Quick Quick Slow

For me, the aroma of slow-cooked Chinese soup (老火湯) simmering on the stove always evokes a sense of calm and comfort around the home.  Growing up, this aroma was often associated with quiet afternoons at home, when I would hear the gentle humming of the washer or dryer as laundry was being done, or the distant buzz of a lawnmower outside, accompanied by the occassional crackle of the weekend paper as a page was turned.  Even now as I am quietly working, I am comforted by the sound of the murmuring kitchen fan as the fragance of the soup, gently cooking on the stove, wafts throughout the house.  

Slow-cooked Chinese soup has long been a staple of Cantonese cuisine and of my home.  These broths can be made with a multitude of ingredients, including fresh and dried fruits and vegetables, meat, seafood, and Chinese herbs.  Countless books have been written on the health benefits of different types of soups, but my personal favorites are those made with fresh fruits and vegetables.  The literal translation of 老火湯 is "old (or long) fire soup", meaning that it usually requires a long cooking process.  I borrowed the title of this post "quick quick slow" from a chapter of Nigella Express in which Nigella Lawson shares recipes that require a short preparation time followed by a lengthier cooking time.  It seemed fitting, since this is precisely what slow-cooked Chinese soup entails.  The preparation of ingredients often does not involve much more than washing and cutting, while the actual simmering of the soup often takes a few hours. 

When my husband and I were visiting my grandma in Hong Kong a few years ago, she made a slow-cooked carrot and corn soup, which has now became my husband's favourite soup.  Corn isn't in season yet, so I've been making carrot and green radish soup lately, which is a classic soup that I grew up drinking. 

There are a few additional "secret" ingredients that help to heighten the flavour of this soup.  Dried scallop or conpoy (乾瑤柱), which is considered a Chinese delicacy, helps to enhance the natural sweetness of this soup.  The dried scallops that I use are of Japanese origin - I use them sparingly now since the price of Japanese-produced dried seafood has skyrocketed since last year's tsunami.  They do require soaking before making the soup, and both the rehydrated scallop and soaking liquid are used to flavour the soup. 

Meat adds richness to the soup, so I use boneless pork shank (豬腱), fresh duck gizzards (鴨腎, part of the duck giblets), and cured duck gizzards (臘鴨腎).  The cured duck gizzards add a natural savouriness to the soup, and are processed in a similar way as Chinese cured sausages (臘腸).   Finally, I add dried fruit to lend some natural sweetness to the soup: dried longan (圓肉) and dried honey dates (蜜棗).  Both plump up as the soup slowly simmers. 

Once the ingredients have been prepared, the hardest part about cooking the soup is being patient, especially as the delicious aroma of the soup entices you over the next few hours!  I grew up drinking soup that was slowly simmered over the stove, and that is how I continue to prepare my soup today.  I'm slightly less patient than my mom, since I've reduced the simmering time for my soups from 3 hours to 2 hours.  Simmering soup on the stove for hours is time-consuming and not very energy-efficient, and there are many greener options these days, such as the ever popular thermal cooker (真空煲).  I personally still prefer the old-fashioned, stove-top method as the soup is able to slowly condense and concentrate while simmering away on the stove, and the resulting flavour is more rich and full.  Whichever way you enjoy preparing this slow-cooked soup, there is no doubt that you will be rewarded with a delicious bowl of comfort, warmth, and tradition.

Carrot and Green Radish Soup (青紅蘿蔔湯)     

Ingredients:

4 medium carrots (紅蘿蔔)

1 medium green radish ((青蘿蔔)

1 dried scallop (乾瑤柱), soak in water overnight

1/2 boneless pork shank

4-6 fresh duck gizzards (鴨腎)

1 large cured duck gizzard (臘鴨腎) 

Small handful of dried longan (圓肉)

2 dried honey dates (蜜棗) 

Salt to taste

1)  Rinse all ingredients.  Peel and cut carrots and green radish.

2)  Using your fingers, roughly separate the rehydrated scallop into strands.  Add the scallop strands and soaking liquid to a pot, and fill with water until about 60% full.

3)  Bring water to a boil, and add all other ingredients.

4)  Bring the soup to a boil, turn the heat down to medium-high, and simmer for 1 hour.

5)  After 1 hour, turn the heat down to medium, and simmer for another 1 hour.

6)  Add salt to taste, and enjoy!