Chicken Soup With Dried Scallop and Flower Mushroom 瑤柱花菇雞湯

In English they're both called dried scallops, but in Chinese sometimes we call such "scallop" ingredient Gan Bei 干貝 or Yao Zhu 瑤柱. To make it even more confusing, there's also Yuan Bei 元貝.

While the Gan Bei and Yao Zhu generally means the same dried scallops, Yuan Bei on the other hand usually refers to the best quality dried scallops of them all. Better origin, better shape, and better size. 

Basically you get what you pay for, and there can be a big price variation for such ingredient. So just use whichever tier of dried scallop that you're comfortable with. We do want to make a fancier version of chicken soup this time, but not THAT fancy and leaving you with a hole in the pocket.  

Chicken soup with dried scallop and flower mushroom 瑤柱花菇雞湯 -

Ingredients (about 5 to 6 medium servings)?

• 12 medium large dried flower mushrooms (or shiitake mushrooms)
• 10 medium dried scallops
• 1/2 chicken (I used one whole smaller chicken)
• 1 chunk ginger
• Some salt
• Some water

How? 

This recipe needs to prep the day before. So first rinse the dried flower or shiitake mushrooms, then soak the mushrooms using 5 cups of room temperature water. Cover the container with a lid or cling foil, into the fridge overnight.

Do the same for dried scallops, but use 4 cups of water instead.

On the actual cooking day, keep all the soaking water. Take out the mushrooms first and trim-off the tougher stems. As for the scallops, remove the tougher muscle on the side if needed. I didn't do that for my batch of scallops and didn't encounter anything chewy when enjoying the soup.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil then add in the chicken. Just a quick boil in the hot water, kind of like semi-drawing out the dirty bits. Shouldn't take more than five minutes. Once ready, remove the chicken and rinse under cold water.

Now have a big pot ready and add in the chicken. Transfer the mushrooms, mushroom soaking water, scallops, and scallop soaking water to the pot. Also add more water till about one centimeter higher than the ingredients in the pot. I added 3 more cups here.

Scrape and slice a small chunk of ginger, about 1.5 mm in thickness. We need 2 to 3 slices, add that to the pot also.

Bring the whole thing to a boil first then lower the heat to keep it at a light bubbling stage. Put on the lid and continue to cook for at least 40 minutes. Especially during the first 10 minutes, pay attention and scoop out any grey foamy bits floating on top.

Only season the soup with some salt in the end. I used one teaspoon here. Also remember to pick out the ginger slices in the end.

The soup is good by itself. However, I love to scoop some overnight cold rice to the hot soup and enjoy it as a complete meal. 

For noodle lovers, simply cook up some Chinese flour-based noodles, drain, then add to the soup. The most just add a little chili sauce for an extra kick.

Other Asian soup recipes:

• Korean spicy beef and radish soup
• Wonton skin soup
• Clear stewed beef soup with daikon and corn 無油煙版清燉牛肉湯
• Chicken mushroom and tomato soup in clear broth
• Radish corn and pork ribs soup 蘿蔔玉米排骨湯

Stuffed Pepper Soup Precooked Basmati Rice Version

Have you noticed the main difference between a western soup and a Chinese soup? I was surprised that how thick and stuffed for some of the western soups, especially from the states. It's almost like a full-on meal to me, the actual soupy part was just like a wee bit extra juice inside the bowl.

As for the Chinese soup, it's really focus on the liquid part. The ingredients inside are the supporting roles instead. I guess that's why in Chinese we call it "drink" the soup instead of western's "eat" the soup.

Stuffed pepper soup precooked basmati rice version - 

Ingredients (about 5 portions)?

• 2 rice measuring cups/about 1 1/2 regular cups basmati rice
• 500 grams ground beef
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1 medium onion
• 2 big garlic cloves
• 1 small bundle flat leaf parsley
• 1 box/about 400ml beef stock
• 1 can/about 400ml total but 200ml solids whole tomatoes
• 2 medium fresh tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Some salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried onion powder
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons yellow mustard

How?

