"choy kon tong" dried white cabbage soup

50gms    dried white cabbage "choy kon"

1 pc       dried tangerine peel (medium sized)

2 pcs      dried fig fruit

7 pcs      red dates (pitted)

2 pcs      dried oysters (medium sized)

1 tbsp     sweet & bitter almond mix

1             carrot - cut into large pieces

1 pc        lean pork medallion 

              (cut into large strips of cubes)

2.5 ltr     filtered water

              sea salt to taste

soy mock meat, carrot, dried white cabbage,
dried figs, sweet & bitter almond, dried tangerine peel,
dried oyster & dried red dates

• soak dried cabbage in hot water for 10 minutes & wash with cold water. clean it carefully as it may have fine sandy sediments. drain when clean
• boil 2 ltr of water in a medium sized pot and 500 ml of water in a small pot
• when the small pot of water boils, add pork and boil for a minute or so. drain & leave aside
• wash figs, red dates, dried oysters and almond mix; leave aside
• when the large pot of water boils, add the pork first then the rest of the prepared ingredients. close lid. boil for about 20 minutes on medium heat.
• then turn heat to minimum and boil for 4 - 5 hours. depending on the type of pot you use, you many need to add some water in between
• add sea salt just before you serve the soup & turn up the heat for 5 minutes. do not stir soup vigorously after adding salt
• makes about 4 - 5 bowls of soup ... enjoy =)

Notes

for a vegetarian version, omit the pork and oyster. you may like to add in a sweet corn / soy mock meat to enhance the taste

you may also use a slow cooker to boil the soup. you do not need to add any more water in between. just make sure you add boiling water to slow cooker before adding the ingredients. will need to boil for about 5 - 6 hours

for a no frills version, all you need is an dried white cabbage, sun-dried tangerine, oyster and some meat (or soy mock meat for vegetarians)