Lotus Root Soup

Method13 steps · about 2 hr 35 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Keep the pork bones (500 g) and the bones from two whole chickens refrigerated until ready to cook. Put them into sufficient boiling water and blanch for about 3 minutes. Drain and discard that water. Rinse the blanched bones carefully and remove the visible clots; keep the drained bones for the soup.

   Drain blanched meat bones · 3 minUses 500 g pork bones · Bones from 2 whole chickens · Clean boiling and rinsing water, for the meat bones

2. 2

   Step 2: In a separate supply of boiling water, blanch the piece of dried cuttlefish (1 piece) for 1 minute to soften it. Lift it out and discard the blanching water; do not soak it.

   Lift softened cuttlefish · 1 minUses 1 piece dried cuttlefish · Separate boiling water, for cuttlefish

3. 3

   Step 3: Remove the central soft bone, mouth and eyes from the softened cuttlefish in step 2. Cut the cleaned cuttlefish into lengths about 1 inch long.

   Uses Lifted cuttlefish only, excluding its discarded blanching water

4. 4

   Step 4: Scrape the mud from the medium lotus root (1 medium) and scrub it clean with a brush and clean water.

   Uses 1 medium lotus root · Clean water, for scrubbing lotus root

5. 5

   Step 5: Rinse the scrubbed lotus root from step 4. Cut away and discard the hard joints between its sections.

   Uses Lotus root only, excluding washing water · Clean water, for rinsing lotus root

6. 6

   Step 6: Cut the trimmed lotus root from step 5 in half, then slice it crosswise into pieces about 2 cm thick.

   Uses Usable lotus-root sections only, excluding hard joints and rinsing water

7. 7

   Step 7: Remove the seeds from the 6–8 red dates, rinse them and drain. Set the dates aside for the final 15 minutes of cooking.

   Uses 6–8 red dates · Clean water, for rinsing pitted dates

8. 8

   Step 8: Measure 2 tbsp dry wolfberries and keep them dry. Rinse and drain them only immediately before adding them in step 12; do not soak them or leave them wet through the long boil.

   Uses 2 tbsp wolfberries

9. 9

   Step 9: Wash the 3 tbsp skin-on Chinese peanuts, drain them and keep ready for the soup pot.

   Uses 3 tbsp skin-on Chinese peanuts · Clean water, for washing peanuts

10. 10

    Step 10: Put the drained blanched pork and chicken bones from step 1, the cleaned cuttlefish pieces from step 3, the sliced lotus root from step 6 and the drained peanuts from step 9 into a soup pot with room for the water and boiling.

    Uses Meat bones only, excluding discarded blanching and rinsing water · Cuttlefish pieces only, excluding removed bone, mouth and eyes · Sliced trimmed lotus root · Peanuts only, excluding washing water

11. 11

    Step 11: Add the 2.5 l fresh soup water to the foods in step 10 and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, turn the heat to medium and maintain a steady boil for about 2 hours. Check regularly that enough liquid remains, adding a little boiling water only if necessary to prevent the pot running dry.

    Add late soup fruits · 120 minUses Prepared meat bones, cuttlefish, lotus root and peanuts in the pot · 2.5 l water, for soup · Additional boiling water, only if needed to maintain the soup level

12. 12

    Step 12: After the 2-hour phase, rinse and drain the dry wolfberries reserved in step 8, then add them and the drained pitted dates from step 7 to the soup from step 11. Boil for another 15 minutes. Continue as needed until the lotus root and peanuts are tender and the meat is fully cooked; any chicken meat remaining on the bones should reach 74°C.

    Check finished lotus-root soup · 15 minUses Two-hour bone, cuttlefish, lotus-root and peanut soup · The full measured 2 tbsp wolfberries, rinsed just before this addition · Clean water, for the last-minute wolfberry rinse · Date flesh only, excluding removed seeds and rinsing water

13. 13

    Step 13: Taste the finished soup from step 12. Add the optional pinch of salt (1 pinch) only if needed, stir and serve the soup and cooked foods hot. The author gives six soup portions as a guide.

    Uses Soup and cooked foods only, excluding the discarded wolfberry-rinsing water · 1 pinch salt, optional