This Ain’t No Rabbit Food

Carrot soup. This is probably the most basic of all soups in a Chinese home-cook’s repertoire. It is the first soup that one learns to cook. And it is also the soup that one never really stops making. No matter how sophisticated a family’s palate becomes, no matter how much skills and experience the chef accumulates, this is a soup that gets returned to time and time again. It is light and refreshing. It is familiar and comforting. It is easy, fuss-free, fool-proof and tasty all at the same time. What more can be asked of a soup? Indeed.

As is the case with almost all Chinese (and Asian) soups, this is a light, clear broth that has been gently and naturally sweetened with carrots and the other ingredients.

I have two versions of this soup that I make alternately, depending on my mood. One uses chicken as the foundation of the broth, and the other is a purely vegetarian alternative.

Carrot and Onion Soup
(serves 4 approximately)

1 piece bone-in chicken breast, skinned
4 carrots, cut into chunks
2 big onions*, cut into large cubes
3 soup bowls water**

* Sweet onions, such as Spanish onions, would be absolutely lovely in the soup. Unfortunately, those are hard to find in Singapore, so I usually use the regular yellow onions, and they still come out wonderfully sweet and tender, after the fairly long cooking time.

** This is the way I normally measure out my water when I cook soup! As such I do not know the metric equivalent. Sorry.

There are just two steps to the cooking process:
• Bring the water to a boil.
• Add the rest of the ingredients. Allow the water to come back to a boil. Simmer on low flame for about 2 hours or so, or until the carrots are at the desired tenderness.
That’s it!

I don’t even add any salt. The family enjoys the soup as is. Just the natural sweetness from the chicken, carrots and onions. But of course, if you prefer, the soup may be salted to taste.

Carrot and Corn Soup
(serves 4 approximately)

This version uses corn and red dates to sweeten the soup and give it body.

2 ears of corn, skinned and cut into halves
4 carrots
1 handful of dried red dates
3 soup bowls water

• Bring water to a boil.
• Add the carrots and corn. Allow water to return to a boil, reduce heat to low, and leave to simmer until carrots are tender.
• Twenty minutes before the soup is ready, add the red dates. [These should always go in just before the end of the cooking period. Adding the red dates too early, and letting them cook for too long will give the soup a sourish tinge.]

And there you have it – carrot soup, Chinese-style. This soup is a wonderful palate refresher – a beautifully light, clear broth, with a wonderful natural sweetness. Healthy yet tasty. And so ridiculously easy to cook.

Even a rabbit would approve!

Copyright © 2004 Renee Kho. All Rights Reserved.
Please contact me for permission to copy, publish, distribute or display any of the images or text contained in this article.