Carrot and Ginger Soup with Butter Beans

I made this soup for lunch. We have been away for 6 days so this was really a case of:

1. What is going off in the fridge?
2. How can I get more vegetables into the kids?
3. How can I stop being so boring in the kitchen? Can I make something different?

I found a bag of shallots that my parents had left in the fridge, and half a bag of carrots that really needed to be used. Fresh, grated ginger gives this soup a zing that lifts it, and the shallots (ordinarily I would consider using onions in soup) gave a lovely sweetness.

I added butter beans before liquidising the soup to thicken, but I also warmed whole butterbeans in the final dish for my middle child, who hunts out the almonds like treasure, when I make Chinese soup. Adding whole butter beans is entirely optional - the little one made faces and picked them all out, but finished what was left in his bowl. Grilled cheese on bagels was the accompaniment of choice.

The butter makes the soup quite rich - for a lighter version, use olive oil.

Ingredients

• 4-5 smallish carrots, approx. 300-350g
• 25g butter (or use olive oil for a lighter soup)
• A small piece of fresh ginger, approx. 1cm cubed
• 3 shallots
• 400ml chicken stock (I used one Kallo Organic chicken stock cube), or vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp ready to use butter beans, drained and rinsed - for liquidising
• (Optional) 100g ready to use butter beans for adding whole to soup
• Salt and pepper to season

Serves 3

Instructions

• Peel the carrots and chop roughly. Peel the shallots and chop roughly
• Melt the butter in a heavy-based pan over a medium heat. When it starts to just bubble, add the shallots and stir to coat. Continue to heat and stir for 2-3 minutes to soften the shallots
• Peel the ginger and grate finely. Add the ginger to the shallots and stir for a minute. Add the carrots and continue to stir for 3-4 minutes
• Add the chicken stock and bring the mixture to the boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle boil, put a lid on the pan and cook for 25 minutes
• Add 2 tbsp cooked, drained butter beans to the pan and cook for a further 5 minutes
• Remove the pan from the heat and liquidise with s stick blender. Add seasoning if necessary
• (Optional) Return the pan to the heat, add a few more spoonfuls of butter beans and warm through
• Serve in warmed bowls

Carrot and Ginger Soup with Butter Beans

Carrot and Coriander Soup

My youngest has been pestering me for "carrot soup" for a couple of weeks now. Where he got the idea from, I haven't a clue. Anyway, I finally got around to making this, prepped last night and made in the slow-cooker today. It tastes fresh, sweet and a little tangy. It is also unbelievably easy - moreso if you buy ground coriander and don't bother dry-roasting and crushing the seeds yourself.

Needless to say, when presented with the desired carrot soup, the youngest had a strop and insisted that he had really meant "bomato soup".

The children took exception to the coriander leaves (placed purely for aesthetic purposes), but cleaned their plates. They loved the soup accompanied by cheesy garlic bread, although the youngest was very suspicious about "why mummy made a flower with the bread?"

 

Ingredients

• 50g butter
• 1 onion, finely sliced
• 6-8 carrots, peeled and chopped into large pieces
• 1 smallish floury potato, peeled and chopped into large pieces
• A piece of peeled raw ginger, approx. 2cm cube
• 1 tsp coriander seeds (or use ground coriander)
• 500ml chicken stock (I used a cube of Kallo organic chicken stock)
• 1 dessertspoon  crème fraiche
• A pinch of salt
• About 10 twists of ground black pepper
• Coriander leaves to garnish

Serves 4

 

Instructions

• Heat a frying pan to a moderate heat, and add the coriander seeds. Stir the seeds in the pan until they begin to colour, and release aroma. Remove the pan from the heat, allow to cool, then crush the seeds with a pestle and mortar
• Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan. When it is melted, add the sliced onion and fry gently for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion is softened and glossy
• Place the carrots and potatoes in a slow-cooker. Grate the ginger into the pot, then add the ground coriander.
• Pour over the hot chicken stock, add a pinch of salt and 10 twists of ground black pepper

(at this stage I let the whole lot cool overnight and put the slow-cooker on in the morning for yummy tea at 5pm)

• Place the slow-cooker on low, and cook for 8 hours. If you don't want to use a slow cooker, place all of the ingredients in a large saucepan, cover and boil gently for 30 minutes
• When the vegetables have cooked until soft, remove from the heat. Add a dessert spoonful of crème fraiche, then blend the soup to a smooth puree
• Check and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve immediately with something toasty and oily

Carrot and Coriander Soup

Slow-Cooker Ham and Vegetable Soup

My kitchen is currently in tatters, due to some disastrous building work, and we have been surviving on one hob for the past few months, as our induction hob gave up the ghost. The kind man from Miele came out and charged me about £100 to tell me that it would cost more to fix than to replace.... nevertheless! A new hob is on order and should be with us in a week. Hooray! My dad will be pleased.

