Joyce Chen Cooks; Chinese Soups; 6

Ning Hao, Ning Hao, when you eat at Chinese restaurant, they always serve you tea and water on the dining table while you are eating, but not the same in China, especially at home, we never serve tea and water at the dining table while we are eating, but we always have a big bowl of soup, and we can have a second serving and even third or fourth serving. So soup is very important in Chinese cooking. To the best way to make a good soup, we have to use chicken broth. So I want to show you how to make a good chicken broth, the Chinese way. First, we must need pho, F-O-W-L, that is old chicken, and the chicken lay eggs, that's pho, F-O-W-L.

So this is a pho, I bought in the life-caled place, Chinese believe, the fresh-caired chicken that tastes better, of course, you can buy it in the supermarket. And I especially, when the place to buy it, life-caired chicken, because I want to show you how the Chinese way to prepare it. So I asked them to have the chicken head on, and the chicken feet on, that's how they come in China. So they had inside the clean already, that's the chicken fat, and the different liver and chicken heart. They must start with a good chicken, pho, that's pho, should be not say chicken, it's pho, old pho, so we must clean them. The best way to clean them is scout SCALD in the body water, and also since they find here over the fire.

So now first let SCALD, SCALD, and this is a big part of boiling water, and you can use a pot like this, or any other pot, as long they are big enough to fit in the fall. So now we scout them, put the in the water here, and if the water can cover them, so you don't have to turn, otherwise you have to turn over. You can see the skin gets shrunk, and all the little feathers standing up, and you can remove the skins too. And now also have the inside blood cavity washed off. Now also have a lot of little hair, it's very hard to remove, so we have to sink them, sink them by over high heat.

So all the chicken, that doesn't matter, is the fall of chicken. When you cook them, you want to make them clean, you have to sink them. So not over high heat, you can see. That's why it's also nice to have the head, and they feed on, it's easy to hold. And especially here, the wins, chicken wins, have lots. You can smell, the hair is burning. So I like the chicken head too, so all the chickens like it, so I have sinked them very

carefully too. So now they only have some big feathers, we have to remove them. So let's go over the sink. And those feathers, we have to remove by the tracer, a tracer like this will be good to use. And some over here, and also here, always have. And now we have to go to rinse them, inside and out, very clean, a good clean chicken broth is start with a clean fall.

Be sure of really clean, and even you can put your hands inside the cavity, and to take out of this, be sure to wash them. And the way one is the chicken head, so we wash here too, inside the chicken broth. Some under here, and all have to wash, just be sure they are clean, and rub them off, with a little loose skin, just kind of not skin, just like a membrane, just on outside the skin, have to wash that out. So now this is cleaned, of course, you will take more feathers than I did, when you do it at home, and I won't show you something else.

So you will do more care for it than what I did. And actually, the chicken head and the feet is not that much taste, but the chinis just love it, and the chinis never want to waste anything, can eat. So the chicken head on seems like a whole chicken, so nobody ever touched it before you, especially when you are in a guest. But the chicken feet is a delicacy, and we like this texture, and my family all like it, but there's too much on the way, we have to chop them off. Chop them off by a heavy knife, and dust the chicken feet. And this far is already clean, ready to cook. As I said, chicken feet, all our chinis like it, chicken feet is really a delicacy in Chinese cooking.

We have a very famous Cantonese soup, that is made of from the chicken feet and with black mushrooms. That name has a very fancy name, that's the phoenix claws with black mushrooms. So one hour I buy the chicken, I go to the live-carrot place, I always asked him to give me a big bag of chicken feet. And when you buy it in the supermarket, because nobody likes it here, so they remove it, so you cannot get any. And this is the whole bag I got, why about the chicken? Well, that's really large. And this is almost over 10 pounds, and that's about over 100 chicken feet. In China, I have to buy 50 chickens, at least, to get so many feet. Clean the chicken feet is a job, it's not hard, but takes the time.

But I like the chicken feet, so they're our family. So we really don't mind to do the work. And tonight I'm going to clean them with my whole family, so we can go to have a big feast. It's too much for us to eat at the once, but I keep them in the freezer. And I can cook them. Maybe you would like to have to prepare the chicken feet to eat too. I will show you how to prepare them. For the chicken feet, the yellow outside, if the far is bigger, they're darker color, have to be removed. So remove them by soaking from the hot water. So you're peeling the skin, take time, so you do feel at the time, and then clean it. Pour over the boiling water. And they should stay there just about one or two minutes.

