White Fungus Chicken Soup

Today, I shall be make a more elaborate soup.
Ahhh! I'm already hearing people sighing away.
Don't worry about it.
The only tedious part is the preparation.
After that, boil it in the slow cooker and you can surf the net, watch tv, do whatever you like!
The slow cooker has become my favourite tool in the kitchen after Tricia was born.
Before I was slow boiling my soups over the stove.
With Tricia around, I couldn't afford to do that! I had to keep a close eye on her.
Then again, I think it's a pretty good investment and it's not an expensive item to have in your kitchen.

Now, the thing with cooking is that you have got to have the ingredients available in your kitchen.
Never mind if it's your first time purchasing these ingredients.
These stuff don't spoil overnight!
Keep it in your fridge and you are ready anytime then you think you will be.
Don't mind my 'fantastic' chinese. I maybe guessing some of the chinese characters..

Ingredients:

1. White fungus
2. 南北杏仁 (I don't know what you call them in English but I guess North/South Chinese Almonds) ;-)
3. Unseeded Red dates
4. 枸子 or Aniseed
5. Fresh Chicken (1/2)
6. Water (Chinese bowls x 6/7)
7. Salt (1 tsp to taste)

White fungus, aniseeds, chinese almonds & red dates

Preparation:

1. Soak the white fungus in hot water and watch it expand!
2. Cut the white fungus into sizable pieces. Minus out the hard part of the white fungus, you don't wanna eat that.
3. Wash the red dates, chinese almonds & aniseeds
4. De-skin the chicken. You can ask the 'chicken butcher' to help you with this
5. Cut the chicken into pieces. Please cut away the fats as well. You don't wanna drink oily soup.
6. Boil water and throw in the chicken to kill the 'bacteria' and wash away the 'dirt, blood'
   

Chicken being scald in boiling water. Check out the bubbles.

You don't want that stuff in your soup

Steps:

1. Throw in all the stuff into the slow cooker.
2. Pour in the water and boil for say minimum of 4 hours. Longer if you like the 'collagen feeling' of the white fungus
3. Add salt to taste when done. Again, please taste as you add in by 1/2 tsp. You don't wish to drink salty soupie after all that hard work right?

Ingredient in the slow cooker

Final Product