It’s the month for dads. I feel so incredibly lucky to be raised by my caring father, who has imparted so many great values in me and fortunate that my sons have a loving father in Stephen. I’ve been thinking a lot about the many ways my dad shows his love for me and my brother, so I want to share a few memories over the course of a few posts.
This first one here is all about soup! Soup is probably one of the biggest food connections to my Cantonese culture. I would say it is a huge mainstay of a Cantonese kitchen and often dictates the grocery list (got to make sure you have your pork bones!). Cantonese-style soups are generally boiled for hours to release the flavors of the bones, the herbs, and all intentionally picked ingredients that lend not only the nutritious components, but also the healing and restorative powers for the balance your body needs. I enjoyed reading this very succinct article about Cantonese soups.
For a good amount of my adult life, I lived with my dad (and my mom before she passed), who, having been the chef/main cook of his restaurants for many years, not only cooked me delicious meals, but always had some kind of soup ready. I always looked forward to drinking this first before dinner. The main go-to most people know is watercress soup (sai yeung choy tong) with carrots, hwai shan, pork bone broth; my favorite is a coconut chicken with snow-fungus; and I also like a lot of the fish soups that always lend a lovely taste with its nice white broth. Whenever I didn’t feel well, my dad’s first thought is always “hm, what kind of soup can I make for you?”
I live almost an hour away from my dad now. Whenever he visits, he would always be sure to bring me a large 1-2 gallon jug (recently, it’s a large jug that he reuses from the black vinegar he used to cook my postpartum pork feet) of soup for whatever the healing need is. During my postpartum months, he would come with 2-3 types of soups - something healing for the body, which included lots of collagen, something to help me with breastmilk production, and even something to prevent me from having night sweats! And then, he’d also include some pre-made soup packets that have all dried herbal ingredients, so that I can make my own.
飲湯啦!