淮山排骨汤

淮山, 又名，淮山药。

Scientific Name : Dioscorea Opposita.

Commonly known as Chinese Yam.

This is one ingredient commonly found in soups.

What is so good about this ingredient?

According to this website, it is suppose to help lower blood sugar and blood pressure, aid in digestion and anti-aging.

Usually, the dried form of this ingredient is used when brewing soups. However, I couldn't find any at the Asian Mart near our place. The boss of the Asian Mart showed me this fresh chinese yam. I had seen many soup recipes using fresh chinese yam, and I thought, why not give it a try? As mentioned in many food blogs, the inside of the yam is slimy, and the liquid sticks to the hand like very watery glue. The skin of the yam has to be removed, and remember not to slice the yam too thinly. They kind of "disintegrate" into the soup, turning the soup "cloudy" when sliced too thinly.

I'm madly in love with soups, and chanced upon The Soup Queen.

I love that the soup uses only three simple ingredients ... 淮山药, Red Dates, and Pork Spareribs.

淮山药 Length of about 20-25 cm

Red Dates 18 (Mine are really small, so put less if yours are big)

Pork Spareribs 1.2 lbs

Water 1.2 - 1.5 litres

• Wash and blanch the pork spareribs.
• Rinse the blanched spareribs in cold water.
• Put all ingredients into a pot.
• Bring the water to a boil.
• Lower heat and simmer for about 2 hours.

The soup is "clear" with a subtle tinge of sweetness .... 非常的清甜！Darling son KW loved it so much that he had two bowls! Mmmm ....

Seems like I will need to cook this soup more often =)