huai shan black chicken soup

Huai Shan Black Chicken Soup

The weather has been erratic lately with temperatures ranging into the mid 30s. At the rate of goes, it wont be long before we become feverish just by walking into the sun.

So I thought I would make this delicious chinese yam soup to counter the heatwave. Even if it doesn’t, it is still a good bowl of nutritious soup for the family. The best part about this soup is the fact that it doesn’t need too many other condiments to make it great.

A half a black chicken and a slender tube of huai shan is sufficient to make a great tasting soup. Add a tablespoon of wolfberries and the soup takes on a character of its own. The best part is, it is so easy to make, even if the ingredients are frozen (see picture).

Recipe

Ingredients

Half a Black Chicken (if you have more people in the family then you can cook the entire chicken)
A tube of Huai Shan (local chinese yam that is nutritious and fantastic for making soups)
1 tbsp of Wolfberries (add more if you like, it sweetens the soup)
Sea Salt (just enough to taste)

Method

1. Boil a kettle of water. While waiting for the water to boil, you can peel and wash the Huai Shan and cut them into 2 inch pieces. The yam tends to break into pieces if you boil for too long. I use a thermal cooker, so it works just right. The yam is intact and doesnt disintegrate.

2. Place the frozen black chicken into the pot. The water should be boiling by now. Add the Huai Shan into the pot and the tablespoon of Wolfberries and then pour the hot water into the pot. Add a little salt and then turn on a big fire and boil the soup for 15 minutes.

3. Once the soup is boiled. Place the pot into the thermal cooker and let it slow cook till you come back in the evening 12 hours later. The soup should be delicious and the chicken tender and huai shan firm and softened.

Bon Appetit!

Huai Shan Black Chicken Soup