![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.chekyang.com\/musings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/lotus-root-and-peanuts-soup.jpg\" "\\"lotus")
<\/p>\nI’m starting to get some success at making clear Chinese soups at home. My initial attempts gave really bland results. Two mistakes I tend to commit in the past: 1) use of excessive water, and 2) use of high heat.<\/p>\n
This recipe for lotus root and peanuts soup makes very flavourful soup. We liked it very much. The quantity of ingredients used below serves 3-4 persons.<\/p>\n
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Ingredients<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Lotus root (15-20 cm segment, peel skin and slice to 0.5 cm thickness)<\/p>\n Peanuts (dried version, 1 cup, soak in water overnight, rinse well before use)<\/p>\n Pork soft bone (250g, remove fatty layer and cut into bite-sized chunks)<\/p>\n Pork soup bones (250g, wash to remove small bits of bony material, remove any fats)<\/p>\n Seedless dried red dates (5, rinsed)<\/p>\n Dried cuttlefish (2 pieces, rinse and cut into 2-3 segments with a pair of scissors)<\/p>\n Carrots (3 sticks, peeled and cut into chunks)<\/p>\n Pan salt (1\/2 tsp or as desired)<\/p>\n Tap water (800 ml)<\/p>\n Method<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 1)\u00a0 Place lotus root slices, peanuts, red dates, cuttlefish and carrots into a pot filled with 800 ml water and bring to boil.<\/p>\n 2)\u00a0 Blanch pork soft bone and pork soup bone pieces in boiling water to remove scum. Do this when the other pot of ingredients has started to boil.<\/p>\n 3)\u00a0 Use a pair of chopsticks to transfer all the blanched pork pieces into the pot with all the other ingredients. Wait for the water to boil again.<\/p>\n 4)\u00a0 Cover the pot and simmer the soup by reducing the heat to the lowest. Simmer for 3 hours.<\/p>\n 5)\u00a0 Season with a little salt at the end of cooking. Serve soup with steamed white jasmine rice and a small dish of freshly cut chilli padi in premium light soy sauce dip.<\/p>\n A note on using pork for soups. Prime ribs are preferred for soups due to its tender and superior meat. I discovered that the meat of pork soft bone was a good alternative and value for money. It imparts aromatic, meaty flavours to the soup and its meat becomes very tender and juicy after simmering in soups for hours.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I’m starting to get some success at making clear Chinese soups at home. My initial attempts gave really bland results. Two mistakes I tend to commit in the past: 1) use of excessive water, and 2) use of high heat.<\/p>\n