Spicy Beef Noodle (牛肉面)

Pork Rib and Cured Ham soup 排骨湯 (My FAVE soup!)

Ingredients:
- 2 lbs pork ribs, sliced into smaller segments
- 1/4 lb. Virginia ham, cut into big slabs
- 2 de-skinned ginger chunks
- 4 stalks green onion
- 2 large turnips, peeled and cut into chunks
- Salt


1) Boil out "impurities" from ribs and ham, dump out water. Add fresh water, green onions, and ginger. Boil for 1 hour.
*Skim off fat/dark stuff intermittently.
2) Add in turnips. Boil for 30 minutes. Add salt to taste.

Chinese Chicken Soup 雞湯

Prep time: 30 min.

Cook time: 1.5-2hrs.

Ingredients:

1 whole uncooked chicken

6 dried dates 紅棗

6-8 dried shiitake mushrooms (reconstituted in water, soaked)

a handful of dried goji berries

2-3 slices/twigs of Wisconsin Ginseng西洋蔘 (*expensive!)

2-3 slices of DangGui當歸 (optional)

Water

~ 2-4 tsp. salt

    1)   Clean the chicken, remove tail if desired. Place in boiling water for 5 min. to cleanse the chicken, then pour out water.

    2)   Place chicken in large soup pot, add water until covered.

    3)   Add all ingredients, cover, and cook on medium for 1.5 hrs-2 or until chicken is tender and can be shredded with a fork. Taste should be strong. 

    4)   Add salt to taste.

    5) Skim off top layer of oil with a tiny-holed mesh strainer for best taste.

Great to eat with Chinese puffed rice squares (GuoBa) 鍋巴, rice, or thin noodles!