If they stay too long, they will be hard to pour off. So I'm going to show you how to pour, and also, maybe you like to know, chicken feet is not fat thing, and that's very good to eat. So you can stir it a little bit, pour a little bit of cold water, because take me time to peel them, otherwise they will be hard to do. And now I can peel them, like, pull out a glove, you see? And this thing, too near, has to be removed too. This is another one, I wish you can see it. And they kind of like to pull off the gloves. If sometimes too hard to do, you can get a rough kitchen tower, and to do the job. Rub them off like this.

So this is the chicken feet cleaned, and I show you this one didn't clean. That's all that seems to be removed. As I say, the chicken feet is a delicacy. So we have a fancy way to prepare them, way even bone them. And this is the chicken feet, I bone them for you, on to show you. And this, you can see the earth, I took off all the bones here, and this is the chicken feet here. And then if you squeeze, you can see, prove it, no bone in there. And this is a very delicate dish for the banquet, when you invite some people, important. And now I wish you will enjoy chicken feet as I do. You just cook them and simmer them in chicken broth. And then you will cook them until tender. If you want to cook the famous Cantonese soup, Phoenix calls with black mushrooms, just add some black mushrooms.

And put the salt as your taste. Then you come out, a phoen thao, thong gu utang, it's very famous soup. Now we're going to prepare our chicken broth. The chicken broth, we'll have to need a big pot, and the large pot, we won't have the lots of chicken broth. So we're going to start with a big pot like this. You can use anyone, but should be not smaller than this. We put this chicken in the pho, pho in there. As this is a chicken meat, we always add cherry, and one tablespoon of cherry. And also you add some ginger.

This is a two slice of ginger root, because it's a whole big pho, we need two slices. When you cook chicken broth, you'll use onion, carrots, bay leaves, fairy. We use a ginger, cherry, and scallion. And then we also put one stock, scallion, it's nice to tie them up. Like a knot. If they are too crisper to do it, even you can make string to tie them up, so they will be easy to remove. That's when they come out good. When it will be enough, because you don't want any spicy or herb too strong to cover the chicken flavor. So knot, that's ready, just going to simmer. Simmer about one and a half hour or two hours.

I mean simmer, it's really simmer, you cannot boil them. And then you cover them. And if the water is not much enough, so we have to add some more to cover it. And this feed is little bit on the way, so push them down. And you can turn them, or check it. And be sure they cannot be boiling, because if you're boiling them, your chicken broth will be not clear as water, they will be cloudy. So just put the simmer, very low. And you have to check them very often, be sure they cannot boil actively. I mean simmer, it's only allowed to have one or two bubbling at a time. That in China, we say, that's all, you cannot have more. Otherwise, your chicken broth will be cloudy, this way you will see what's different, yes.

And that is a very simple way to make a good chicken broth. And it's also the basic way to make a good chicken broth. But be careful, only important things you have to be follow, a good thought, clean thought, cannot boil them, only can simmer. And about one and a half or two hours, that's all you have to do. Make them more often, be sure your chicken broth is clear. This is the basic way to make all the good soups. Start with good chicken broth. And many good cooks in China, they like to use good chicken broth instead of water in their dish. And for the simple way, and basic way to take care of the chicken broth, also can turn to a very big and grist soup dish.

Name is Iping, guo, Iping means the first rank in the officer. You see the name means a lot, Iping, that's the best. Just the same way to prepare, and when they simmer, about a medium part. And let's say about less than one hour, you add in some more ingredients. The ingredients you add in is a piece, Virginia ham. This Virginia ham, all are Chinese, enjoyed so much in this country, they just like a Chinese ham. And even sometimes I think they are better, because the pick in this country, they eat better than in China. And also, we need one cabbage heart, and this Virginia ham, all clean, and the skin all scrubbed, has to be clean, when you make a good soup, not only the far cream, everything

else has to be clean. And this is the cabbage heart, you'll buy the cabbage in supermarket. And you always come by the Virginia ham, sliced like that, in Chinatown, grocery store. And this cabbage, we cut them into two inches section, cut this way, or you will like it, I know that, you will like it, cut them into four, and this we can add in. And also, we can add bamboo shoots, and this is small, small bamboo shoots. If they are big chunks, you can add about one cup, and this about handful. And so you remove the tough part in the bottom, cut them off, especially when you have banquet, you want everything the best.