Precook 2 rice measuring cups of basmati rice, should be around 1 1/2 regular measuring cups if you don't have the smaller rice measuring cups on hand. Better to cook the rice the day before and use a bit less water than usual in order to get a more suitable dryer result for this recipe.

Peel and dice the onion. Peel and chop the garlic cloves. Cube the fresh tomatoes. Destem, remove the seeds and pith, and dice all the bell peppers. Chop the leafy part of the parsley.

Bring out a Dutch oven or a big pot, drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil then switch to medium heat. Wait till a bit warm then add in the ground beef. Cook and mix a bit till the meat changes to a whiter color.

Drain out excess fat if needed then add in diced onion. Cook for couple minutes. Add in garlic, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Continue to cook for two more minutes.

Add in all the bell peppers and stir-fry for about a minute. Drain the canned tomatoes then pour into the pot. Also transfer diced fresh tomatoes to the mixture too.

There we add 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, 1/4 teaspoon of dried onion powder, 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of yellow mustard. Mix and let it cook for couple minutes. 

Pour in the beef stock then bring the whole thing to a boil, then lower the heat to keep it at a medium bubbling stage. Just leave it there and cook for around 20 minutes. Stir once a while to prevent sticking on the bottom. 

It's time to add the cooked rice, you can bring the rice out straight from the fridge and add to the soup. Mix and cook for couple minutes should be enough. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. I actually added a little more salt here.

Mix in chopped flat leaf parsley and let it cook for 30 more seconds. Scoop and serve.

Some also like to add some shredded cheese to the stuffed pepper soup, but I intended to keep it as "lactose-free" version. However, you can definitely mix in some cheese towards the end for a more "luscious and mouthful" type of comfort. 

Other western soup recipes:

• Chicken orzo soup
• Minnesota wild rice soup
• Ham and potato soup
• Caldo de albóndigas (Mexican meatball soup)
• Sopa de estrellitas

A Little Comfort in Chilly Weather - Korean Spicy Beef and Radish Soup

Making the soup itself is not hard at all. In fact, the most strenuous part lies on the soybean sprouts picking. If you're lucky, you can find the pre-trimmed soybean sprouts at the market. Even with a bit higher price, I highly recommend you to just get it for your eyesight and labor's sake.

I couldn't find any pre-trimmed soybean sprouts though, so I have to pick out the roots one by one. My eyes were sore and my fingertips were hurt, but was able to prepare a total of 180 grams of soybean sprouts while enjoying one episode of Korean drama.

Korean spicy beef and radish soup - 

Ingredients?

• 400 grams tender beef chunks
• 1 medium radish
• 1 pack/150 grams brown beech mushroom
• 1 pack/180 grams soybean sprouts
• 1 stalk scallion
• 3 medium pieces kombu
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 to 4 tablespoons Korean red chili powder
• 1 jalapeño pepper (optional)
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• Some soy sauce
• Some salt
• 10 cups hot water

How?

Slice the beef to medium to large size chunks. There is no need to drench the beef in hot water first, we will just sear the raw meat straight in oil later on.

Destem and peel the radish, also slice to big chunks. Destem and section the scallion. Peel and slice the garlic cloves. Destem the mushroom and separate to individual pieces. Lastly and the most time-consuming, pick out the soybean sprout roots. You don't really have to but the texture is much better without the roots.

Have a big pot ready and drizzle in 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, use Korean sesame oil if available. Switch to medium high heat and wait till warmed. Add in beef chunks and sear till some sides darkened.

Add in radish chunks, scallion, and garlic slices. Stir-fry till aromatic.

Add in chili powder, use 2 tablespoons if you can't really handle the heat, but do increase the amount to 4 tablespoons or even more for that extra flavor kick. Give the whole thing a quick stir-fry then add in 2 tablespoons of soy sauce. Give it a quick mix.

Pour in 10 cups of hot water. Also add in 3 pieces of kombu. I simply use a scissor and cut my long string of kombu to three shorter sections instead.

Bring the whole thing to a boil then adjust the heat to keep it at a medium bubbling stage. Cook till radish can be poked through easily with a fork or a chopstick, and the beef is tender to the bite. Mine took about 45 minutes.

