January 1, 2007
Watercress Soup - The Start Of My Detox Diet
Watercress contains significant amounts of iron, calcium and folic acid, in addition to vitamins A and C.
Lyndel Costain, a leading dietitian, nutritionist and health writer, says, “With all the concern about what’s in processed foods and choosing a healthy diet, don’t forget that some foods still provide simple, tasty and convenient goodness for the whole family. Watercress is one great example. With its high level of nutrients and protective compounds it’s a true superfood and an ideal item for health conscious shopping baskets.”
A nutritional analysis done by her reveals that watercress is brimming with beta-carotene and vitamin A equivalents which serve as important antioxidants.
I have been eating watercress without realizing the super duper benefits it provides. This is a very easy soup to prepare, and because I only cook the watercress for about 3 minutes, minimal nutrients are lost - the same 3 magic minutes concept that I apply to my stir fried bak choy and my broccoli soup.
I thought I had posted this recipe before, but apparently I have not (or if I did, there weren’t any pictures), so here you go… my easy Chinese soup recipe:
Ingredients (Serves 2):
- 1 big bunch of watercress
- 1/2 lb to 1 lb lean pork
- 1 tsp dried shrimp
- 1 tsp dried mini scallops
- small piece of ginger, sliced
- 6 cups hot water
- salt and pepper to taste
Preparation and Cooking Method:
1. Wash watercress thoroughly and set aside.
2. Blanch pork in hot water to remove scum. Transfer pork to a slow cooker.
3. Add dried shrimp, dried mini scallops and ginger to the slow cooker.
4. Add water and set slow cooker to low heat. Cook for 6-8 hours using low heat or 4-5 hours using high heat. (I prefer to use the low heat setting for slow cooking. If I use a high heat setting, the slow cooker lid tends to rattle from the pressure created by the steam when the soup is boiling - that makes me nervy.)
5. When soup is ready, cut watercress branches into smaller 2-inch sections. Transfer to slow cooker and allow to cook for 3 minutes.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste. Discard pork and serve soup with watercress.
The best part about using a slow cooker is that the longer the pork is cooked, the tastier the soup becomes. Also, since the watercress is cooked only at the last stage, you can add in the watercress just before serving, preserving its nutrients.
Watercress is a definitely a good vegetable for body detoxification after all that festive eating!
Bite This!
More recipes:
Slow cooker - Pork and vegetable soup
Instant Noodles? Kick It Up A Notch With Spinach Soup
Got Soup? (8) - Removing Grease From Soup
Early Chinese New Year Greetings
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January 1st, 2007 at 9:19 am
man! i need a detox diet… but now i’m looking at your pictures of krispy kremes. mmmmm.
January 1st, 2007 at 10:59 am
No one some Asians live for 208 years.
January 1st, 2007 at 3:04 pm
this seems healthy. :) you actually discard the pork? hehe i think i’d eat it!
January 1st, 2007 at 3:56 pm
Ok. My system is cleansed. I am done with my detox diet. The doctor said I shouldn’t be dieting when I am pregnant. Yay!
See, DaddyForever, I don’t want to live for 208 years. I won’t be pretty at that time.
BuddingCook, the pork has very little flavor left after cooking for so long cos all the meat juice is now in the soup. So I buy the cheapest lean pork. Pork bones are cheapest but they are ‘higher in cholesterol’ (says mom).
January 1st, 2007 at 4:24 pm
I am THE ONE who needs to detox now :(
Full of guilt now…
January 2nd, 2007 at 5:31 am
Sims, tt’s a great detox !! haha, hey, great idea. Am recovering from a long feverish flu week. Gonna use my leftover chk feets, some wolferine berries & figs, I think, let’s see :) cheers ! :)
January 4th, 2007 at 12:19 am
Hey, throw in some chinese red dates as well as 1 or 2 honey dates. Tell me how it tastes like. You won’t regret it ;)
January 8th, 2007 at 6:40 pm
Watercress also has lots of calcium! oz for oz more than milk.
I just saute mine quickly with some minced garlic and that’s it.
January 8th, 2007 at 7:07 pm
Tigerfish, MeltingWok, hope you are feeling better now, after drinking all your herbal soup!
PabloPabla - I used red dates before in radish and cuttlefish soup. Yeah, very sweet. I need to try out honey dates (if I can find them!)
Chopsticks - I didn’t know watercress can be saute’d I’ve always used them for soup only. Will try that the next time. Thanks for your suggestion!
January 8th, 2007 at 7:15 pm
Hi Yich,
It depends if you like watercress’s bitterness. It can be too strong for some people. I saute until just wilted, so only a few minutes. Or I like it raw in salads. Or wrapped in salad rolls. Eat lots. It’s good for the baby. Congratulations! :)
Lemons are also very cleansing for your digestive system, liver, and kidneys. I squeeze lemon into water. But drink with a straw, the acid can be bad for your enamel.
January 8th, 2007 at 7:15 pm
You can trying sourcing for honey dates in supermarkets. They are sold in pre-packed form. As for stir-frying the watercress, make sure you get really young and tender shoots. Otherwise, you’ll end up having a good exercise of your jaw!
January 15th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
Since I left Singapore for Palo Alto last year, I’ve been calling the helpline (i.e. mom @ home) for recipes. Anyways, I added 枸杞子 (FRUCTUS LYCII) and dates to the soup. It tasted decent.
January 15th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
Chopsticks, Thanks and thanks for your tips!
PabloPabla, I recently found honey dates :)
Hi Zak, Thanks for visiting! I don’t have wolfberries (fructus lycii). Think I need to get some soon as that seems to be an ingredient many people use in soups. My 1800-MY-MOMMY line asked me to use dried shrimp and scallops.
January 15th, 2007 at 7:50 pm
Great! Now you can add a new dimension to your watercress soup :)
January 16th, 2007 at 4:04 pm
[…] I was also surprised that the pork had a sweet taste too after being slow cooked. That usually doesn’t happen for my Watercress Soup or Black Bean Peanut Pork Rib Soup. […]