Dad turns 72 this July. He has always been the heart of our kitchen, baking, boiling and stewing with quiet pride. From a generation where men rarely admitted to loving such things, he never hid it. Cooking, gardening, looking after grandchildren and great grandchildren brought him genuine joy. In honour of his birthday, I am sharing his personal recipe for chicken winter melon soup. Try it yourself, or simply let it remind you to appreciate the soft, vulnerable side of the people you love.
Dad turns 72 this year. He has always loved to cook, being the main person in the kitchen who bakes, boils and stews. I still look forward to his cooking each time I come home for a visit.
Dad came from a generation where it wasn’t common for men to admit they loved partaking in activities perceived as more feminine-oriented: Cooking, gardening, looking after children (or grandchildren, or even great-grandchildren). Besides my Dad, some of his aging friends have also started embracing everyday household duties into sources of personal fulfilment and deep joy, especially in their silver years.
In honour of my Dad’s upcoming birthday in July, I would like to share his personal recipe for chicken winter melon soup. I hope anyone who reads this can try the recipe out for themselves, or simply appreciate a soft, vulnerable side to your family members which they have chosen to extend to you!
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken
- 5 chicken bones
- 1 red carrot
- 2 white corns
- 2 sliced winter melon, cubed
- 12 red dates
- 5 potatoes
- 60 goji berries
- 10 sliced gingers
- 4 litres of water
- Salt
- Chinese cooking wine
Steps for Soup
- Clean the whole chicken and set it aside.
- In a boiling wok, place chicken bones, gingers, red dates, corns and boil for an hour.
- After an hour, add chicken meat , winter melon, red carrot and potatoes.
- Turn down heat to mid-fire, and boil for an additional 20 minutes.
- Add goji berries and boil for the last 5 minutes.
- Garnish with desired amount of salt and cooking wine.