This soup takes about 15 minutes' prep, then you put the slow cooker on as you leave in the morning, and it's ready for dinner, save a bit of chopping and blending. The children were adamant that their favourite soup ever was canned tomato soup (I have a soft spot for this too), but they deigned to scrape their bowls clean, which made me happy. It's filling and comforting

 

Ingredients

• 1 onion, peeled and diced into 5-8mm pieces
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced into 5-8mm pieces
• 1 stick of celery, diced into 5-8mm pieces
• 1 floury potato, peeled and diced into 5-8mm pieces
• 1 slice raw ginger, peeled
• 3 ripe tomatoes
• 1 corn on the cob, stringy bits removed
• The remains of a ham shank, skin/fat removed
• 2 tbsp each of red lentils, pearl barley and green and yellow split peas (or use a handful of soup mix, such as this one)
• 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
• A generous amount of ground black pepper

Serves 5-6

 

Instructions

• Peel the tomatoes by scoring a cross into the base of each one, then submerge in freshly boiled water for 10 minutes. Drain the tomatoes and peel the skins off. Chop roughly
• Rinse the pulses under running water
• Place the ham shank into the bottom of the slow cooker, and add the onion, carrot, celery, potato, ginger, diced tomatoes, corn on the cob (break into half if necessary) and pulses
• Add the dried, mixed herbs and ground black pepper and give everything a stir to mix
• Cover with water and cook on low for 10 hours
• When the soup is cooked, remove the ham shank, ginger and corn on the cob. Place about 1/4 of the soup mixture into a jug and blend until smooth. Return the blend to the soup
• Using a sharp knife, scrape the corn kernels from the cob and return to the soup
• Remove the meat from the ham shank and using a couple of forks, shred the meat thoroughly. Return to the soup
• Give the soup a good stir and add a little more water, if it is too thick. If it is too thin, remove some of the soup, blend and return, and mix
• Serve in big bowls with thick slices of toast (even better if you can melt some cheese on top)

Slow-Cooker Ham and Vegetable Soup

Spinach, Tofu and Mushroom Soup (菠菜豆腐冬菇湯)

I've been clearing out the fridge and freezer over the last two weeks. Being stingy, it pains me to throw out anything unless it's absolutely necessary, so you'll often find odds and sods that I think I'll be able to find a use for somewhere. It's also used as overspill when my generous parents turn up with about 2 weeks' worth of food to make sure that the family doesn't starve - very much appreciated in the busy weeks. On having a root around, I discovered; two bags of pork rind, a bag of random pork bones, a huge amount of mooli cake, some extremely old black pudding, a box of chicken carcasses, two boxes of peeled broccoli stems, a bag of wholemeal breadcrumbs, some pureed beetroot, some chocolate buttercream from goodness knows when and about a million random bread bags with only the end slices remaining (for the ducks).

For dinner tonight, I defrosted the remaining portion of Slow-Cooked Chicken with Chestnut and Potatoes (栗子薯仔炆雞) and decided to use the pork bones to make soup. It gave me the chance to use up some stuff in the fridge too: half a box of tofu, about 6 days past its use-by but smelling ok, and the remaining bunch of spinach from the Chinese supermarket. This spinach is robust and hearty, pulled up by the roots and with the red iron tinge at the base of the stems. It needs to be thoroughly washed in a couple of changes of water before use, otherwise you will find little insects rising to the surface of your soup.

The taste is fresh and packed with flavour; the umami hit of the shiitake mushrooms, the metallic bitterness of the spinach and the creamy softness of the tofu. I make the stock in a slow cooker overnight, then finish the soup just before we eat, but you can also cook on the hob - give the bones and shiitake at least 30 minutes at a gentle boil to let the flavour permeate the water.

The bones were free and I am not worried about picking through them when they fall apart, however for a tidier dish, use some pork ribs or a pork chop instead.

