11
2014
Black Bean with Red Dates Chicken Soup
Since the arrival of Ayden, I don’t have much time to spend in the kitchen anymore but I can’t stand eating out all the time so I try my best to prepare something convenient yet nutritious – soup. I am also fully breastfeeding Ayden so soup is one of the major milk booster for me.
Today’s soup is the simplest of the lot – Chinese Black Bean with Red Dates Chicken Soup. A popular soup among expecting moms, during confinement as well as nursing mothers. It is more common to use pork ribs instead of chicken but since I don’t cook pork at home, chicken is the next best thing!
Ingredients:
Black bean
Premium Red Dates
Dried Wolfberries
Chicken
I don’t use dried cuttlefish in my soup as I’m not too sure how healthy it is to be consuming that daily.
Directions
1. Blanch chicken in boiling water to remove scum.
2. Place black bean, red dates, dried wolfberries and water into a pot. Bring into a rapid boil for about 10 minutes, add chicken and then simmer on lower fire for approximately 50 minutes. It is not necessary to simmer for long hours as black bean absorbs water and you won’t have too much soup left then.
Season with a bit of salt to your liking.
I’m not too sure if it is the black bean, red dates or lots of liquid that boosts my milk supply each time I drink this soup but it’s okay as it is simply delicious with the red dates adding some delightful sweetness into the soup. I can drink bowls and bowls of this soup everyday!
Look delicious and yet simple enough.
I just cooked black bean soup with pork on Monday! Never try on chicken before although I tasted chicken in black bean soup outside.
I love this soup!
Looks like it’s real refreshing…and nutritious too.
Very nutritious! Black beans is very good for us the ladies, especially after child birth.
Bravo for breastfeeding Ayden till now. Heard that black beans replenish blood ?
Wow I wanna learn this mum! Cook for my wife next time! :D
Hi there, looks good,just wanted to add that you should toast or roast the black beans first until they crack open before using because the black beans are otherwise too “cooling” according to TCM. I think they are a type of soybean which is in the cooling category but it’s cooking properties can be negated or reduced with roasting.
Thank you for the advice Dee Dee. Will do that the next time I boil this soup :)