Cold Beetroot Soup (Vegan and Raw)

I was introduced to cold Russian borsch (from a home styled Russian cafe run by a lovely lady) while living in Sydney and instantly fell in love with this perfect summer soup. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to ask her for the recipe and am still kicking myself for it.

Inspired, I created this almost no-cook recipe that's easy and packing with healthy phytonutrients. For raw foodies, simply omit the boiling step and you have a lovely raw soup.

Cold Beetroot Soup

Ingredients (3-4 serves):

1 beetroot
Juice of 1 lemon
1 litre water
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp sea salt
Dill
Cilantro
Black pepper
Your choice of vegetables

Method:

Peel and slice beetroot to 0.5 cm thick patties. Combine beetroot, lemon juice and water and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. For raw diet, soak beetroot in water and lemon juice at 40 degrees C for at least 2 hours. Remove from heat and add honey, vinegar and salt. Adjust according to taste and leave it to cool to room temperature.

Prepare and slice your choice of vegetables. To serve, arrange vegetables in a soup bowl and pour enough soup to half cover. Garnish with freshly cracked black pepper, chopped dill and cilantro.

Herbal Chicken & Prawn Soup

Nothing better than a nice bowl of herbal soup when feeling under the weather. My earliest foray into herbal medicine was probably learning the ingredients used to make soup. There's always a soup for any ailment for a Cantonese and I am happy to keep this tradition alive in the kitchen.

Today's concoction is uplifting, adaptogenic and boosts immunity. You can use any meat with this recipe but I simply cannot resist the taste of herbal prawns.

Ingredients (for 4-6 persons) :

1.5 litres water
500 grams chicken (or any meat with bone on)
10 medium to large prawns
5 grams Scented Solomon Seal (Yu Zhu)
5 grams Dang Shen
4 grams Panax Ginseng Root
4 grams Chinese Angelica (Dang Gui)
4 grams Wolfberry
A couple Red Dates
3 grams Chinese Licorice Root
Dash of cognac
Salt to taste
Coriander for garnishing

Method:

Clean and wash herbs and chicken. Scald chicken in boiling water for 5 seconds to remove grime and drain. Fill pot with 1.5 litres of water and bring to a boil. Put chicken and herbs in and simmer over low heat for 60 mins. While simmering, wash and trim sharp protrusions off the prawns. Put the prawns and cognac into the soup and cook for 3-5 mins depending on size of prawns. Turn off fire and add salt to taste. Serve hot in a bowl and garnish with coriander leaves.