Pigeons come in many varieties, such as homing pigeons, which were important communication tools in ancient times. There are also edible pigeons, often used as nourishing ingredients for soups. The method of making pigeon soup changes according to different needs, and the accompanying ingredients also vary accordingly. Consuming pigeon soup frequently can strengthen the body, beautify the complexion, and lower blood pressure.
How to Make Pigeon Soup: Pigeon Soup with Chinese Yam
Ingredients Preparation
1 squab, 100g Chinese yam, an appropriate amount of wolfberries, 2 dangshen roots, a few black jujubes, 4g salt, 1 scallion, ginger slices, and an appropriate amount of cooking wine.
Method
1. Wash the Chinese yam and cut it into slices. Rinse the wolfberries, dangshen, and black jujubes and set them aside.
2. Clean the squab and place it in a clay pot. Add water, bring to a boil, and skim off any foam.
3. Then add cooking wine, scallions, ginger, wolfberries, black jujubes, and dangshen. Bring to a boil over high heat.
4. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 1 hour. Add the Chinese yam and cook until tender. Season with salt before serving.
Tips
If handling Chinese yam irritates your skin, you can leave the skin on or wear gloves.
How to Make Pigeon Soup: Matsutake Pigeon Soup
Ingredients Preparation
1 squab, 10 matsutake mushrooms, 150g pork loin, 3 rehydrated sea cucumbers, 4 dried figs, an appropriate amount of ginger slices, an appropriate amount of rice wine, and a small amount of salt.
Method
1. Rinse the matsutake mushrooms and soak them until soft. Clean the squab and pork loin and blanch them together.
2. After blanching, cut the squab into several large pieces and the pork loin into large chunks. Rinse them with warm water and place them in a clay pot.
3. Pour the matsutake mushrooms and the soaking water into the clay pot. Add rice wine, ginger slices, dried figs, and hot water. Bring to a boil over high heat.
4. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 hours. Then add the sea cucumbers and simmer for another half hour. Season with salt before serving.
Tips
Dried figs have a stomach-boosting effect. When adding water, make sure it covers the ingredients by about 5cm.
How to Make Pigeon Soup: Home-style Pigeon Soup
Ingredients Preparation
1 squab, an appropriate amount of lean meat, a little scallion and ginger, an appropriate amount of honeysuckle flowers, a little bamboo shoots, cooking wine, shiitake mushrooms, wolfberries, and salt.
Method
1. Soak the bamboo shoots and shiitake mushrooms in advance. Slice the ginger and set it aside.
2. Clean the squab and blanch it in boiling water to remove impurities and fishy smell. Blanch the lean meat and cut it into chunks.
3. Place the squab in a pressure cooker, add ginger slices, bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, and cooking wine. Add the lean meat.
4. Cook over high heat until steam starts to release, then simmer for 15 minutes over medium heat. Transfer to a clay pot, add honeysuckle flowers and wolfberries, and simmer for another 20 minutes. Season with salt before serving.
Nutritional Value of Pigeon Soup
The nutritional value of pigeons is relatively high. In ancient times, people believed that one pigeon could be equivalent to several chickens, although this is an exaggeration, it's not hard to see how nutritious they are. Pigeons contain high levels of white peony, calcium, iron, and other minerals. Additionally, they contain bile acids, which help prevent cholesterol buildup, and pantothenic acid, which helps prevent hair loss and graying. They can also improve skin elasticity and promote wound healing.