Figgin' Delicous!

From Food

Chinese moms make Chinese soups. Chinese kids have to drink said soups. Chinese kids get really good at avoiding drinking Chinese soups that are yucky.

As a child, I used to try and hide any sort of ailment from my mother for as long as I could. She would make a soup for everything: sore throats, tired eyes, bad tempers. Most of them were yucky.

Since moving away from home, I've actually missed some of the soups my mom would make. (Not the papaya-pork-pancreas one!) I got sick earlier this month and although the fever, headache, and sinus pains are finally gone, I've still been feeling blah. This calls for a soup. Over the phone, I promised my mom I would make a soup and drink it.

"Go buy some dried figs from that Chinese store around the corner; boil it with whatever meat bones you have, add some potatoes, cabbage, carrots, and whatever vegetables you want and drink it."

"Yes, mom."

From Food


I had no idea my mom put figs in this "vegetable soup" she used to make. It's one of the soups I actually love to drink. I think my mom usually makes it with ox tail, but I wasn't really sure where to find ox tail. Fortunately I found two hunks of beef in my freezer: I'm vaguely remembering the last time my mom visited and told me to use it to make soup...

From Food


From Food

After something like two hours of low simmering, the soup tasted delicious. The figs added a unique sweet flavour that wasn't too overpowering. I'm happy to report to my mom that I'm already feeling better. It's probably all in my head, but who doesn't feel better when they successfully make a delicious Chinese soup?

Emily  – (November 3, 2009 at 5:20 PM)  

okay, so I was one of those chinese kids who begged my mum for soup. I love soup!! but I definetely can't stand the papaya-pork-pancrease one- why is everything slimy?

Cheryl  – (November 12, 2009 at 9:38 AM)  

Oh the chinese soups! I used to run away from the kitchen table every time I used to see them (which was every day). I hated them with a passion. Now that I'm older, I have asked my mom to teach me them as I miss them too (and have been drinking alot of creamy "western" soups -- which probably isn't too healthy). Thanks for this recipe -- I didn't know figs were a soup ingredient!

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