Pick-me-up: An easier way to make herbal chicken soup

Despite the universal appeal of herbal chicken soup, many would agree that the dish, which is usually steamed with about 10 different herbs, is perhaps a tad too troublesome to attempt at home.

To prepare this traditional Chinese dish from scratch, one may have to boil the chicken for more than one hour, to allow the herbal flavours to thoroughly infuse the meat.

Here, Mr Yong Bing Ngen, the owner-chef of Majestic Bay Seafood Restaurant, shortens the cooking time by using a pre-made herbal soup, which you can buy in liquid form at supermarkets and traditional Chinese medicine retail outlets.

It should have Chinese angelica as the main ingredient.

Mr Yong, who devised the recipe with help from the Health Promotion Board, had to add only four herbs for a well-rounded taste. These are readily available at medical halls.

"This soup is perfect for days when you are feeling tired," he said.

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