Add in soybean sprouts and mushroom, cook till both softened, about 10 more minutes.

Add 1 tablespoon of fish sauce and let it cook for one more minute. Now it's time to taste and adjust with any additional seasonings if needed. I actually added 1 more tablespoon of soy sauce and 1 more teaspoon of salt to the pot.

Pick out the kombu when the soup is ready and set. Scoop to serving bowls and top with chopped/ringed jalapeño pepper if desired. Note that jalapeños can be quite spicy, so use with caution please. 

Besides enjoying this recipe as a soup, you can definitely cook up some rice or noodles and eat together with it. Especially for the rice, and not just steamy hot rice, I mean leftover cold rice is even better.

Simply scoop very hot soup right on top of cold rice, then you'll end up with just the right temperature as a whole and "al dente" rice in the end.

You don't really have to stick with soybean sprouts, especially if you find other type of bean sprouts that was already trimmed, just get it. A little variation on the ingredients won't hurt, but loading up too much kitchen prep work on yourself will. 

Other Korean recipes:

• Korean soy marinated eggs
• Spicy Korean cucumber salad
• Korean braised potatoes (gamja jorim)
• SPAM and gochujang kimchi stew

What to Do With Leftover Wonton or Dumpling Skin? How About Wonton Skin Soup?

I don't want to say impossible, but how about at least 90% of the time when making wontons or dumplings, it's very hard to achieve the perfect ratio for the filling and the wrapper, so that you get zero leftover ingredients in the end. To me, it's the few wrappers that are usually being left behind. So what are you going to do with it, especially when it's only about like 20, 10, or even single digit number of wrappers left?

Let's not waste the wonton skin or dumpling wrappers. First you can store them in the freezer, and only need to defrost them one day ahead in the fridge before use. When it comes to the actual cooking time, how about turning the leftover ingredient into a comforting Asian soup?

Wonton skin soup - 

Ingredients (about 6 portions)?

• 20 wonton skin
• 450 grams ground pork
• 4 eggs
• 1 bundle/about 250 grams crown daisy leaves (tong hao)
• 2 stalks scallion
• 1 small chunk ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Some black pepper
• Some Japanese tsuyu
• 8 cups water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

How?

Destem and chop the scallion, separate the green and the white part. Scrape then finely chop the ginger. Trim-off the ends then cut into shorter sections for the crown daisy leaves. You can also use other soft and aromatic leafy greens, such as Japanese mizuna.

As for the wonton or dumpling skin, slice in half if the size is too big, doesn't matter triangular or rectangular shape.

Take out a big pot and drizzle two tablespoons of preferred cooking oil. Switch to medium heat. Add in the white section of scallion along with chopped ginger. We will need about 4 tablespoons of chopped scallion white here. If not enough, use some green part. 

And it's about 1 tablespoon chopped ginger here. Also add 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook till aromatic. Add in ground pork and cook till the meat turns to a whiter color.

Pour in 8 cups of water and bring to a boil. Keep it boiling for another minute then adjust the heat to keep the pot at a medium/small boiling stage.

Add in soft leafy greens and cook till wilted.

It's time to add in the wonton or dumpling skin. Cook till soft or desired texture. Taste and season with enough Japanese tsuyu. The amount of tsuyu varies especially there are like double condensed, triple condensed, and many other versions. Just season to your own taste.

Once the flavor has been checked. Switch to low heat. Beat 4 eggs on the side then pour in the eggs while slowly stirring the soup at the same time. Aiming for silky beaten egg throughout the soup.

Scoop and crack some black pepper on top. Garnish with some chopped scallion greens and serve right away.

Now you know what to do next time with leftover wonton skin or dumpling wrappers.

By the way, I personally prefer using leftover wonton skin more than dumpling wrappers. Because wonton skin has this velvety texture, and very smooth to the touch once fully cooked, which works better in this rather lightly flavored stock.

