Chinese Winter Melon Soup (冬瓜瑤柱湯)

I am so behind with all my blogging as my duties as a mom and wife would always come first. It's been crazy in the Wan household, it started with the search for our new perfect piano teacher and after school programs for Ethan, then Damian got sick, followed by the little boys' allergies and last but not least, I seem to battle EVERY single day with Timothy's naughty adventure streaks. Timothy never went through his terrible two's - at least I don't recall it. Now ? He can take my blood pressure up the roof every single day, and he just turned 4 !! This is just the beginning. His mind races through so many different channels, and I need to be 20 steps ahead of him. It is so exhausting .... it really is. I need to come up with a game plan every single time and just that keeps me busy all day. If I don't get this situation under control now, he is going to be so difficult to discipline when he becomes older. Recently he deleted all the pictures I have taken from the food I prepared last week, as he gets hungry just by looking at it. HELP !!!!!

As Damian is still not feeling 100 %, I am preparing a Chinese Dinner, that is more on the healthier side. Meaning no stir frying, as little oil as possible and tons of liquid and vegetables. For my Chinese Soup, I have decided to cook a Chinese winter melon soup, as winter melons help your body to detoxify and bring your body heatiness down.

Chinese Winter Melon Soup (冬瓜瑤柱湯)

1 thick slice Winter Melon (冬瓜), peeled, seeds removed and cut into cubes
3 Chinese dried scallops (瑤柱)
6 Chinese dried mushrooms (冬菇)
1.5 tablespoon Chinese uncooked pearl barley (薏米)
1 tablespoon Fox Nuts (芡實)
5 - 6 Lotus Seed (蓮子)
4 dried honey dates (蜜枣)
1/2 lbs boneless lean pork

Step 1:
Rinse well and soak Chinese dried scallops and mushroom over night.

Step 2:
Blanche lean pork in separate bowl with boiling water, afterwards rinse it clean under running water to remove any dirt and debris from the blanching.

Step 3:
Mix all the ingredients in a pot, cover with plenty of water and bring it to boil. Simmer over low heat for 2 - 3 hours until broth changes colour and vegetables are slightly soft to touch.

Step 4:
Add salt to taste. Serve hot.

Enjoy !