Cordyceps Militaris with Chicken Soup (虫草花鸡汤)

Ingredients

1 Chicken
15grams cordyceps militaris
8 pieces of mushrooms (presoaked)
2 tablespoon wolfberries
Few slices of ginger
8 seedless red dates
2 honey dates
1500ml water
salt

Method

1) Remove chicken skin, trim fats.  Wash and cut into chunks.
2) Blanch chicken
3) Bring water to boil.  Put chicken, cordyceps militaris, ginger, red dates and honey dates, and mushrooms into 1500ml of water.
4) a) For thermal pot, let it boil for 15mins over stove before putting into outer pot.
    b) For slow cooker, let it boil for 10mins on high before simmering for 2hours.
5) Heat thermal pot soup, or switch on high for slow cooker and add wolfberries and boil for another 5mins.
6) Add salt to taste if desired.

Was told by doctor that when you're coughing, dont eat chicken as it causes phlegm.  So do take note when not to drink this soup. 

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (about 1 kg) (I used free range chicken/ 甘榜鸡)
12g cordyceps militaris/ chong cao hua (虫草花)
5 sticks dang shen (党参)
2 tbsp wolfberries (杞子)
2 slices of ginger (姜)
12-15 red dates (红枣)
1200-1500 ml water (adjust accordingly)
- See more at: http://food-4tots.com/2009/08/14/chicken-and-cordyceps-militaris-soup/#sthash.QGjyzjlJ.dpuf

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (about 1 kg) (I used free range chicken/ 甘榜鸡)
12g cordyceps militaris/ chong cao hua (虫草花)
5 sticks dang shen (党参)
2 tbsp wolfberries (杞子)
2 slices of ginger (姜)
12-15 red dates (红枣)
1200-1500 ml water (adjust accordingly)
- See more at: http://food-4tots.com/2009/08/14/chicken-and-cordyceps-militaris-soup/#sthash.QGjyzjlJ.dpuf

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (about 1 kg) (I used free range chicken/ 甘榜鸡)
12g cordyceps militaris/ chong cao hua (虫草花)
5 sticks dang shen (党参)
2 tbsp wolfberries (杞子)
2 slices of ginger (姜)
12-15 red dates (红枣)
1200-1500 ml water (adjust accordingly)
- See more at: http://food-4tots.com/2009/08/14/chicken-and-cordyceps-militaris-soup/#sthash.QGjyzjlJ.dpuf

Cordyceps Militaris soup with Shark's fin Melon 虫草花和鱼翅瓜汤

Ingredients:

500grams Shark's fin melon (about half melon)
1- carrots
250grams pork ribs
1.5 litres water
20 grams cordyceps militaris
2 tablespoon wolfberries
8 dried seedless red dates
2 honey dates
Salt to taste ( I usually skip )

Method:

1. Remove the skin and seeds of the shark's fin melon, cut the carrots & melon into chunks
2. Blanch the pork ribs
3. Put the pork ribs, cordyceps militaris, red dates, honey dates, shark's fin melon and carrot to boil in the thermal pot or slow cooker.

 4)   a) -Thermal Pot: Boil over the stove for about 15mins, then place the inner pot into the thermal cooker.  I'll usually either let it cook overnight or from morning till dinner time.
           -Just before meal, heat up the soup.  Add wolfberries and boil for 5mins.
           -Add salt to taste if desired

4)   b) - Slow cooker: Switch on high and bring to boil for about 10mins then switch to low and simmer for about 2hours.
          - Add wolfberries 5 mins before serving
          - Add salt to taste if desired

Cordyceps militaris

Recently a friend reminded me of cooking with cordyceps militaris when Si En's bronchitis has been relapsing too often recently.


In Traditional Chinese medicine, cordyceps has a long history of use as a lung and kidney tonic, to increase sperm production and for the treatment of chronic bronchitis, asthma, tuberculosis and other diseases of the respiratory system.
There are two types of cordyceps, cordyceps sinesis and cordyceps militaris. 

Cordyceps sinesis can cost quite a fair bit from $30 for two strands, whereas militaris cost only about $20 for a bottle that can make 4-5 times of soup. Although the strength of the militaris is less comparable as compared to sinesis, but it's pretty worth it for just a fraction of the price.

I'll post up some soup recipes that you can cook with cordyceps militaris either in the slow cooker, or thermal pots.

Here's the cordyceps militaris that I've gotten from hock hua.

Here's the benefits as stated on the label.