Chinese White Radish Soup is one of the favourite soup my family enjoys. The star of this soup is white radish, also known as Daikon or chinese radish. My family’s version always comes with a handful of lightly crushed white peppercorn. This delicous soup is also believed to have detoxifying properties for the digestive system.
300gramschicken whole leg, skinned and cut into pieces
1white radish, 200 grams
8red dates, soak to soften
1tbspwhite peppercorns, whole, lightly crushed
1tbspgoji berries, (chinese wolfberries), soaked in cold water till plump
1500mlwater, 6 cups
1tspsalt, to taste
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Instructions
Preparing Ingredients:
Have ready all ingredients to make the soup.
First, peel the chinese white radish with vegetable peeler first, trim and discard the tip and end. Then cut into chunks and set aside.
Wash the chicken meat, trimming away excess fat and then chop into smaller pieces. Blanch the chicken pieces in a pot of boiling water to remove the scum. Set the chicken pieces aside.
Next, rinse the red dates cleaned with water. Use a small pairing knife to create a few slits around the edge on one end of the red dates. This helps to release flavour and nutrients into the soup.
Then rinse and soak dried goji berries in water for a few minutes until they've softened. Drained and set aside.
Lastly, lightly crush white peppercorns and set aside. And we are ready to cook the soup.
Cooking White Radish Soup:
Heat up enough water for the soup, about 6 cups.
When water is boiling, add the chicken pieces, chunks of radish, red dates and rehydrated goji berries.
Lastly add in lightly crushed whole white peppercorns. Bring to a rapid boil. Leave to boil for about 15 minutes. Then cover, turn the heat down to low and let simmer for about 2 hours.
Simmer until the chicken meat turns tender and the soup is reduced to about 5 cups. Then season with salt to taste. Stir to mix well. Turn the heat back up and bring the soup to a boil before turning off the heat. And we are done!
This soup can be cooked in a pressure cooker, slow cooker or on the stove. Add all ingredients, fill with water and set to cook 20 minutes under pressure, 8 hours on slow cooker or 2 hours simmer on low heat on the stove.
Can use pork instead of chicken if preferred.
Radish last quite a long time in the refrigerator. To store, cut off as much green leaves as possible, wrap each daikon tightly in plastic wrap before storing. They’ll last for at least one week.
As chinese white radish helps our body to detox, it is not encouraged to drink this soup if you’re taking herbal tonics or medication as it will neutralize their efficacy.