Saturday Soup

 

Chicken Mushroom soup

With goji berries, Chinese dates, ginger, and Shiitake mushrooms, this soup is healthy. It can be served as a meal by itself or with other foods.

It’s best to buy a whole, young chicken from an Asian supermarket. If not, a small organic chicken works well.

It’s best to use dried Shiitake mushrooms, as they are more flavorful

 Prep time is 5 minutes (this does not include the 6 hour soak time for the mushrooms)

Cook: 1 hour 25 minutes

 

Ingredients

     20 small dried shiitake mushrooms

     8 cups water (plus 1/2 cup, divided)

     2 tablespoons dried goji berries

     4 dried Chinese dates

     1 small organic chicken (3½-4 pounds)

    1 tablespoon oil

     5 slices ginger

     2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine

     Salt (to taste)

     1 scallion (finely chopped)

 

Instructions

    First, wash the dried shiitake mushrooms a couple of times and rinse thoroughly. Then soak them in 8 cups of water in the soup pot for 6 hours or overnight. Trim away the stems (after soaking) before cooking and add the mushrooms back to the pot of water.

    Add the dried goji berries and dried Chinese dates to the soup pot (no need to soak these beforehand). Bring to a boil over high heat, and then immediately turn the heat down to low.

    Prepare the chicken while that’s simmering. Wash the chicken and pat it dry. Cut the chicken into large pieces. Set aside.

    Once the soup has simmered for 30 minutes, heat a wok over medium high heat until it starts to smoke slightly. Turn the heat down to medium, and add the oil and the ginger slices. Cook for a minute or two.

    Spread the oil around the wok to coat. Then spread the chicken out in a single layer, and lightly brown the chicken before stirring. Once the majority of each piece has been cooked through, turn off the heat.

    Add the chicken to the soup pot. Deglaze the wok with ½ cup water and add it to the soup pot as well. Finally, add the Shaoxing wine and cover. Simmer for another 30 minutes over medium heat. Add salt to taste. Do not add the salt before now. It will dry the chicken. Sprinkle with chopped scallions immediately before serving.

 Many times I say experiment with soup recipes but this time, try not to deviate from the recipe by adding more goji berries and dates. While they are very healthy, too many will make the soup sweet. Unless, of course, you enjoy a sweet soup.