There’s nothing quite as comforting to the soul as a hot bowl of soup on a cold dreary day.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, chef of MICHELIN-listed restaurant MUME Richie Lin (Pictured right, Photo: MUME) grew up on a diet of nutritious soups lovingly prepared by his mother. This ritual has followed him through his life as he traveled around the globe, moving to Canada at a young age and later to Denmark and Australia for work before settling in Taiwan. The chef often takes the time to brew soups for himself and his family.
Like Lin, Lam Ming Kin of MICHELIN-starred Longtail is also from Hong Kong, raised by parents who ran a traditional cha chaan teng (Hong Kong-style cafe). Later, even as he left for Taiwan to study and then to Shanghai and Paris for work, homecoming always meant a bowl of soup prepared at the dinner table. He fondly recalls that his mother always regarded a bowl of good soup as a daily necessity, though he admits that his punishing work schedule as a chef means making soup far less frequently than he would like.
Here, the two chefs share their favourite Cantonese-style soups, easy recipes that they fall back on and often cook for themselves and their loved ones to nourish both body and soul.
Richie Lin’s Double-boiled Fish Maw, Dried Scallop and Shiitake Mushroom Soup
Serves 4
An advantage of this soup is that it is almost foolproof, says Lin, though he advises sticking close to the recipe for the soaking times of the ingredients like fish maw.
80g dried fish maw
50g dried scallops
30g dried topshell (gan luo) slices
50g dried shiitake mushrooms
30g dried Chinese yam (huai shan) slices
20g wolfberries
5g old ginger
500g pork rib bones
250g chicken drumstick
Method:
1. Soak the fish maw and scallops in water until soft. In a pot of boiling water, add the ginger and then blanch the soaked fish maw and scallops.
2. Remove the mushroom stems, wash the caps and soak them in water till soft.
3. Rinse all the other ingredients in water.
4. Add all the ingredients in the top pot of a double boiler and cover with hot water. Place into the bottom pot with one or two inches of water and simmer for 3 to 4 hours.
5. Season to taste and serve hot.
Lam Ming Kin’s Pork Ribs and Watercress Soup
Serves 4
This soup is an all-year-round favourite of Lam’s. More attention should be paid to preparing the ingredients before cooking. He suggests washing the watercress with salt water (pictured right, Photo: Lam Ming Kin) before adding it to the soup only when it is boiling at Step 7. Take care also when removing the seeds of the dried red dates as the Cantonese word for the seeds, “yeet hay”, is a homonym for hot air and is said to contribute to hot tempers.
300g carrots
400g watercress
500g pork ribs
6 dried red dates
4 dried palm dates
7 dried figs
2 tbsp sweet almonds
1 tbsp bitter almonds
Method:
1. Remove the seeds of the dried red dates and wash the watercress with salted water.
2. Starting with a pot of cold water and bring the pork ribs to a boil to remove the blood and scum.
3. In another pot, prepare 6 litres of water. Put the washed pork ribs in and add all the ingredients except the watercress.
4. Turn on the fire and bring the pot to boil.
5. Cook on low heat for 10 minutes before turning the heat up high and bringing the soup to a boil.
6. When the soup is boiling hot, add the watercress and wait till it comes to a boil again.
7. Turn to low heat and simmer for 2.5 hours.
8. Season with salt and serve.
This article was written by Hsieh Ming Ling and translated by Rachel Tan. You can read the original text here.