 

Ingredients

• 2-3 pork bones (or use 4-6 pork ribs, or a large pork chop)
• 2 slices of raw ginger, peeled and bashed with the flat of a cleaver
• approx. 1.5-2 litres of water
• 3 dried shiitake mushrooms
• (Optional) 3-4 black peppercorns
• 200g firm tofu, cut into 2-3cm cubes
• A large bunch of spinach, washed thoroughly and chopped half
• Salt to season
• A dash of white pepper
• A few drops of sesame oil

Serves 4-6

 

Instructions

• Reconstitute the shiitake mushrooms by placing them in a bowl and covering with boiling water. Soak for at least 20 minutes, then remove any tough bases on the stalks
• Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add the pork bones and boil for 5 minutes to remove the scum. Drain and rinse thoroughly
• Place the pork bones, ginger and shiitake mushrooms into a slow cooker and cover with water, to about 2/3 of the capacity of the pot. Add the peppercorns. Cook on low overnight
• Skim any fat or remaining scum from the surface of the pot and pour into a saucepan on the hob. Bring to a rolling boil and add the tofu. Bring back to the boil for 1 minute
• Add the spinach to the pot and bring back to the boil, until the leaves are just wilted
• Season generously with salt and add a pinch of white pepper, until the soup meets the desired taste
• Remove from the heat and add a few drops of sesame oil

Spinach, Tofu and Mushroom Soup (菠菜豆腐冬菇湯)

Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup (玉米雞湯)

I'm a bit wary of eating in westernised Chinese restaurants, because it isn't really the sort of food that Chinese people eat at home, there isn't much on the menu that excites me, and I worry that I might be being judged by the staff for not being Chinese enough (I know they've got far more interesting things to think about, but still - if you've heard Chinese people talking about you, assuming that you can't understand them, it stays with you for rather a long time). I still recall a Christmas meal in Frodsham in 1995, where my colleagues were all looking at me interestedly, asking me to show them how to eat egg-fried rice off a plate with chopsticks (you don't).

However, there are certain things on the western Chinese menu that make my mouth water when I see them being carried past my table - salt and chilli ribs, sesame prawns on toast and the smell of a sizzling platter. Also, banana fritters!

We went to the Wah Lei Chinese association Christmas party, which was at The Slow Boat in Chester recently. It was the "all you can eat" banquet menu, which featured many of the usuals (sweet and sour pork, lemon chicken), as well as some less common (the curries and chilli dishes were very tasty). I was pleased to see the eldest tucking into salt and pepper chicken wings with gusto, and the middle hoovering up a whole bowl of chicken and sweetcorn soup.

On New Year's Eve, we had a family meal of roast chicken and most of the leftovers from Christmas - roasties, sprouts, red cabbage and carrots, along with a lovely Christmas pudding, mince pies and as much brandy cream as people could manage. I was left with two chicken carcasses which were just too good not to do anything with, and remembered how much the middle child had enjoyed his chicken and sweetcorn soup.

I've used a slow cooker to make the chicken stock overnight, but if you're short of time, just use pre-made chicken stock and chopped, cooked chicken meat. Watch the seasoning though, and don't add any additional salt before tasting.

 

Ingredients

• Carcasses of two roast chickens
• 1 onion
• 1300ml water, or enough to cover the stock ingredients
• 2 slices of raw ginger, peeled
• 400ml can of creamed corn
• 400ml can of sweetcorn
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Salt and ground white pepper to season
• 5 heaped tsp cornflour to thicken (adjust this amount according to the amount of water/stock used)
• A few drops of sesame oil

Serves 8-10

 

Instructions

• To make the stock, put the chicken carcasses into a slow cooker. Add the slices of ginger, then peel the onion (removing the roots), chop it into half lengthways and add it to the pot.
• Cover the stock ingredients with water and cook on low overnight
• Using a slotted spoon, remove and discard the onion and ginger, then remove as much of the chicken meat and bones as possible to a large bowl. Pour the stock through a sieve into a large saucepan
• Using your hands, separate as much chicken meat from the bones as possible, then chop or shred the meat finely
• Bring the stock to a rolling boil, then add the creamed corn and sweetcorn. Bring back to the boil and add the chicken meat. Stir well and reduce the heat to a moderate boil
• Mix 5 heaped tsp cornflour with 50-70ml water, until you have a smooth mixture. Add this to the stock and bring it back to a moderate boil, stirring occasionally. If the soup is not as thick as you would like, add more cornflour/water mixture, a teaspoon of cornflour at a time
• Reduce the heat to a gentle boil and stir with a ladle. Slowly pour the beaten egg into the soup, stirring continuously. When the egg has all been added, taste the soup, and add salt and ground white pepper to season.
• Remove from the heat and add a few drops of sesame oil. Ladle into bowls and serve immediately

Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup (玉米雞湯)

Pork Ribs and Papaya Soup (木瓜排骨湯)

So on one of my sad Friday evening ambles to the supermarket, I spotted a couple of papaya for 39p and how could I resist? I swear it was Il Divo blaring "Oh Holy Night" over the loudspeakers that messed with my head.

Pretty much the only time I ever have papaya is after having a baby, as it's rumoured to be good for milk production - and my dad has a "bible" of all of the foods that a new mother can eat. Literally, meal by meal by meal for about six weeks post-birth! We usually come to blows by about week 4, but really Dad, I love and appreciate your efforts!

This soup is normally done with peanuts, but the youngest is starting to show signs of a peanut intolerance, so I've substituted with almonds. I've used "north" (bitter) and "south" (sweet) almonds in this soup, and the mix should be approx north:south 1:3. If you can't get the north and south almonds, then use raw peanuts (a small handful) or even maybe try normal almonds.

I cooked this soup in my 婆婆's 3 litre crockpot (probably older than I am). It could also be cooked in a pan, brought to the boil then simmered for a couple of hours, or in a vacuum cooker.

 

Ingredients

• 350g pork ribs
• 1 dried octopus (章魚幹)
• A thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled
• 2 papaya, deseeded, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 2 red dates (jujubes)
• 1/2 tbsp north almonds
• 1 1/2 tbsp south almonds
• 2-3 tsp salt

Serves 6

 

Instructions

• Rinse the dried octopus and scrape off any sand or grit. Cut into 3 or 4 pieces
• Place the ribs into a pan, pour over boiling water and boil for 5 minutes, to get rid of any scum and impurities. Drain and rinse under water
• Place all of the ingredients except for the papaya into a 3 litre crockpot and pour over enough water to nearly fill the pot
• Cook on high for 6-7 hours. 2 hours before the end, add the papaya to the pot
• At the end of the cooking, add 2 tsp salt to the soup and taste. Add more salt if required, until you have achieved the required taste

Pork Ribs and Papaya Soup (木瓜排骨湯)

Oxtail and Black Bean Soup (牛尾黑豆湯)

I've been feeling utterly utterly rotten over the past couple of weeks. After a week of soldiering on (taking telephone calls from my bed when I couldn't even walk!), and just not being able to shake it, I consulted Dr Google, who told me I had a terminal illness.

It turned out to be a nasty attack of tonsillitis, but it's been a sobering couple of days. You just expect to pick yourself up and get on with it, but everytime I exerted myself even a little, my recovery backtracked a few paces. Coupled with that, the toddler came down with a nasty case of chicken pox, meaning he couldn't leave the house - and he was so unsettled with a sick mum at home, I ended up hiding at my mum and dad's empty house, snatching a couple of hours' sleep when I could.

With my parents abroad on holiday, I've had to DIY it with the Chinese tonic soup. Their answer to everything lies in soup and I'm inclined to agree with them as the years go by. I searched high and low for a guinea fowl (found one in Sainsbury's Christleton), in the absence of a black-skinned chicken (烏雞) for improvising a soup, and I lived on it for a couple of days.

Tonight I'm making oxtail and black bean soup in the slow cooker. This is a lovely, hearty soup. The taste is fresh and savoury, with only a few simple ingredients. The oxtail and beans can be drained and served as a separate dish with rice - sprinkle over some light soy sauce, some ground white pepper and a few drops of sesame oil.

