Chinese Soup / Bo Tong

[Tough Cookie]

I did a google and couldn't find a thread on this so here is my question to you - what is the right amount of water to the length of cooking time and/or amount of ingredients? I always seem to not have enough soup by the time the soup tastes right (I like the soup to be very rich or yoong) or I add too much water and it takes too long to make the soup. Ultimately, I would like to have four large bowls of soup. Doing this by trial and error is not fun!

Thanks for your help.

[Tepee]

Herbal soups to 'bo' you all pink and pretty.

Usually, if using the straight boiling method, given 1 person's portion of herbs, soups are boiled and simmered down for 2 hours from 4 bowls of liquid to 1 bowl, for a very thick soup. If you want 4 big bowls (wow!), you will have to increase the herbs and meat (if any) proportionately to get the thickness you want.

Then again, you can boil the soup in a crockpot or double-boiler, where there's minimal evaporation. If you start off with 4 bowls, you will end up close to it.

Edit: the link is bad. Just go to http://www.kuali.com and type in herbal soups in the search feature.

Edited April 29, 2005 by Tepee (log)

[Dejah]

My Mom says I always make my soup "yoong". No surprise there! So, I can't give you any proportions.

Do most of you always make just enough soup for X bowls? I always make too much to ensure leftovers. This may be kept for another day. My s-i-l often portions her leftovers abd freezes them for maybe next week.

[Shalmanese]

All the chinese bao tang I've seen have been made much like a western white stock except with different ingredients.

Gently simmering over many hours, flavours not too intense, use the bits of the pork with lots of gelatinous tissue, ie: near the bones.

In restaurants, they usually start the soup early in the morning and add whatever scraps are left over from prep throughout the day AFAIK. In a home kitchen, I would just pull out your biggest stockpot and fill with ingredients and just cover with water and simmer all day. Strain out the solids from the liquids and freeze seperately. Every time you feel like bao tang, just combine, let come to the boil and serve.

[Tough Cookie]

Thanks for your tip in freezing the soup but unfortunately I have a tiny freezer - no room for "soup for a rainy day"! I was hoping for some easy metric to remember - something like: for two bowls, have X amount of ingredients and X amount of water and boil for X hours straight and then simmer for X hours. I guess it just takes practice.

[merrybaker]

Here's a recipe for Homemade Chicken Broth from The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen by Grace Young. It uses 10 cups water, which is probably more than you want. So you could just make half, or 2/3, to get the right amount. I haven't tried it, but it sounds easy and versatile.

[Dejah]

I have a question about a Chinese soup green.

It's called Gow Gai in Cantonese. The plant is from the same family as wolfberry, except you use the leaves for soup. The leaves of the wolfberry plant are longer and not good for soup.

My students and other Chinese professors at the university are not familiar with this plant. I took some to school today to give to one of them for soup. They are all from Beijing, Shanghi, northeast, Mongolia, etc.

So, is this a southern plant? Cantonese? Toisanese?

I remember as a child , it was one of my fav. soups: Gow Gai Dan Fa Tong.

It is made either with sliced pork or pork liver and swirls of egg.

[Ben Hong]

Sue-On, yep that is one of my favourite soups. Gotta love the pork liver.

I google gowgai and came up with wolfberry. I didn't know that there was a similar, but different plant. Hmmmm

[Dejah]

Sue-On, yep that is one of my favourite soups. Gotta love the pork liver.

I google gowgai and came up with wolfberry. I didn't know that there was a similar, but different plant. Hmmmm

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The wolfberry grows into a bush with curved branches lined with berries in late summer.

The gow gai never gets to grow into a bush as the stalks are cut each spring when the leaves are still young. Once the leaves are taken off for soup, the stalks are stuck back into the garden to produce more for next year. They do produce new shoots, but..I haven't grown them for so long...memory....

I DID stick these stalks into my flowerbed this time. Let's see if they will grow.

I also planted some bulblets from my bak hap (edible lily bulbs). I love that soup!

[Ben Hong]

Lycium palladium and lycium Sinense are both called wolfberry plants. The former is a native of the west and southwest of the USA and is not edible. The former is Chinese in origin and is often called the Chinese wonder herb. Those who like it, like it a lot.

[Hest88]

Tough Cookie, my mom always tells me to add the soup ingredients and add enough water just to cover them by a finger's width or two. I know that's not as precise as you wanted, but it's actually an easier measurement than a *real* measurement.

[Dejah]

Lycium palladium and lycium Sinense are both called wolfberry plants. The former is a native of the west and southwest of the USA and is not edible. The former is Chinese in origin and is often called the Chinese wonder herb. Those who like it, like it a lot.

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Ben: Thanks for the info'.

I was talking to s-i-l this evening. She said you can eat the leaves from the wolfberry bush, but they tend to be tough and a bit bitter...so best to leave that just for the berries.

The wolfberries are very sweet when eaten raw and fresh. When China was small, she used to sit in the garden eating them right off the bush.

My mom picks them WITH the stem intact. These are laid out and air-dried away from the sun. They keep their brilliant red colour when prepared this way.

I planted bak hap bulblets this week. Hope they will grow so I can have fresh lily bulbs for soup!

[Tough Cookie]

Tough Cookie, my mom always tells me to add the soup ingredients and add enough water just to cover them by a finger's width or two. I know that's not as precise as you wanted, but it's actually an easier measurement than a *real* measurement.

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That's a great tip - exactly what I was looking for!

I'll try it this weekend. Thanks.

[Dejah]

So, what kind of soup would go well with joong?

[Ben Hong]

So, what kind of soup would go well with joong?

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The joong stands alone.

[Dejah]

So, what kind of soup would go well with joong?

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The joong stands alone.

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3 dishes was fully imprinted during my upbringing!

I was also thinking of my Chinese students. They have been away from home for several months, so...what would they appreciate. Will see what my schedule is like.

I LOVE JOONG!

[hzrt8w]

So, what kind of soup would go well with joong?

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Pork bones, pork + lotus root, some peanuts, dried black mushrooms, dried scallops. If you can find them: chicken feet.

Boil then simmer for 2-3 hours.

[sheetz]

[

3 dishes was fully imprinted during my upbringing!

I was also thinking of my Chinese students. They have been away from home for several months, so...what would they appreciate.

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I don't think recall there being any traditional food to go along with joong. From what I know of Chinese students, I think they might be more appreciative of quantity over variety!