My Cooking Journal 20 - Mum's Black Bean Soup

If you were thinking of improving your body overall health and maintaining youthfulness, you can try drinking black bean soup frequently.

Chinese believe black bean is a good nutrition food that is suitable for all age especially for woman before or after their pregnancy. This bean is rich in cholesterol-lowering fiber, antioxidants, protein, Vitamin B1 and contains good source of magnesium, iron and  folate. 

Black bean can helps to nourish our  blood, reduce blood viscosity, regulate menstral cycle for women, lower blood cholesterol level, strengthen kidney and prevent constipation. Others than this, it can eliminate free radicals, delay ageing and eliminate wind in stomach. It contains lot of nutrients that is essential for normal growth and maintenance of our body cells.  The beans if consume regularly can help to fight against cancer and heart disease. 

My mum told me to use pork trotters instead of pork ribs for the bean soup. The pork trotter (with bones and skins) not only provides calcium, but also contains collagen that will reduce dryness of our skin and  strengthen our ligaments and joints. Its make a fantastic thick broth base with nice sweet flavour. It is really delicious and easy to make.  

Buy and Prepare:

You can purchase black bean from local supermarkets or provision shops. It is usually sold in packet form.

My mum also taught me some basic tips to take note before cooking them. Before cooking these beans, spread them on a plate and remove any debris, spoil beans or stones. Then place the beans in a pot, wash and rinse the beans with hot boiling water. Drain the hot boiling water and then rinse the beans with cool runnng water. Discard the water and prepare to presoak for at least 2 hours. This is to shorten the cooking time.  After 2- 4 hours of soaking, discard the presoaked water and prepare for cooking.

  

Ingredients:

1. 200g Black Bean - prepare as mentioned above
2. 1 Pork Trotters - cut into small pieces and rinse
3. 1 Dried Cuttlefish - cut into small pieces and rinse
4. 6 Red Dates - rinse
5. 1.6 Litres Water

Methods:

1. Prepare a pot of boiling water and blanch the pork trotter in the pot to remove the smell of blood and scum. Remove and set aside.
2. Boil a pot of water. Pour the hot water in the slow cooker pot. Add in pork trotter pieces, cuttlefish slices, red dates and presoaked black beans into the pot.
3. Turn on to high heat and let it cook for at least 2 hours. Then reduce to low heat and simmer for another 2 hours. Add salt to taste.

Method 1

  



Method 2 & 3



Ps. Whenever I drink this soup, it reminds me of my beloved mum. Her black bean soup is real delicious and fantastic. She is using the traditional charcoal stove to boil this bean soup. As a result, the taste is immensely different and able to bring out the full flavours. Thanks Mum!