family eating lots of “heaty” food all the time, I need the “ying” of this vegetable to cool down . This summer I pretty much had a bitter melon dish once a week– what a big change to my diet! Since Richard and Alexander don’t take bitter melon, I only cook it for lunch. When Ethan first saw me eating bitter melon, he wanted some too and so I gave him a bite. Surprisingly, he didn’t spit it out– he ate it followed with a drink of water. Since then he will want a bite or two of bitter melon every time I cook it.

One of the popular way to cook bitter melon is using fermented black bean. My friend Amy suggested using fish sauce and shrimp. If you have fish sauce in your pantry, do give it a try. When I want shrimp in the dish, I would stir fry with fish sauce, or add an egg and make it scrambled egg style. If it’s just stir frying bitter melon alone, I would use fermented black bean. My mom cook it with tomatoes and thus adds tangy flavor to the dish– quite refreshing taste. Hochiak! Delicious Asian Food have it fried with salted egg– hmmm… sounds delicious. I would have to try it next time.

Stir Fry Bitter Melon with Shrimps Recipe

Ingredients:
1 medium bitter melon–cut in 1/2 vertically, discard seeds and inner spongy stuff with a spoon, then thin slice
8-10 small shrimps– shelled and deveined, lightly seasoned with salt
2 cloves garlic– finely chopped
few drops of fish sauce
1/2 to 1 cup hot water
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Put sliced bitter melon in a bowl and sprinkle with some salt and little water. Rub salt into bitter melon. Let it sit for a while to draw out bitter juice. Rinse under water 2 times. Drain.
2. Heat wok on high heat. Add 1 tbsp oil and quick saute shrimps until just cooked. Dish out.
3. Add 1 tbsp oil to  the hot wok. Stir fry garlic until aromatic, add bitter melon and keep stirring. Add enough hot water, little at a time, and cook bitter melon until tender. Add fish sauce, salt and pepper and stir well. Return shrimps to wok. Quick stir and dish out.

Khern’s Russian Soup

This is my family version of Russian Soup. I grow up taking this soup a lot of time. I know I know… this is not what a Russian Soup should be, but I am just so get used to the name and the taste of it that whenever people said Russian Soup, I just think of my family version’s. Well, regardless of what it is called, the soup is very good especially for cold days that’s coming up. The peppery taste will warm up your stomach, and potatoes and carrots adds comfy homey touch to the soup.

My family version of Russian Soup

Khern’s Russian Soup Recipe

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs spareribs, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 yellow onion– finely chopped
1 tbsp white peppercorn– crushed using back of a knife
4 medium yellow potatoes– peeled, cut into big chucks
2 carrots– peeled, cut into big chucks
1 1/2 gallon water

Method:

1. Add water, yellow onion and crushed peppercorn in a big pot and bring to a boil.
2. While waiting for the water to boil, prepare spareribs: add water in a different pot and bring to a boil. Add ribs and blanch. Remove from heat. Discard the water and rinse ribs under running water to remove any bloody impurities.
3. When the water in big pot is boiling, add blanched ribs. Cover and cook on high heat for 15-20 minutes. Turn heat down to medium, continue to cook for 1.5 hours.
4. Add potatoes and carrots to the soup, cover then turn heat back to high and let it boil again. Then turn down to medium heat and cook for another hour. Add salt to taste before serving.