Old cucumber soup (老黄瓜排骨汤)

The goodness of old cucumber soup awaits me....

Old cucumber soup (老黄瓜排骨汤)

Ingredients:

*Skip the dried scallop and dried cuttlefish for tots below 18mths*

• 1 small old cucumber (cut into chunks, leave skin on)
• 2 small carrots (cut into chunks)
• 250g pork ribs
• 3 chicken breast bones
• 6 red dates
• 1 dried scallop
• 1 dried cuttlefish (optional)
• 3 cloves garlic (with skin on)
• fish sauce/salt to taste
• 1L water

Method:

1. Blanch the pork ribs and chicken bones.
2. Rinse the red dates, scallop, cuttlefish and garlic and add these together with the pork ribs and chicken bones to the water in a slowcooker.
3. Let the soup base slowcook for about 6hours on LOW.
4. Add the old cucumber and carrots and cook for another 2 hours on HIGH.
5. Sieve out the bones, red dates and garlic and put the soup through oil filter paper to sieve out extra oil.
6. Return the pork ribs (if desired) and dried scallop to the soup.
7. Add fish sauce/ salt to taste.
8. Serve.

If cooking on stovetop,

1. Blanch the pork ribs and chicken bones.
2. Rinse the red dates, scallop, cuttlefish and garlic and add these together with the pork ribs and chicken bones to the water (2L instead of 1L) in a pot.
3. Bring the soup to a boil and let it boil on medium to high heat for 30min then simmer for 2-3hours on low heat.
4. Add the old cucumber and carrots in the last 30min.
5. Sieve out the bones, red dates and garlic and put the soup through oil filter paper to sieve out extra oil.
6. Return the pork ribs (if desired) and dried scallop to the soup.
7. Add fish sauce/ salt to taste.
8. Serve.

For toddler's consumption:

• Skip the dried scallop and dried cuttlefish for tots below 18mths.
• Remove the skin of the old cucumber before serving.