Easy Chinese Old Cucumber Soup ~ Slow Cooker Style

It's another soup day.. and it's Chinese Old Cucumber Soup this round. It's another quick and simple recipe that can be prepared easily.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 4 hours
Serving Size: 4 servings

Ingredients
1 piece of chicken breast with bone (you can opt for chicken bones)
1 old cucumber
1.4 liter of hot water
7 red dates
Optional : 1 medium sized dried scallop for extra taste
A dash of salt for taste

Pre-Steps
1. Wash and clean the chicken
2. Boil the chicken in a pot of hot water for about 5 minutes to remove scums.

3. Remove the chicken and pour the water away.

Steps
1. Wash the old cucumber. Note: we will keep the skin

2. Cut the old cucumber into half length-wise. Then using a spoon, remove the seeds.

3. Cut the cucumber into pieces, about 2 cm thickness.

4. Put the chicken, red dates, old cucumber into a slow cooker pot. Add hot water.

5. Turn on the slow cooker in "Auto" mode and cook for 4 hours.

6. Once done, add some salt to taste. Serve while hot.

Easy One Pot Chicken, Chinese Sausage and Mushroom Rice

I love the idea of one pot dishes. It's easy to prepare and cook and best of all, less pots to clean up ! It is also a great idea if we are busy but still want to enjoy a good meal. The idea came about when I chanced upon Happy Home Baking's Claypot Chicken Rice. 

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: Depending on your rice cooker. Mine takes 1 hour

Ingredients
210 gm of chicken pieces (leave the skin and bone attached)
1 piece of chinese sausage
1 piece of carrot
3 pieces of dark chinese mushroom
1 cup of rice (for 2 person)

Ingredients for marinade
3 cloves of garlic (grated)
1 small red onion (grated)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon of chinese cooking wine
1 teaspoon of light soy sauce
1 teaspoon of dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon of corn starch

 Steps
1. Wash and clean the chicken.

2. Marinade the chicken with ingredients indicated for marinade. Marinade for at least 30 minutes.

                                     
                                      
3. Soak the chinese mushroom. When soft, cut into thin slices.

4. Slice the carrot thinly.

5. Slice the chinese sausage.

6. Wash the rice. Add in slightly less the amount of water you would usually use for 1 cup of rice. The sauce from the marinade will add on to the liquid.

                                     

7. Top the rice with the chicken, chinese sausage, carrot and mushroom. 
Optional: Sprinkle a dash of salt of you prefer saltier rice.

                                    

8. Put the rice to cook using the rice cooker.

9. Once done, serve immediately while hot.

White Radish Soup - Slow Cooker Style

It is great cooking with slow cooker. You do not need to watch the fire or worry that you will run out of gas. You just need to turn it on and it will work magic for you. Today, I have decided to make white radish soup using the slow cooker

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 3.5 hours

Ingredients
1 piece of chicken breast with bones (You can opt for chicken bones)
6-7 red dates
1 white radish
1.4 liter of hot water
A dash of salt to taste

Pre-Steps
1. Wash and clean the chicken
2. Boil the chicken in a pot of hot water for about 5 minutes to remove scums.
3. Remove the chicken and pour away the hot water

Steps
1. Wash and peel off the white radish skin.

2. Cut the white radish into blocks of 2 cm thickness

3. Cut the red dates into half. Remove the seed.

4. Place the chicken, red dates and white radish into a slow cooker pot. Add in the hot water.

5. Turn on the slow cooker pot to "Auto" mode. Let it cook for 3.5 hours.

6. Once done, add some salt to taste. Serve while hot.