Chinese grandma's secret to a long life 👵🏼 : Chicken Herbal Soup 🍲

Hello Steemians, to every single one of us here food are essential and different countries around the world have their own interpretation about food. Some people are the eat to live type whereas the rest of us foodies are clearly the live to eat kind.

The phase "You are what you eat" reflects a lot about the person, obviously not like you eat a fish then you will become a fish but more like if you eat healthy your body will be fit and healthy. If you consume junk food everyday, your body will eventually become a trash can; smelly and greasy unattractive trash can. As simple as that.

Here in Thailand we eat food to please our taste buds, sometime we eat for fun as food usual serve in a small potion so that we can eat a few things at the time. They are extremely flavorful due to the amount of seasoning we use so honestly the typical Thai food isn't the healthiest cuisine if you are unaware of sodium in our fish sauce or the amount sugar and chili used or the sneaky oil and fat in deep fried finger food from street vendors then your new kidney can be very expensive.

• Popular Thai food: Tom Yum Goong (Spice and sour soup)
  An amazing photo from my Vietnamese food styling artist friend Kim Anh Doan;
  editor at T.Pot Magazine.
  Follow her at : https://www.instagram.com/herlittlekitchen/

In Japan food is a form of art, they craft all the tiny little pieces of carrot into beautiful butterflies. From the color schemes picked and the combinations of hues on each dish to plating to their serving gestures and even how you eat their food, these small details are all counted. It is undeniable that their culture is extraordinary and beyond words.

Another great shot of modern Japanese table set up from Kim Anh, seriously go follow her and sorry for keep using her photos but let's face it, I have a really cool friend to show off here.

Then comes the Chinese, for centuries Chinese people have been eating to heal. Their food is also their medicine and the key to that theory is to be "balance". They believe it is important to keep your body temperature in checked, if you are familiar with their "Yin-Yang" theory or Cold&Hot. Now let's get to the point after I toured you guys to 4 different countries (including Vietnam that I have mentioned my friend) now I finally get to introduce you my Chicken Herbal Soup.

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And here are what you will need :

• A package of mixed dried herbal set that you can find in a local supermarket.

In the package you will find (excluded the dried shiitake mushroom and garlic):

** Garlic cloves, please pardon my typo on this one.

First, let's find out what are these weird looking roots and barks also how would they benefit your body:

• Chinese yam are said to help in promoting muscle growth and repair worn-out tissue, and alleviate bodily weakness after an illness. The herb has also been used to treat diabetes, diarrhea, kidney defects, coughing and dehydration. However, the side effect is that it may cause frequent urination and perspiration in order to release toxin from the body.

• Chinese Wolfberries is a natural supplement for improving eyesight especially if poor eyesight is caused by malnutrition, vessel expansion and inflammation. Consuming wolfberries may help if you experience eye strain from staring at computer screens or reading for long periods of time. Wolfberries are also beneficial for the liver.

• Chinese Angelica Root is highly recommended for the treatment of women’s health. It is supposed to strengthen the blood, nourish the female reproductive organs, regulate menstruation cycle and relief period pains.

• Codonopsis Root promotes salivation and aid indigestion, relieves diarrhea and severe coughing, reduces nausea and weakness after severe bleeding. It helps with metabolism rate and improves blood circulation while improves condition of physical fatigue.

• Solomon’s Seal contains Vitamin A and is believed to be beneficial with skin and therefore an excellent Chinese herb for consume during dry season. It is also used in lowering of blood sugar levels and prevention of hardening of the arteries. Solomon’s seal is also believed to be excellent for alleviating a host of ills, including throat and lungs ailments. Great for diabetic patients who suffer from thirst and dryness.

Thus, to conclude all the benefits of enjoying this soothing herbal broth is that it has an ability of "YANG" (hot/heat) and it is recommended to be consuming at least once a week or more during winter time, however, not during the period of feverish.

• Chicken parts; can be thighs, drumsticks, wings, breast or even the whole chicken and can also be replaced with pork ribs if preferred. I used wings since I have them in my fridge, wash them with salt water and drain out the water then set aside.

• Come back to your shiitake mushrooms after soaking them with water, squeeze out the water and chop them into pieces so they are easier to eat and don't soak up too much of the soup and burn your tongue later when you eat them.

• Peel the garlic cloves and smash them into chunks

• I also put a soup cube to improve the taste but if you want to go healthy like fully Chinese medication style then you can go without, not putting the soup cube will make the soup clearer which looks more appetizing as well. Here is my soup cube!

• Set a pot on the stove and heat the water until boiled then throw in the soup cube

• Then throw in the chopped garlic and all the weird looking herbs into the pot.

• Now make sure the water is boiling hot before you throw in your chicken parts and shrooms (aka mushrooms)

• Now lower the heat down to low and just forget about them for like 30 minutes or an hour then come back to taste.

I used Fleur de sel ("flower of salt" in French) to season my soup just because I have it and to feel a little more superior since my chicken wings are so tiny.

Fun Fact 1

• Fleur de sel; it is a salt that forms as a thin, delicate crust on the surface of seawater as it evaporates used as a finishing salt to flavor and garnish food. The name comes from the flower-like patterns of crystals in the salt crust.

Fun Fact 2

• As a general rule, the less refined the salt, the larger the proportion of minerals and moisture. By definition, Fleur de sel is the most complex in flavor and contain higher nutrition that regular salt.

Fun Fact 3

• Exposing Fleur de sel to high temperatures, it will melt and lose its unique character. Instead, you should use sprinkles it on anything that needs a little extra oomph right before consuming. Therefore, in this case using a regular salt will do.

• Adding a pinch of salt to taste and leave it alone for another hour or two so everything you put in the pot become nice and tender, except for the chicken bone of course.

• Serve while hot and enjoy this remedy on any rainy day is really the best.

And that is my Chicken Herbal Soup some people add Ginseng roots or Chinese dates depending on recipes, mine is the quick and easy for a lazy bump like myself.

Thank you for reading all the way down to this point. It is a long post so I appropriate those of you who stay with me until here.

So much love for steemit and I hope steemit will some day love me back a little more.

Annie xo