"only the pure in heart can make a good soup."
- ludwig van beethoven
promotes muscle growth and repairs worn-out tissue
lotus seed - can stop sweating, palpitations, anxiety and insomnia
wolfberries - 杞子 ("gei zi")
natural supplement for improving eyesight and liver
beneficial to the kidneys and enhances sperm production
as the weather cools, the only thing that can warm right to the freezing core seems to be a hot bowl of chinese tonic soup. one of my all time favourites is "wai san, lien zi, chi sut" with lean pork shin.
1. rinse a handful of wai san, a quarter of a handful of lien zi, half a handful of gei zi (i use double this as i LOVE gei zi), half a handful of chi sut and six pieces of dried conch meat in cold water. set aside.
2. place the pork shin in a pot of cold water. turn the cooker on. watch the water come to a boil. switch off the cooker. strain away the water and quickly rinse the meat. repeat this process two more times. it is important the water in the pot is cold to start with so that the impurities (blood residue) is forced out of the meat - hot water to start with will not achieve this.
3. place all of the above ingredients into a large (the largest you have) pot of boiling water. boil for two hours on low heat then leave to seep for two hours. reboil before serving.
