Black Chicken and Ox Whip Nourishing Soup

 This traditional Chinese nourishing soup is widely enjoyed for health conditioning.

 Simmered slowly with black chicken and ox whip along with nourishing ingredients, the soup is rich, mellow and savory. 

It is a classic tonic soup suitable for daily health care.

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

• 1 whole black chicken (about 800g)
• 1 ox whip

Herbal & Auxiliary Ingredients

• 10 red dates
• 20g wolfberries
• 15g codonopsis root
• 10g astragalus root
• 5 slices ginger
• 2 stalks green onion
• A handful of Chinese yam slices (dried, optional)

Seasonings

• Cooking wine
• A moderate amount of fine salt
• A pinch of white pepper

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Clean and process the ox whip

   Rinse the ox whip thoroughly. Soak it in clean water for 2 hours to soften.

   Remove the inner fascia and excess grease completely, then cut it into thick sections.

   Put the ox whip into a pot with cold water, add 2 slices of ginger and a little cooking wine. Bring to a boil and blanch for 5 minutes to remove peculiar smell. Take out and rinse with warm water, set aside.
2. Treat the black chicken

   Clean the black chicken thoroughly, remove residual feathers and internal impurities. Cut it into large pieces.

   Put chicken pieces into cold water, add ginger and cooking wine. Blanch over high heat for 4 minutes to skim off blood foam. Fish out and rinse well with warm water.
3. Prepare supplementary ingredients

   Rinse codonopsis root, astragalus root, red dates, dried Chinese yam slices and wolfberries one by one. Soak the herbal ingredients in clean water for 10 minutes, then drain. Tie green onions into a bundle.
4. Start slow simmering

   Place the blanched chicken pieces and ox whip sections into a deep soup pot. Add ginger slices, green onion bundle, codonopsis root, astragalus root, red dates and Chinese yam.

   Pour in enough boiling water to cover all ingredients fully. Bring the water to a rolling boil over high heat.
5. Long-time stewing

   Turn the heat to the lowest level, cover the pot tightly. Simmer slowly for 2.5 hours. Do not open the lid frequently during the process to keep the flavor concentrated.
6. Final seasoning

   Add wolfberries into the pot, continue to simmer for another 15 minutes.

   Take out the green onion bundle and ginger slices. Add salt and a little white pepper to taste, stir gently. Simmer for 3 more minutes.
7. Serve

   Turn off the heat. Ladle the soup and ingredients into bowls. Serve while hot.

Cooking Tips

1. Thorough blanching and removing fascia are essential to get rid of unpleasant odor.
2. Always use boiling water when stewing to keep the meat tender and the soup clear.
3. Keep the heat low throughout the simmering process for a rich and creamy soup.
4. Add wolfberries at the last stage to retain their nutrients and natural taste.
5. Season lightly with only salt and white pepper to highlight the original umami of the ingredients.
6. It is recommended to consume this soup warm for better absorption of nutrients.

Sea Cucumber Millet Congee

 Sea cucumber millet congee is a premium nourishing traditional Chinese health porridge.

 Smooth and fragrant millet simmered soft and thick, paired with tender and chewy sea cucumber. 

It is mild, nourishing, easy to absorb, great for health conditioning, breakfast and nourishing supper.

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

100g millet

2 fresh soaked sea cucumbers

Auxiliary Ingredients

2 slices ginger

2 stalks green onion

A handful of wolfberries

Seasonings

A pinch of fine salt

A little white pepper

A few drops of sesame oil

Moderate clear water

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Preprocess millet

   Rinse the millet repeatedly with clean water, soak it in warm water for 20 minutes to soften it, which makes the congee thicker and creamier after cooking. Drain and set aside.
2. Treat sea cucumbers

   Clean the soaked sea cucumbers, remove internal impurities, rinse well and cut into thin strips or small sections. Put into a bowl, add ginger slices and a little warm water to soak briefly to remove fishy smell.
3. Cook millet congee base

   Pour plenty of clean water into a pot and bring it to a boil. Add soaked millet, turn to low heat after boiling again. Simmer slowly for 35 minutes, stir occasionally to prevent sticking, until the millet grains are fully bloomed and the soup turns thick.
4. Add sea cucumber

   Take out ginger slices from sea cucumbers, put sea cucumber strips into the millet congee. Continue to simmer on low heat for 8 minutes to fully cook the sea cucumber and infuse the fresh flavor into the congee.
5. Season and match ingredients

   Add an appropriate amount of salt and a little white pepper to adjust the taste, stir evenly. Put in wolfberries and simmer for another 2 minutes.
6. Finish and serve

   Turn off the heat, drizzle a few drops of sesame oil, sprinkle with chopped green onions. Stir gently and serve hot directly.

Cooking Tips

1. Soak sea cucumbers fully in advance to ensure tender and elastic texture.
2. Do not cook sea cucumbers for too long, otherwise the meat will shrink and become tough.
3. Keep the taste light, simple seasoning can highlight the natural umami of sea cucumber.
4. Simmer on low heat all the way to make the congee warm and mellow.
5. It is best to eat it in the morning or evening for better nourishment and absorption.