Thursday, August 18, 2011

Why as easy as ABC and not XYZ?

When my mum served this bowl of soup to me, I asked her for the recipe and the method. I was dumb founded to see the short list of ingredients and how easy it was to cook this mouth watering delicious healthy soup. I noticed she did not use any oil.  I took two bowls with rice. I told mum I wanted to share this recipe with my readers and friends and she gave me the recipe and told me how she cooked it. I asked her twice if she had forgotten some ingredients and steps in the method. She got impatient and answered me, “Haiyah, hai kam lor, mun kam tor bai. hoe yoong yee geh, yoong yee ko Quay Lo ABC.” (Haiyah, this is it, ask so many times. very easy, more easy than Quay Lo ABC). OMG! even my mum who does not know English or speak the language knew how to say that! I could not help but laughed out loud!  So are you convinced now that this soup is simple to make? Oh... and does anyone ever wonder why it is "easy as ABC" and not XYZ?

Borlotti bean soup





Ingredients:
500 gm borlotti beans
2 medium carrots, peel skin and cut into chunks
200 gm pork ribs
800 ml chicken stock
salt to taste

Method:
Take out the beans from the straw. Wash them and put them (both beans and straw) into a soup pot. Blanch the pork ribs and drain away the water. Put the pork and chicken stock into the soup pot and bring to boil. Let it boil on high heat for 15 mins and lower heat to a simmer. Let it simmer for 1 hour or until the pork meat is tender. Serve hot after dishing out the straw.


Note: I added plain fragrant rice to the soup and this is another perfect healthy one dish meal. I think for those who are working, you can do this in the crock pot so that when you return from work, all you have to do is to cook some rice and you have a wonderful meal!

44 comments:

  1. Thank you very much for sharing, and thank your mum too! This is a very healthy soup. I will definitely try cook this for my family. Thank you and thanks your mum again!

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  2. I love this pink bean soup. Will cook it this weekend. Thanks for the recipe.

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  3. Soup with rice goes so perfectly. I love all kind of soup especially boiled with pork ribs.

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  4. Mum knows best:) And why ABC and not XYZ .Well that is only one question in asea of similar ones;)

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  5. mmmm..yum yum,going to prepare this..my hubby and son must love it too..
    thanks for sharing~

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  6. A delicious soup and great, I love it, looks very beautiful, very cold here I take it immediately, warm hugs.

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  7. Delicious healthy soup, slurp....yum yum

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  8. Indeed as easy as ABC :) Your mom is so cute!
    You know, at a quick glance, I thought the beans were lap cheong. And I was thinking "soup with lap cheong, how interesting". LOL.
    Thanks for sharing these precious recipes :)

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  9. This soup looks tasty, but I'm surprised how pretty the bean pods are!

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  10. Hou hou yum leh!
    Har chee ngo tou gar dit carrot.
    Peng see ngo mou yoong carrot.

    Oh, these are called barlotti beans too, the last time I posted about these beans, I was searching for the name and found cranberry beans. The local Chinese call these by either doong gu dau(mushroom bean) or ngan geang dau (spectacles bean).

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  11. saw a lot of these beans being sold in the pasar. Didt know how to cook it till now. Thanks. another good soup recipe :)

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  12. I love recipes that ARE simple but don't TASTE simple. This looks great!

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  13. i often see this in the market, dont know what they call but know they are usually use for making soups. Thank you for sharing the idea how to make the soup. My mum doesnt know that. You dont be so 'cheong hei', you are in doubt of her memory or what? some elderly people have very good memories..you ask her 2 or 3 times more, next time she wont share her secret recipe with you, then you kena! LOL!

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  14. Wow! That is as easy as XYZ! Sounds simply comforting and flavorful. (I love your profile pic with your pooch!)

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  15. My mom used to make this soup for us and we likes it a lot but so far I have yet to come across any borlotti beans here. I tried planting it once but nothing came out :(

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  16. The recipe & ingredients is simple but I'm sure the taste are rich!
    Tq for sharing the recipe :)

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  17. Simple and easy and not MC2..mon cha cha..Like soup with beans and nuts coz its a challenge to the teeth if they are not boiled. Either the nuts would crack or be cracked by the nuts.

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  18. I never used borlotti beans before but this looks so delicious and easy to cook. Thanks for sharing.

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  19. Thanks for stopping by the hopeful kitchen -- it introduced me to your blog, which is wonderful! So inspiring. Thank you for your great recipes and stories.

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  20. I'd be more impressed if your mother sang the Jackson 5 version of "ABC." :-)

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  21. Oh, wow..your photos are so delicious and this is a soup I'd love o make soon! Fall is almost here, with cooler weather, so this soup will most certainly be on my menu!

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  22. I love recipes that taste more complex than they are. I think the borlotti is similar to a kidney or pinto bean. If so, this is very similar to a bean soup I've made in the past. Yum! I can hardly wait for more soup weather.

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  23. Wow, that looks easy and delicious...and I had to giggle at your mom's response! Moms will be moms :)

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  24. Simple and delicious....not much effort to rustle up this delicious soup huh! I like:)

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  25. Ha! I swear, mum's are all the same :) Yours sounds adorable and she's clearly got mad skills in the kitchen! Buzzed

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  26. Look at those beans, I know this soup is superb. I will have many bowls. I love those beans. It's been many years I have not had them. And your mom is really funny...haha. Have fun cooking and learning more from her! MaryMoh at http://www.keeplearningkeepsmiling.com

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  27. Love these easy as ABC from the family recipes. Funny you thought there was more to it! I will have to make it!

