Green Papaya, Snow Fungus With Figs

This is a very clear papaya soup which you is suitable for diabetics patients. Longans promote blood cell formation and calm the nerves. And with job's tears and lily bulbs added; it also whitens the skin! ^^

Ingredients
1 big green papaya
2-3 pcs of snow fungus
4-5 pcs of dried figs
6-8 pcs of dried longans
a handful of job's tears
a handful of lily bulbs
some wolfberries
Method

1. Skin papaya and core. Rinse and cut into large pieces.

2. Soak the snow fungus thoroughly. Scald and rinse.

3. Rinse the rest of the other ingredients, halves the figs before adding.

4. Bring 15-18 bowls of water to boil, when water start bubbling add in the papaya and all other ingredients and bring to the boil (except for snow fungus). Reduce to medium heat and cook for 1 1/2 hours.

5. Add in snow fungus and continue medium heat for another 45 minutes. Season with salt and serve.

Tips: Snow fungus should not be added early with all ingredients, otherwise you'll have a starchy soup base with very soft fungus which will not be as tasty.

Chayote And Papaya Herbal Soup

I love Cantonese soup... I like the way how they are being prepared by cooking them mostly in clay pot for 2 to 3 hours; and at the end of it, you will get a pot of soup full of flavors from all the ingredients added!

Here's a soup which I modified from one of my soup cookbook, which I got back from Hong Kong trip.

Ingredients
1 medium papaya (half-ripen)
1 medium chayote

Chinese Herbs
5-6 pcs of monkey head mushrooms (猴头菇)
5-6 pcs of dried dioscorea (淮山)
some Fragrant Solomonseal Rhizome (玉竹)
some dried lily bulbs （百合）
6 dried longans (龙眼干）
1/4 dried tangerine peel （陈皮）

Method
1. Rinse chayote and papaya separately (both chayote & papaya skin can be skinned or left intact, up to individuals). Cut them into large pieces.

2. Rinse all herbs and soak until soft. Except for monkey head mushrooms, they must be separately soaked and wash several times to get rid of the mouldy smell.

3. Bring 12-15 bowls of water to the boil together with dried tangerine peel.

4. Put in the remaining ingredients and herbs and bring to the boil again. Reduce to low heat and cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Season with a little salt and serve.

Note: Tangerine peels must always be added into the cold water and bring to the boil. They should not be added after water has been boiled; otherwise the soup will turn bitter.

Ho-Shui Pear Herbal Soup

Here's the 'Ho-Shui' pear herbal soup husband made. It is a very simple soup which only required 1-2 hours of double boil in clay pot. So healthy... and nourishing soup... cheers!! ^^

Ingredients
1 pc of Ho-Shui pear
2 pcs of fresh figs (cut half after wash)
a handful of wolfberry fruit (枸杞)
3 pcs of red dates (红枣)
someFragrant Solomonseal Rhizome (玉竹)