My little brother is currently recovering from severe aplastic anemia, a rare disease that affects 4 in a million people.
His myriad of Western medicine thrice a day means that, in as much as we'd like to boost up his energy levels and general health with Chinese herbs, none of them should be included in his diet in order not to cancel out the effects of the medications.
What we can use though, are to include the regular cooking ingredients with certain specific benefits to replenish and nourish his organ and nutritional health.
One of things he's insistent on, is a diet rich in beans.
Dried beans are actually not just a rich source of protein as most already know, but they also are rich in iron, phosphorous, calcium and dietary fibre.
All of which are essential for an energy boost, maintaining and repairing body tissues, muscles and cells. (In particular his blood cells)
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, 'black' based foods nourish the kidneys.
So here we have two different soups with black beans dependent on your choice of meat.
I used anywhere from a third to a half cup of black beans, washed and soaked for half an hour before washing and draining it again.
5 pitted red dates, washed
20g of wolfberries, washed and soaked
8 chinese mushrooms, washed and soaked
A knob of ginger, sliced
1 chicken, chopped into parts e.g. wings, drumsticks, thighs, ribs, breast
1.5 teaspoons of salt (flat not heaped)
0.5 teaspoon of Kikkoman soy sauce (optional, for colour and flavour)
0.5 teaspoon of Kikkoman soy sauce (optional, for colour and flavour)
2 litres of water
24cm WMF Saphir High top Casserole Pot
1. Blanch chicken parts in water to remove congealed blood and any bone dust or fragments in meat from the chopping process.
*I chopped all parts at the joint in order not to have excess blood from broken bone parts so it would be fine to skip the blanching step if this is done for fresh chicken.
2. Fill the pot with 2 litres of water and place all ingredients except the wolfberries, into the pot, before bringing to a boil.
3. Add the remaining water and bring it to a fierce boil before lowering the flame, add the wolfberries and let it simmer.
4. Add 1.5 teaspoons of salt or to taste and leave to simmer for 30-45 minutes, or until the black beans soften, before turning off the flame.
5. Bring to a boil just before serving.
If you decide to use pork ribs, I used 500g of short ribs, added in one carrot and purposely left out the dried cuttlefish because my little brother is allergic to it.
Do add that in for an added layer of flavour and sweetness.
Thanks for everyone who has been checking in on us.
We're very thankful for all the love and support that we've been blessed with.
If you'd like to check in on him and to pray along with us,
From our kitchen to yours,
Brenda
