So, I cooked Steamed Herbal Chicken Soup to bring to work the other day and I cannot stress enough how the taste is actually rather similar to the one my mother used to make. Mind you, mothers are different from daughters in a way that when mothers go out to buy chinese herbs to make herbal meat-based soup, they just do it.

Daughters tend to go "Err.... uncle... I need xx gram of this herb, that herb..." And the person doing the selling would be like "O_o We don't sell it like that hor...." Yep, totally awkward. But on the other hand, you can buy prepackaged herbs from supermarkets like NTUC for example and from those old-school chinese medicinal halls that you can find at, near or around neighbourhood shops and close to wet markets.

Anyways, here is the list of ingredients you need and the method to preparing it.

Ingredients:

• Astragalus Membranaceus (北芪)
• Boxthorn Fruit (杞子)
• Dioscore Opposita (淮山)
• Codonopsis Pilosula (党参)
• Polygonatum Odoratum (玉竹)
• 1500ml water (Subject to change)
• Whole Chicken or 500g of meat of your choice

What is it good for:

• Improve health
• Relieve tiredness

Method:

1. Prepare either a whole chicken, if you are cooking this for an entire family. Or around 500g of meat of your preference if you are cooking it for just 1 pax.

2a. If you are cooking for a family, just simply double boil the whole chicken and herbs in 1500ml of water on a stove-top for 2 hours.

2b. If you are cooking for 1 pax, place a large piece of aluminium foil on a plate that can withstand high and constant heat. And place the 500g of meat, followed by the chinese herbs on top. (Refer to imsge below.)

3. Top with half a small teacup of water if you want a stronger taste or a small full teacup of water if you are afraid the taste is too strong or maybe because you want a little more liquid as it can also be an actual steamed soup.

4. Fold the aluminium foil over the meat and herb and place in either in a double boil pan. Or top up watr halfway inside the rice cooker pot. Set the rice cooker to Cook (if your rice cooker has Cook or Steam option) and let it cook for between 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes.

5. Best served with fluffy cooked white rice but can be consumed on it's own.