Saturday, June 5, 2010

Watercress with Luo Han Guo Soup

School holidays is here and I've got 3 kids at home 24/7.  To make things worse, DH is away in Malaysia for a week's business trip.  Sister C was really nice to offer a sleepover for my children so I only need to handle DD3 alone.  But DS2 developed a fever for no reason during his stay and I had to rush to pick him up, only at this point in time, I appreciate DH's absence as I can use the car.  We spent 2 days at Pasir Ris Park and the kids had a great time at the playground. Anyway, that about sums it up what I've been busy with the past 1 week.

I cooked a yucky looking but has a bittersweet and tangy aftertaste soup - Watercress with Luo Han Guo (罗汉果) from Irene's blog.
“ The dried fruit may be bought in a market. The surface of the fruit is round and smooth, it has a yellow-brownish or green-brownish colour, and is covered by fine hairs. The fruit has a hard but thin shell. Inside, one finds a partially dried, soft substance which contains the juice and a large quantity of seeds. All components are very sweet. Their nature is cool and not toxic. The fruit can act as a remedy for heat stroke, wet the lungs, remove phlegm, stop cough and aid defecation. ”— Dai Yin-Fang, Liu Cheng-Jun, Fruits As Medicine: A Safe and Cheap Form of Traditional Chinese Food Therapy


Watercress Luo Han Guo Soup
Ingredients
400 - 500g watercress
1 Siraitia grosvenorii (羅漢果, 罗汉果, Luo Han Guo), smash the outer shell and use the inner parts
2 candied dates蜜枣
250g pork ribs/lean meat
2 - 2.5 litres water

Method
  1. Wash watercress and separate out stalk and leaves.
  2. Blanch pork ribs/lean meat.
  3. Bring water to boil and add all ingredients except watercress leaves in a pot.
  4. Using medium fire, bring water to boil again, reduce to small flame and simmer for 2 hours.
  5. Remove stalks from pot and add in leaves, continue to cook for another 1 hour.

7 comments:

Kitchen Corner said...

Delicious soup! I've long time didn't have this! Wish to have a bowl of this now!

Blessed Homemaker said...

Grace, it's my first time cooking this and I know I'll be cooking this often :)

Noob Cook said...

I love to cook this whenever I have sore throat. It's very cooling and nourishes the throat :D

WendyinKK said...

Lohanguo in soup is toooooo sweeeeet for me. Personally, I find it hard to swallow.
Hey the lohanguo's shell can be used also la. Just put them in, or is it that you discarded it due to medicinal reasons?

Edith said...

Soup is good for the body and soul.

Blessed Homemaker said...

noobcook, oh yes, this is indeed good for the throat :)

Wendy, I usually cook Luo Han Guo without the shell, somehow always feel that the shell is not very clean despite washing it :P

Edith, my kids love soup and I've been boiling soup very often lately. You are right, soup is good for both body and soul.

Anonymous said...

Didn't know can add luo han Guo to savoury soup. Def going to they this out. Kk