Extended reading:

• Less oil fried cream cheese wontons
• Shrimp and pork wontons in vinegar and chili oil sauce

Clear Stewed Beef Soup with Daikon and Corn 無油煙版清燉牛肉湯

It can get quite chilly in Taipei, despite that the temperature shown on the thermometer doesn't seem too bad. After talking to several friends back in the states, where their temperature reading can be way lower than Taipei, they all agree that sometimes Taipei can feel much colder.

My years of confusion was then solved. The reason is due to humidity. Taipei is much more humid compared to CA. Many people have to use the dehumidifier every day in Taipei, while back in the states I've always have a humidifier on to prevent nose bleed in the morning. So the humidity in which changes the "feels like" temperature drastically.

The chilly weather can be quite confusing in Taipei during winter months, as for this week, I've decided to prepare a cold-fighting remedy at home - clear stewed beef soup. Something warm and comforting. Let it be cold, wet, or freezing out there, as long as I got this hot soup at home, everything will be just as cozy.

Clear stewed beef soup with daikon and corn 無油煙版清燉牛肉湯 - 

Ingredients (about 6 to 8 portions)?

• 680 grams/1.5 lbs beef ribs or brisket
• 2 corns
• 1 daikon radish
• 1 onion
• 1 small chunk ginger
• 1 small bundle cilantro
• 2 to 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• Some salt
• Some water

How?

Slice the beef to big bite size pieces. Peel and slice the daikon to medium large size chunks. Peel and halve the onion. 

Cut the corn to shorter chunks. One corn can be divided to about 3 sections. Chop the cilantro. Scrape-off the skin for the ginger then cut to about 1.5mm slices. We will need 3 to 4 ginger slices here.

Prepare a big pot and fill with water. Add in the beef and switch to high heat. Bring to a boil then adjust the heat to keep it at a light bubbling stage. Continue to cook till more foamy bits floating on top, about couple minutes. Drain and set aside.

Have the big pot again and pour in 10 cups of water. Also add in prepped beef along with daikon, onion, corn, ginger slices, bay leaves, and whole black peppercorns.

Bring to a boil then adjust the heat to keep it at a light bubbling stage. Skim-off any additional foamy bits on top for the first 10 minutes. Shouldn't be too bad. Put the lid on and cook till both the beef and daikon can be poked through with a chopstick. Mine took about an hour and half.

Remove the lid. Give the soup a taste and adjust the amount of salt used. I added 3 teaspoons of salt here. Scoop out unwanted ingredients, such as ginger slices, smushy onion, peppercorns, and bay leaves.

Scoop the soup and some ingredients to serving bowls. Add some chopped cilantro for a brighter note. 

I personally like to add some white pepper powder to the soup, love that additional herbal note and extra warmth.

Other Asian soup recipes:

• Chicken mushroom and tomato soup in clear broth
• Radish corn and pork ribs soup 蘿蔔玉米排骨湯
• Tomato egg and tofu soup 番茄雞蛋豆腐湯
• Magao clam and chicken soup 馬告蛤蜊雞湯

Big Big Servings of Chicken Orzo Soup

I got too greedy again and ended up with a giant pot of chicken orzo soup. So if you're trying to find a one pot recipe to feed a big family, this is it. No need to look somewhere else, I promise this recipe will be be enough to feed even ten people at once.

Chicken orzo soup - 

Ingredients (about 8 big bowls)?

• 1 pack/500 grams orzo
• 2 big pieces chicken breasts
• 1 big onion
• 1 big stalk celery
• 1 large carrot
• 1 lemon
• 1 small bundle flat leaf parsley
• 1 box baby salad greens
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 4 cups water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Some salt
• Some black pepper

How?

Basically just the so called mirepoix so destem and cube the celery, peel and cube the carrot, peel and cube the onion. As for other ingredients, peel and chop the garlic cloves, finely chop the parsley.

Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a big pot, I used a Dutch oven. Switch to medium heat and wait till warm up a bit. Add in chopped celery, carrot, and onion. Also add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper.

Mix once a while and cook for about 10 minutes. Then add in chopped garlics. Continue to cook for couple more minutes.

Pour in 8 cups of chicken stock plus 4 cups of water. Also add 2 bay leaves. Turn up the heat a little.

