3. Old Cucumber with Pork Ribs Soup 老黃瓜排骨湯

This is a soup commonly found in hawker centres and food courts. Something that you can get for $2.50 - $5.00 for a small portion - and it often comes bland and tasteless unless you get it from proper soup stalls.

However - it is actually very easy to make! No special ingredient at all.

Ingredients (for 2-4 pax):
1. 1x medium old cucumber 老黃瓜
2. ~350g spare rib (1.5 packs from supermarket) 排骨
3. 2x dried date 蜜棗
4. ~1 tablespoon of mixed almonds 南北杏

Instructions:

1. Day 0 -- wash old cucumber, scrape away all the seeds, and cut into chunks. Wash dried date and mixed almonds. Keep all of the above in the fridge.

2. Day 1 -- As mentioned in other recipes, boil spare ribs for 2-3 minutes to remove unwanted blood.
3. Put all the ingredients in the soup pot. Cover ingredients with water (roughly 2 inches above the ingredients; ~ half of a medium-sized soup pot). Bring soup to a boil, then let simmer.
4. If using a thermal cooker, let simmer for ~30min and then leave soup in thermal sleeve for >5 hours (i.e. until dinner time). If not, let simmer for 2 hours.
5. When ready to serve, bring soup to a boil, add salt to taste (~1 teaspoon), and serve.

2. Pork Ribs with White Radish Soup 白蘿蔔排骨湯

White radish is one of my "go-to" food whenever I feel heaty (? dehydrated) - for no scientific reason, it just makes me feel better after a durian feast, chilli crab, or a plate of (too shiok) nasi padang. This is another simple recipe that takes less than 15 minutes to prepare (excluding cooking time).

Ingredients (for 2-4 pax):
1. 1x medium-large white radish 白蘿蔔
2. ~250g Spare Rib (1 pack from supermarket) 排骨
3. 2x big dried scallop (or ~1 tablespoon of mini dried scallop) 乾貝/瑤柱
4. ~1 tablespoon of mixed almonds 南北杏
5. 2 slices of old ginger 老薑片

#3 is a secret ingredient that can make the soup much tastier.
Optional ingredients include:

6. 1x dried date 蜜棗
7. 1-2 pieces of dried orange peel 陳皮

I am okay omitting #6 for this soup. #7 is also optional, as not everyone likes it and good ones are not easily available.

#1/#2/#5 can usually be found in supermarkets, #3/#4/#6 can usually be found in usual neighborhood Chinese medicine/dried foodstuff shops. #3 - for good quality ones, may need to go to e.g. Albert market in Bugis to hunt.

Instructions:

Day 0 (Evening before)
1. Peel the white radish and cut it into matchbox-sized pieces. Make the ginger slices.
2. Wash dried scallop and almonds (and dried date/orange peel, if using).
3. Place these ingredients in the fridge until ready to cook.

Day 1:
1. Boil pork ribs in boiling water for ~3-5 minutes to get rid of the unwanted blood
2. Remove pork ribs from boiling water, wash them clean
3. Put all ingredients together in the soup pot, bring to a boil in 2.5-3 large bowls of water (use those large bowls for noodle soup)
4. Once soup is boiling, bring down the fire to a simmer
5. Let simmer for 2 hours (if to be consumed immediately), or let simmer until you have to leave for work
6. Place soup pot into the outer sheath of a thermal cooker, or use a slow cooker to continue cooking right before going to work. Skip to Day 1b if soup has been simmered for 2 hours and is to be consumed immediately.

Day 1b.
1. When ready for dinner, put in salt to taste (~1-2 teaspoons)
2. Bring soup to a boil and simmer for ~15 minutes after removing from slow/thermal cooker.
3. Ready to serve!

1. Sea Whelk with Pork Rib Soup 响螺排骨湯

Tasty soup! I won't pretend to be a nutritionist or a TCM physician getting all technical and abstract about protein content and the soup's ability to warm the body - all I care is if it tastes good and if it makes me feel good. This is a first try - endorsed by wife! I used it to replace a meat dish for dinner.

(For 2 pax - 1 meal)
1. Pork Spare Ribs 排骨 (1x pack from NTUC, ~250g; or half a pack of Porkee frozen prime ribs)
2. Dried red dates 红枣 (x2 dates)
3. Yuzhu 玉竹 (~10 strips)
4. Dried sea whelk strips 响螺片(~5 strips)
5. Huai Shan 淮山 (2-3 strips)
6. Qizi 杞子 ( 1 tablespoonful)

All these can be found in supermarkets or common traditional medicine shops like 福华/正中平. Other recipes will mostly consist of items easily available in supermarkets even at 2am.

To prepare:
Day 0 (at night before you go to sleep):
- Clean items 2,3,5 and 6, chuck everything into the fridge after washing
- Cut the dried sea whelk into smaller strips. Wash and soak them in water overnight in the fridge.

Day 1 (first thing in the morning):
- Boil a small pot of water. Boil the pork ribs in the boiling water for 3-5min to get rid of the unwanted blood. Wash the pork ribs.
- Dump all ingredients into either i) the pot of a slow cooker or ii) the inner pot of a thermal cooker. Fill with 2.5 large bowls of water (the bowls one uses for noodles)
- Bring the mixture to a boil on the stove, then keep it simmering. Now, brush your teeth, have your breakfast, and get ready for work.
- Before you step out of the house, put the pot into the slow cooker and let it cook for the duration you are at work. If you use a thermal cooker, put the inner pot into the outer sheath, and go to work.

Day 1b. (Ready to eat!)
- When you (or your partner, housemate, whoever) return home from work, put the soup back onto the stove, and bring it to a boil. Add approx. 1 teaspoon of salt, depending on your taste. Let it simmer for 15min or until you are ready for dinner (take care not to dry out the pot!).