And also, you can add black mushrooms, they have to be soaked, and you have to scrape them out water, about few, and this time you use a big one, in the sleeping gourd. These three items, you add in, to the chicken broth, when they have cooking, simmer, I said. And I have one, they are simmering, I add in, and I want to show you how good they are. You can smell the ham, it's really good, see they just boil in a little bit, and they create like water. And now, let's go back to simmer again, so we are going to serve later. This is very easy, you just be sure to simmer them, cannot boil in them. And this, the chicken broth, turns to a graced soup dish, and also can turn to a very

common dish, that is egg drop soup. I have two pot here, get ready. And one pot is chicken broth, I made yesterday, and this one I use can, and you can use one can chicken broth, and add same amount of water, about four cups, and then add salt to your taste. And we like to add a slice of ginger in each one, one will be enough. And now, that's the time for me to show you how we can drop the egg, large pieces, or small pieces. And I will show you both, that's why I have two pots. First, we must need egg. Since this is egg, we add cereal. About half teaspoon of cereal, in two eggs, we beat them. Chopstick is really handy, there can be a lot of work in the kitchen, and now

I drop them in. You want them big or small? Let's do the big one first. Actually, you don't have to hold it high, just drop them, and stir slowly, and they come out, big piece. As soon as the chicken, not chicken, egg, drop in, then you have to get them, remove them, then turn on the hot, this one. Remove them from the heat, so these eight pieces will be tender. And now, we're going to do the second one. And the chicken at the egg drop soup also can make a clear soup or a thick soup. And if you want your egg drop soup, a thick soup, you just add cornstarch mixture. And this is two tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with half cup of cold water. So the cornstarch always set on the bottom. Whenever you make

a mixture, you have to stir for the last moment, and this set is so tightly. Have to stir them. Be sure they will no cornstarch on the bottom. So now we remove this here, so you can see better. Now we add in, have to be quick, stir. If you want your super more thicker than this, you just add more cornstarch. But be sure have to stir them. And now this is the time to use this empty chicken broth can. I said all the time, we are so busy if we can be lazy, just lazy. So we use the empty can to beat the egg in there. So we wash one less, both, and beat them. And egg, they also have to have a cherry at the

cherry. Have this bowl. Be ready to beat, you see. Now this time is the finer pieces. The finer pieces, the finer they are, the quicker you stir. When you drop the egg, don't have to be holding high. Just stir quick, and now we add in. You see this time, they are much finer than that one. I will show you the difference. If you don't like the ginger roots, you can remove them before you serve. And so this is the finer piece, and this is the big piece. I have to cut them, otherwise I cannot scope them up. And see the difference. So now you know how you make egg drop soup, finer or big as you like. You can make big

piece, whole piece, you can make them medium size, you can make them smaller size, or depending on you, how quick you stir. Now let's serve it. Put in the bowl to serve. This also you can add soy sauce if you like. And just reduce the salt. And you can garnish with some scanning. Scanning garnish, the dish, just like you use this parsley. So this is your fine piece, heavy egg drop soup. Many of my friends, when they learn how to make egg drop soup, they like to drop the egg in any kind of soup. Can soup, even they like

to drop in the chicken bouillon, everything. I think you like to do that too. I now like to see this graced soup, eaping gore. These fall after long simmering, they're already very tender, can pick up a batch of sticks. But these are very, very clear as water. You can still very clear. Because this Virginia hand, so they already saw it. So normally you don't need a saw, but it's nice to taste it before you serve. I know you really like it. You can do it, just be careful. You have to be simmered them, cannot let them boil. Now let's go to the dining room. I want to show you the Chinese way, drink the soup.

That's easy to prepare and also easy to serve. Use a big, nice pot. You don't have to use bowl. Just serve them on the table. Now let's have some soup. You can have some cabbage. I wish you can see the clear, how clear they are. And then you also can have some chicken broth. Pick it up by chopsticks. Or maybe you like bamboo shoots. You have second serving, third serving. But first I show you how to drink the soup Chinese way. We're holding our soup bowl up to here. And that Chinese spoon, made of parsley. So they will not condemn the heat, not burn your lips for such a hard soup. It's really good, like this.

Not like the yellow bean way, they will drop lots. And this is how to make good clear chicken broth. And this is yi pin guo. And you have to be careful, not let them boil. And they will come out clear. Maybe you would like to do it as all the Chinese good cooks use chicken broth in all your dishes as water instead of water. So here I see you again, I see you again, I see you again. Joyce Chan is the author of the Joyce Chan cookbook.