Add in whole chicken breasts and cook in slightly bubbling stock till fully cooked through. Remove the meat from the pot and wait till cool down a little. Use a fork to shred the chicken.

As for the soup, add in orzo after removing the chicken breasts. Use medium heat and cook till the orzo reaches desired texture. Mine took about 10 minutes.

Grate in the zest of one lemon then squeeze in half of the lemon juice. You can use whole lemon juice depending on taste preference.

Add the baby salad greens, also add the shredded chicken back to the pot. Just a quick mix, the leafy greens should be wilted pretty fast. Taste and adjust with any seasonings if needed. I added 1/2 teaspoon of salt here.

Once flavor has been checked. If you can find the bay leaves, pick them out. Add in half of the chopped parsley and give the soup and quick stir.

Scoop the chicken orzo soup to serving bowls and garnish with some of the remaining chopped parsley. You can also crack more black pepper on top for additional spicy note.

If you can't find baby salad greens, any sort of soft leafy greens or even tender peas will do. I simply add the leafy greens for nutritional values, nothing else. 

By the way, if you happen to have leftovers, remember the orzo might continue to soak in the stock. That means you might have to pour in more chicken stock during the reheating process. 

I personally don't mind eating not as soupy orzo soup. In fact, I actually enjoyed the leftover chicken orzo soup without any additional liquid. I even paired that with spicy sausages on the side, like one extra side dish to enjoy together.

Extended reading:

• Dairy-free chorizo and colorful bell pepper orzo

Chicken Mushroom and Tomato Soup in Clear Broth

Simple Asian, more so Japanese style soup that can be done in 30 minutes. I also specifically put "clear broth" in the title so that this recipe won't get confused with western style creamy and thick type of soup. Just an easy, light, and comforting soup quickly put on the dining table.

Chicken mushroom and tomato soup in clear broth -

Ingredients (about 6 bowls)?

• 1 boneless skin-on chicken leg
• 10 shiitake mushrooms
• 1 pack/120 grams white shimeji mushroom
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 stalk scallion
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 cups hot water
• Some salt
• Some black pepper

How?

Trim-off excess fat and remove any tendons for the boneless skin-on chicken leg. Slice the meat to medium bite size pieces.

Destem the shiitake mushrooms then slice the caps. Destem the shimeji mushroom and separate to individual pieces. 

Destem the tomatoes and slice to medium size chunks. Scrape then grate the ginger. Destem then chop the scallion, also separate the white and green part. We will use mostly the white part for searing, but simply add some scallion greens if lacking enough white part.

Bring out a big pot and drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Switch to medium heat and wait till the oil warms up. Add in chicken pieces, try to put the skin side down first. Sear till slightly golden then flip and sear the other side.

Once the chicken has a slightly golden color on some parts, scoop out and save for later.

Still using the same pot, add more oil if needed, aim for a thin layer of oil evenly spread out on the surface. Use medium heat and add in all the white section of the chopped scallion and grated ginger. I actually add in most of the green part too, only saving a little for garnish in the end. Stir-fry till aromatic.

Add both mushrooms to the pot, stir-fry for one minute. Transfer the chicken back to the pot.

Add the tomatoes along with 5 cups of hot water. Bring the entire pot to a boil then adjust the heat to keep the soup at a light bubbling stage. Continue to cook for five minutes. Meanwhile, skim-off any foamy bits floating on top if any.

Taste and season the soup with salt and some black pepper. I added about 1 tablespoon of salt. Once ready, scoop the soup to serving bowls and garnish with some chopped scallion greens.

You don't have to follow the exact ingredients I'm using here. Perhaps switch the mushroom varieties, or maybe add some silken tofu, all sounds pretty delicious.

Usually I would serve it along with main meal and some side dishes. However, I did save some soup to enjoy just by itself. Usually around late afternoon, when I'm a bit hungry but don't want to fill myself up before dinner. This soup can be a good energy booster in between meals.

Other Asian soup recipes:

• Radish corn and pork ribs soup 蘿蔔玉米排骨湯
• Tomato egg and tofu soup 番茄雞蛋豆腐湯
• Magao clam and chicken soup 馬告蛤蜊雞湯