Lotus Roots with Cranberry Beans Soup

I'm a person who don't like confrontation.  But if need be, I'll do it protect myself and/or my family.

Of late, I've been getting nasty comments in my blog.  I might have stepped onto someone's toes ever since I blogged about the life of a SAHM.  I have received a few not too polite comments in my blog.  Besides blog, there was also some unpleasant instant messaging exchange with a friend.  To quote in general, the comments were "not everyone is interested to know the life of a sahm or to put themselves in my position".  Yes, I can fully understand and accept this fact.  But these people forgotten that this is MY BLOG.  If you don't like reading my posting, a simple solution is, don't visit me.  And to think that such similar remark came from a close friend, I felt disheartened.  No, I'm not angry with her, but just didn't expect something like this to come from her.  Anyway, life goes on and I still value her as a friend.

So, what's cooking?  This is a frequent question that pops up in my msn/skype.  I wonder what's my cooking got to do with you?  I'm not inviting you over for dinner so why ask for the sake of asking?  Hmm...

Anyway, just to share one of my favourite soup, Lotus Roots with Cranberry Beans Soup.  I love the nutty taste of cranberry beans.  I don't cook with peanuts for children under 5 years of age so I replaced peanuts with cranberry beans and I think the soup taste equally good too!  Alright, confession time, I didn't create this soup, I learnt it from Sis C.

Look how beautiful these gems are!  And they taste great too!  (my kids don't like the cranberry beans though they don't mind drinking the soup).

My little helpers at work (this pic was taken in Aug 2009, DD3 was 1.5 years old then).  I like to get them involved in the preparation to make them feel useful :-)

Lotus Roots with Cranberry Beans Soup

Ingredients

300g pork ribs

1 large or 2 medium section of lotus roots, remove skin and cut into slices/chucks

250g - 300g cranberry beans/shell beans, shells removed

10 - 15 pitted red dates

5 dried scallops (optional)
1 dried cuttlefish (optional)
1.5 - 2 litres water
Salt to taste

Method

• Blanch pork ribs with boiling water.
• In a pot, bring 1.5 litre water to boil and add all ingredients (except cranberry beans). Using medium fire, bring water to boil again and cook for 10 - 15 minutes, reduce to small flame and simmer for 2 hours.
• Add in cranberry beans and let it cook for another 30 mins - 1 hour.
• Add salt to taste before serving.