 

Ingredients

• 750g oxtail
• 150g dried black beans, soaked overnight
• 2 thick slices ginger, peeled and bashed with the flat of a cleaver
• 1/4 dried tangerine peel
• 4 dried shiitake mushrooms, reconstituted in hot water (keep the water)
• 2 dried jujubes, reconsitituted in water, or alternatively 1 tsp sugar
• Salt to taste

Serves 4-6

 

Instructions

• If you have time, soak the oxtail for a couple of hours. Trim off as much excess fat as you can, place in a pan and pour over boiled water. Boil gently for about 5 minutes to remove the scum and impurities. Drain and rinse with cold water
• Drain the black beans and rinse with water. Place in a pan with fresh water and boil vigorously for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water
• Soak the tangerine peel in hot water until soft. Using a sharp knife, scrape any pith from the peel - this will make the soup bitter. Discard the pith
• Place the black beans, oxtail, tangerine peel, ginger, jujubes and shiitake mushrooms into a slow cooker. Add the mushroom-soaking water, then add 6 bowls of water until all of the ingredients are covered
• Switch on the slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours
• After cooking, skim any oil from the surface, taste the soup and add salt to taste. If you have not used jujubes, then add a teaspoon of sugar
• Serve with rice and vegetables - the oxtail and black beans can be served separately from the soup, with a little light soy sauce, white pepper and sesame oil to dress

Meat and beans served separately from the soup

Hearty dinner with some steamed rice and boiled broccoli

Roasted Tomato and Sweet Potato Soup

No photo for this, unfortunately. It's one that I started as I prepared breakfast at 6.30am, then left on the hob for the children to have for their dinner, with sandwiches. It has a lovely sweet, but tangy taste, and can be made more substantial with the addition of red lentils.

Ingredients

• 3-4 ripe tomatoes, sliced in half
• A few pinches of dried, mixed Italian herbs (oregano, thyme, marjoram etc.)
• Olive oil to drizzle
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2 cm chunks
• (Optional) 2 tablespoons of red lentils, rinsed and drained
• 350ml chicken or vegetable stock (I use Kallo organic chicken stock cubes)
• 1/2 an onion, sliced
• 1 small potato, roughly diced
• 25g butter
• Salt and ground black pepper
• (Optional) spoonful of creme fraiche

Serves 3-4

Instructions

• Place the tomatoes onto a baking tray, cut side up. Grind a twist of salt, pepper and a sprinkle of dried herbs onto each one, and drizzle with a little olive oil. Place in the oven at 185 degrees for 35 minutes
• Melt the butter in a heavy-based pan and add the onions, potato and sweet potato. Stir for 5 minutes until the onion is softened
• Add the tomatoes and all the baking tray juices (and optional the red lentils), and heat until bubbling
• Add the chicken stock, so that the vegetables are just covered. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a gentle boil, cover the pan and leave for 30 minutes
• Once the cooking is finished, blend to a smooth consistency, and swirl in the creme fraiche, if desired
• Serve with thick, buttered toast - even better if there are poppy or sesame seeds involved

Tomato and Potato Soup (番茄土豆湯)

Chinese soup is tricky. I remember my 婆婆 used to have great glass jars of weird and wonderful things in her cupboards, looking like roots, shoots, bits of bark, dried fruits, nuts and (eek) crucified lizards. She would take a bit of this, a bit of that, mix it all and create a soup. And as a child, I hated soup. Hated it. It was always scalding hot and full of weird slimy things. And I wasn't allowed to leave the table until I'd finished it!

Nowadays, I love soup. Whenever I see my parents, they usually give me a flask of the stuff to take away, which is a good thing because I never get round to making it myself. It's much easier now, as you can buy a packet soup mix in the Chinese supermarket, add a bit of meat and water, boil it for several hours and forget about it.

Chinese Soup Mix Example

Tomato and potato soup is dead easy and doesn't require a trip to the Chinese supermarket. It takes about an hour to cook and can be eaten with rice for a light supper, or accompanied by other dishes. My parents would be horrified if they knew I only had soup and rice for dinner sometimes!

Ingredients

• 3 large tomatoes, sliced into wedges
• 2 floury potatoes, peeled and sliced into large chunks
• 1/2 an onion, sliced
• 2-3 slices of peeled, raw ginger
• A handful of pork ribs, or a pork loin steak (substitute vegetable stock for a vegetarian version)
• Salt and ground white pepper to taste

Serves 4

Instructions

• Place the ribs or loin steak in a pan, fill with water and bring to the boil for 5 minutes, to remove the scum. Drain, rinse the meat and pan, then replace the ribs in the pan and add the ginger, onions and tomatoes
• Fill the pan with water (around 1-1.5 litres) and bring to the boil. Put the lid on and boil gently for 30 -40 minutes
• After 30-40 minutes, add the potatoes, then boil for approx. 30 minutes until the potatoes are soft
• Season to your taste with salt and ground white pepper and serve

Tomato and Potato Soup