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Tuesday 12 March 2013

Easy Soup Series : Post #3 - Chicken and Burdock Soup

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It took me forever to finally realised that burdock and japanese gobo are the same thing (noob cook me).  In Japanese cuisine, gobo is popularly used as a braised, sweet appetizer of shredded gobo and carrots called kinpira gobo. I have tasted this side dish in several Japanese restaurants in PJ. 



This unremarkable, bouncy stick-like root vegetable is widely believed in traditional medicinal circles as being beneficial for blood purifying purposes, reducing diabetes, and has cholesterol lowering attributes.  It is high in fiber, calcium, potassium and amino acids.  When cooked, it has a subtle sweetness combined with a bitter, astringent aftertaste,  very similar to ginseng.  The first time I boiled this in a soup, hubby thought i cooked a ginseng soup. 

Burdock is typically sold in a single long stick, about 3ft long.  It looks like a thick whip.  You peel off the outer layer of rough skin and slice it diagonally.  Make sure to cook it soon as the pieces will turn dark very quickly. 




I like to cook the soup with chicken or pork as well as some carrots to temper the bitterness of the burdock.  This makes the taste more kid-friendly and easier for my son to consume. 


A very clear and light soup, good for the hot weather these days

Chicken and Burdock Soup
  • 1 stick of burdock
  • Half a kampung chicken
  • 2 medium size carrots
  • 5 red dates, pitted and rinsed

1.  Blanch the chicken in hot boiling water for 2 minutes, drain and set aside.

2.  Peel the burdock and carrots, and cut into diagonal pieces

3.  Boil 1.4litre of water, add in the chicken, burdock, carrot and red dates.  Bring to another boil and skim away any scum that is floating.  Turn down the fire and let simmer for about 1.5hours, stirring occassionally.

4.  Season with salt and pepper, turn off the fire and let the soup sit for about half an hour.  Serve hot or warm. 

14 comments:

  1. I love these healthy soups, Esther. I wish I could find burdock root here. I do believe in natural healing through healthy food. I need this now.

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    1. Hi Adora, you are right, natural healing through healthy food is the way to go. You cant find burdock in London? Hw about those Asian grocery shops in Chinatown?

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  2. Hi Esther! It's nice to have soup everyday... by coming to your blog!

    I'm not a fan of burdock... I don't like the sticky texture... Can I replace it with white reddish?

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    Replies
    1. Sure you can, it will just be chicken and radish soup instead of chicken and burdock soup heehee.

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  3. Nowadays this burdock seems to be very popular, can see it all over the wet market as well as supermarkets.

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    1. Yea, there seems to be a renewed interest in burdock, better consume more of it now that prices are still very cheap :p

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  4. Hi Esther,

    We don't cook soup very often... maybe due to the warm weather now. Now, I know where to look for good soup recipes when the winter arrives.

    Zoe

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    1. Nothing beats a steaming hot bowl of chicken soup in the cold of winter eh? :) i need to widen my menu for western chilled soups. Dont think i've ever made a cold soup before hahaha. Me very asian when it comes to soups. My mum has drilled it well into me "soups must be consumed warm!"

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  5. Hi Esther,

    Is Burdock same as Huai Shan ?

    Ling

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    1. Hi Ling, no, burdock is not huai shan, which is called chinese yam (they come in fresh or as dried pieces). check out my early post on huai shan soup here. http://thefussfreechef.blogspot.com/2012/05/herbal-pork-ribs-soup-with-chinese-yam.html. Burdock is called ngau pong in cantonese. It taste slightly ginseng-ish while huai shan has a subtle light sweetness to it. But both look quite similar, except huai shan is always packed in a box covered with lots of sand and is a lot thicker in width and are cut into shorter sticks.

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  6. I love making burdock soup too, very healthy and delicious...

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    Replies
    1. H Mich, it took me a while to appreciate the flavour of burdock...now i like it :)

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  7. Esther, I see these "sticks" at Jusco all the time. I knew they were for soup but I just didn't dare to try hah! hah! Perhaps I should try it since you and your family seem to enjoy it with the soup.

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  8. The first time I drink burdock soup also feel it taste exactly like ginseng, hehehe ! If you have balance , deep fry it also very crunchy ..

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