Soups

Asparagus Soup

½        C. (1 stick) unsalted butter
2        large yellow onions, coarsely chopped

4        large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1½      Qt. chicken stock

3        lb. asparagus

1        bunch fresh parsley, stems removed, chopped (1 C.)

2        medium-size carrots, peeled, cut 1” pieces

8        fresh large basil leaves

1        T. dried tarragon

1        t. salt

1        t. freshly ground black pepper

          pinch cayenne pepper

1        C. sour cream

1        ripe tomato, seeded, diced small

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat.  Add onions and garlic.  Cook uncovered until wilted, about 25 minutes.  Add stock and heat to boiling.

Trim woody ends from asparagus and cut stalks into 1”  pieces.  Reserve the tips, add asparagus pieces, parsley, carrots, basil, tarragon, salt, pepper, and cayenne to the stock.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer covered until the vegetables are tender, about 50 minutes.

Remove the soup from heat and let cool.  Process in batches in a blender or food processor fitted with a steel blade until smooth.  Strain the soup through a medium-size sieve to remove woody fibers.

Return the strained soup to the pan.  Add asparagus tips and simmer over medium heat until the tips are tender, about 10 minutes.

Ladle the soup into soup bowls.  Dollop each serving with sour cream and sprinkle with diced tomatoes.

Makes 8 portions.

Monica Sakamoto

Beef Stoup

3         lb. Chuck Steak, 2 Onions (chunked/cut into 8-10 pieces)

3         stalks Celery (chopped)

3         Carrots (chopped)

2         large Potatoes (cut into medium pieces)

2         T. Beef Base

1         T. Sugar

3         cloves Garlic, flattened

2         T. Corn Starch (mixed with cold water)

            Water, pepper, sweet basil.

Preparation: Trim fat off steak; save more tender chunks for “Restaurant Beef” recipe, leaving about 1 ½ lb. beef chunks for stoup.

In a large pressure cooker, put in beef, chopped veggies, beef base, spices.  Pour in water, leaving 1½” at the top.  Secure lid and put on high heat.  When steam escapes, turn down to low heat and cook for another 30 minutes.  Turn off until steam pressure has escaped.  Skim off fat, shred beef into pieces.  Stir in corn starch/cold water mix until uniformly thickened.

Mark and Madeline Woo

Butternut Squash Soup

5        T. butter

1         large onion

2        lbs. butternut squash (1 small squash)

4        C. chicken broth

pinch of nutmeg

1/2     C. whipping cream – optional

          salt to taste

Cut squash in half, remove seeds and fiber.  Peel off skin and cut into chunks.  Saute onions in butter for 5 minutes.  Add squash, saute 5 minutes.  Add 4 C. broth.  Bring to boil, then let simmer 20 minutes.  Puree this squash mixture in a blender until smooth.  Add salt and a pinch of nutmeg.  Optional: add whipping cream to soup.  Serves 6 people.  Serve hot or cold.

Monica Sakamoto

Chicken and Wine "Gai Jow"

2        large chicken fryers

4        Qt. water

4       C. mok yee (wood ears) or 2 C. black fungus

9        pre-soaked black mushrooms (if desired)

2        large thumb sized pieces of fresh ginger, sliced

4       C. lily flowers, pre soaked and cleaned (remove hard end)

½        t. msg (optional)

1        T. salt to taste

6-7     T. liquor

Soak cloud ears/fungus for 1 hr.   Rinse and clean. Cut fryer into desired pieces.  In a large pot, add chicken, ginger, and salt. Cover with 4 Qt. water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat(med).  Skim off fat and scum; continue to cook over low for about 20-25 mins.  

Add remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat - simmer for another 20-25 minutes or until chicken is tender.  Before done, add 6-7 T. liquor if desired.  Add salt to taste.

Margie Lew

Chicken Soup

3½-4   lbs. fryer chicken

3        C. carrots

2        C. celery

10       C. water

2        small onion

1         T. salt

¼        t. pepper

1         t. dried parsley flakes

¼        t. thyme

½-1     t. garlic powder or 2 garlic cloves, minced

1-1½    C. homemade thin noodles – optional

Wash chicken.  Cut up into pieces.  Keep the neck.  Place in large (9 qt. stock pot).  Add chopped carrots, onion, celery, and water.  Add salt, pepper, parsley, thyme, garlic.  Place over high heat and bring to boil.  Lower heat, cover and simmer 35 minutes.  Check tenderness of chicken with fork and cook another 5 minutes if needed.  Remove from heat.  Be sure to skim fat.

Yields 2 ½ qt. or 8 servings.

