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Does anyone have a good recipe for Chinese Longevity Soup?

rwj

the last known practitioner of this little known religious cult must have died last year.

[Robin Garr]

Does anyone have a good recipe for Chinese Longevity Soup?

Not much help here, but this one, found online, looks like a dumbed-down American version from a Chinese restaurant in the Pittsburgh area:

Chinese Longevity Soup

* 2 to 2 1/2 quarts chicken broth
* 1 (8-ounce) can straw mushrooms
* 6 ounces bamboo shoots, sliced
* 4 ounces nappa cabbage, sliced
* 6 ounces chicken (uncooked white meat), sliced
* 4 ounces saiffon noodles (clear Chinese noodles)
* 1/2 tablespoon salt
* 4 to 6 ounces crab meat, thawed
* 1 ounce soy sauce

Soak noodles for about 30 minutes, or until soft. Combine broth, bamboo shoots, Napa, and meat until boil. Boil for about 6 minutes. Add noodles and salt and boil about 4 minutes more. Turn off heat and add defrosted crab meat and soy sauce. Mix and serve.

Makes 4 bowls

Source: Ken Moy, Moy's Cove, Monroeville.

Thanks Robin. It is similar to what I have been finding. I'll compare it to some of the others that I have turned up.

If anyone has any others I would love to hear of it.

rwj

Robert, here's an extract from a book I found on Google Books, and then traced back to Amazon which seems to have the entire book online. In case you aren't an Amazon subscriber and can't get the text, here's my typescript of the relevant passage. Any typos are mine -- my key board is sticky for some reason today, and I'll have to get some bottled gas and clean it well:

"Using bones from an organically raised animal (poultry is preferred), break the bones and cook them just below boiling for eighteen hours. Add water as necessary. Root vegetables may be added. Slightly acid vegetables such as carrots, celery, squash and beets help extract minerals and other nutrients from the bones and their marrows into the broth. A tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice will do the same. When cooked, remove the bones and use this broth alone, or as a liquid base for other foods.

The advantage of this animal-product soup is its unique nutrition from the marrow, which is known in China to promote growth and developement. Such a broth from broken bones and vegetables is called "longevity soup". Historical precedents for this practice exist in most other traditional cultures as well, including Native America, where children were given bones to suck out the marrow. People who are vegetarian for ethical reasons may see this as not directly involved in taking animal life, since bones can be obtained that would otherwise be discarded. A word of caution: Avoid animals raised where lead has deposited from auto exhausts or other sources over the years, since lead collects in the bones and marrow of animals."

[Claims that one of the vital nutrients in the marrow is the omega-3 fatty acid DHA.]

Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition by Paul Pitchford.

Robert, here's an extract from a book I found on Google Books, and then traced back to Amazon which seems to have the entire book online. In case you aren't an Amazon subscriber and can't get the text, here's my typescript of the relevant passage. Any typos are mine -- my key board is sticky for some reason today, and I'll have to get some bottled gas and clean it well:

"Using bones from an organically raised animal (poultry is preferred), break the bones and cook them just below boiling for eighteen hours. Add water as necessary. Root vegetables may be added. Slightly acid vegetables such as carrots, celery, squash and beets help extract minerals and other nutrients from the bones and their marrows into the broth. A tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice will do the same. When cooked, remove the bones and use this broth alone, or as a liquid base for other foods.

The advantage of this animal-product soup is its unique nutrition from the marrow, which is known in China to promote growth and developement. Such a broth from broken bones and vegetables is called "longevity soup". Historical precedents for this practice exist in most other traditional cultures as well, including Native America, where children were given bones to suck out the marrow. People who are vegetarian for ethical reasons may see this as not directly involved in taking animal life, since bones can be obtained that would otherwise be discarded. A word of caution: Avoid animals raised where lead has deposited from auto exhausts or other sources over the years, since lead collects in the bones and marrow of animals."

[Claims that one of the vital nutrients in the marrow is the omega-3 fatty acid DHA.]

Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition by Paul Pitchford.

Bingo! Thank you so much Bob! This is what I was looking for. There is a place here in town that makes a KILLER Longevity soup but they won't give up the recipe. What they serve is this really intense broth. I know that they are putting herbs and such into it and I may be on the right track to nailing those down. But I couldn't figure out how they were making the broth so intense. I'll give this a whirl. Thanks a million Bob!

rwj

Bingo!

rwj

Great, Robert. I gave Google a try and couldn't find it. I'm more and more addicted to Google Books.

One suggestion from the CIA -- Wash the bones very carefully before cracking them. You want to get off all salt and other flavoring/spices. It's not clear from the book whether they are calling for raw or cooked bones.

Regards, Bob

I was actually going to try roasting the bones first. I think this may be how the other place gets their broth so intense.

rwj