    And you know I have to have an answer to the question...it's ABC because that is where you start. If it was XYZ you'd be done...:D heheh...besides when we were kids we'd say XYZ when someone's pant's zipper was left down ;)

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  28. My mom used to cook this all the time too! She's not a good cook, but her soups were always tasty (but a bit bland hehe). Even the carrot chunks... that's how my mom cut hers.

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  29. Mom always provide the best recipes, my mom too. I love the simplicity of the soup. Have a nice weekend, Quay Po.

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  30. My Mum cooks a similar soup too, but replace the beans with potatoes. She calls it 'ABC soup'. Must be a thing in their generation - easy as ABC!

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  31. I've seen this borlotti beans so many times, but never know how to use it! Now I know. Thanks for sharing this simple dish.
    Btw, I think "as easy as ABC" is because we started learning alphabets with letters ABC, not XYZ. Therefore, it's "as easy as ABC" and not "as easy XYZ"! And also because, I think ABC is easier to learn compared to XYZ. How many words of XYZ do I know? Not a lot, I must confess! :p

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  32. So this is yr XYZ soup! :D ... yum yum... simple recipes are the best recipes in life...

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  33. isn't it amazing how changing one ingredient can make it a new dish? and a new name? love this XYZ soup!!!

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  34. Simple dishes like these are the best! The ingredients get a chance to shine!

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  35. Hello! Thank you so much for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment! Your soup looks delicious! It's so great that you now have a visual record of your mother's recipe. I have not seen barlotti beans here. They are so pretty and I am sure taste wonderful.

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  36. @ALL
    No need to thank us for the recipe, we are happy to share.

    @Elaine
    Thanks for stopping by. I enjoyed my time at your blog and hope you enjoyed yours here.

    @Shirley
    I can't agree with you more.

    @daphne
    Ya, why not?

    @Food Dreams
    No harm giving this soup the name XYZ.

    @Passionate about cooking
    Your explanation makes sense to me. Thanks.

    @Charmaine
    My mum make ABC soup to, she use tomato, potato and carrot with pork rib or something chicken breast. Oh she also add some white onions.

    @Dave
    That is clever!

    @Victor
    Nice to see you again. Yes Mums know best. You too have a beautiful weekend.

    @Christine
    I think all mums know how to make good soups. They need not be good cook:D

    @Lyndsey
    The next time I see someone with their zipper down, I will say XYZ hehe... I think your explanation on the ABC is correct.

    @Parsley Sage
    Don't we all love our mums?

    @Jennie
    You are right. No hazzle at all.

    @Lizzy
    I don't blame you, I could not help laughing at her remarks.

    @Mary
    I think they are the same.

    @Mary M
    Good advice. I will keeping learning and keep smiling hehe.

    @lisamechele
    It is nice to have soup on cold weathers.

    @That Girl
    Would you teach her? LOL!

    @Eron
    Thanks for your visit too. Love to hear from you often.

    @Anncoo
    You are welcome

    @Bananaz
    Your comment always put a smile on my face. You are so funny.

    @Elies_Lie
    True,a simple soup with not so simple taste.

    @ICook4fun
    I wish I can share with you tips how grow the beans bu I am not much of a gardener.

    @Linda
    Thanks. I LOVE my Ruby!

    @alyce
    Thanks for your visit and comment. Hope to see you again soon.

    @Lena
    Old lady is a bit cheong hay one lor. When I reach 60 maybe worst hehe.. Ya, I think better not irritate an even more older lady with too many questions. Don't play play. LOL!

    @Joanne
    I think you are on the spot about this soup.

    @Small Kucing
    So now you know:D

    @Wendy
    I think cranberry beans is another name for this.

    @yummychunklet
    The beans are lovely. I love the color.

    @NEL
    hehe..lap cheong soup? maybe should try one day and see how it taste.

    @Jane
    this soup is very easy to like.

    @Dzoli
    I think got the answer to that now.

    @mNhL
    me too I prefer soup boiled with pork rib to chicken breast

    @Lois
    Thanks

    @Sheoh Yan
    Do let me know how your hubby and kids like this soup.

    @Mel
    We are happy to share.

    @Rosita
    best time to drink lots of soup on cold weather, keep you warm. HUGS

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  37. Veronica, by the way, when you use XYZ for when someone's zipper is down means..."examine your zipper"

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  38. @Lyndsey
    Oh thanks for telling me, I was about to ask you what it stands for:D

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  39. hahaha your mum is so funny!!! These are called "pearl beans" 珍珠豆. Cantonese love to use it to 煲汤. Really delicious indeed!

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  40. Oh so this is another version of ABC soup. It looks as simple as ABC! I cook the other version..the one with onions, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots and pork ribs..:)

    Btw, I really love your Quay Po Cooks logo. Is it a dog? It's so cute!

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  41. @Alan
    So good to see you again:D Yes, It is funny how my mum is stoic and at the same time has a great sense of humor.

    @Carolyn
    Welcome to my space! My mum also cook the ABC soup like yours and we love it. Yes, the Quay Po Cooks' Logo is a dog. I have a miniature schnauzer and her name is Ruby. She is a member of my family. She is very intelligent and cute. She brings me lots of joy and I love her to death!

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