Monica Sakamoto

Chicken Stoup

In a 6 quart pressure cooker, cut up:

2  Chicken quarters

2  Potatoes

4  Carrots

2  Onions

3  Stalks Celery

1  Large Cucumber, Mugwa, or other similar vegetable.

3  Cloves Garlic

1  Sliced Chunk of Ginger

Add 2 large Chicken Bullion cubes, bay leaves, water to fill 80% of cooker. Pressure cook for 30 minutes (or slow cook in larger regular pot for at least one hour). When done, release pressure and skim off grease. If using pressure cooker, transfer to larger pot and add a few cans of chicken broth. Add optional salt, pepper to taste. Add optional stewed tomato or tomato paste, if desired. For a thicker soup, mix 3 heaping tablespoons of cornstarch in cold water, and add (stirring rapidly) when soup is near boiling.

Mark Woo

Crab Asparagus Soup

1         can large asparagus
4         oz. Lump crab meat
1.5     T vegetable or chicken bullion
2         qts. water
2         T. Tapioca Starch (dissolve in cold water)
1         t. Fish sauce

Boil water and dissolve bullion mix. Add asparagus and crab meat.
When boiling, mix in starch liquid. Let simmer.

Bernadette Säuberli-Phan

San Francisco Crab Soup

2        C. cooked Dungeness crab meat

          (2 crabs, about 1½ pounds each)

¼        C. butter

1         medium onion, chopped

1        green pepper, chopped

1         leek, white part only, chopped

2         Q. fish stock

½        C. uncooked rice

3        ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced

½        pound fresh okra, cut into crosswise slices

1         t. Worcestershire sauce

           salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

           fresh parsley garnish

In a 3-quart saucepan, melt the butter and simmer the vegetables until tender.  Add stock and rice, bring to a boil, and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.  Add tomatoes, okra, and Worcestershire sauce to stock with crab meat.  Bring again to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Contributed by Mark Woo

(from McClane’s North American Fish Cookery)

Sea Cucumber Soup - Hoy Tom

3½      lb. pork butt, cut into chunks

4        lb. chicken legs and thighs

1-2     cans chicken broth or chicken boullion mixed with water

¾        lb.  ginger root, sliced in ¼” pieces

4-5     pieces chung choy (salty vegetable wrapped in a ball or flat), rinsed and diced

6-8     red dates

clove of garlic

2        6-oz. pkg of chinese herbs (eg. lotus seeds, gingko, pearl barley, dried lily, longan)

6-8     dried squid, 6” long including tentacles (comes in package)

6-8     dried oysters

12-15 medium black mushrooms

6-7     lb. frozen sea cucumber, already pre-soaked

5-6     pieces white fungus

1         T. guy ju (little red things)

3-4     C. pearl barley

The night before cooking, thaw out sea cucumber, pre-soak dried squid and dried oysters.  On the day of cooking, take out membrane (thin, clear plastic cartilage) and eyeball from squid.  Rinse both squid and oysters several times to get sand out, and cut into bite-size pieces.  Scrape off any ash found on the sea cucumber,  and remove the guts.  Slice the sea cucumber into small pieces (about 1/4 to 3/8 inch thick and width of sea cucumber).  Put aside.

Thirty minutes before cooking, pre-soak chung choy and red dates.  Like the squid and oysters, the chung choy needs to be rinsed several times to get sand out.  Once chung choy has been soaked, you can cut into several pieces.  Through the cooking process, the chung choy will break up anyway.

In a large, open 20 qt. pot, boil the chicken legs and thighs, and the pork butt.  Remove the scum that collects on on the top.  Once it boils, turn the heat down to simmer (after 1 ½ hours of simmering, the chicken meat should just fall off the bone).  Add chung choy, clove of garlic, salt, red dates (which adds sweetness), 2 packages of chinese herbs, squid, oysters and guy ju.  Stir often enough so the bottom will not scorch, and continue removing scum from top.  Evaporation will occur; add water as needed.

90 minutes before serving, pre-soak mushroom and  white fungus.  After ½ hour, cut mushrooms in half and add to pot.  Remove the hard center from fungus, setting aside the soft parts.

1 hour before serving, rinse powder off pearl barley and soak for 45 minutes. 

15 minutes before serving, add sea cucumber, white fungus and pearl barley.  The sea cucumber and white fungus will dissolve if put too early in the pot; wait until the end.  The pearl barley will thicken the soup.  Remember to add water if the water level gets too low. 

For smaller parties, reduce recipe accordingly.  Most items can be found in an oriental grocery store.

Sea Cucumber comes in dark and light color.  The light color is more expensive, but better quality.  Use a mixture of both.

Serves 50.

Gor Shee Ju