Cook: Beetroot sweetcorn soup.

Sweet and Nutritious Beetroot Sweetcorn Soup

Difficulty: 1/5

My mum introduced this nutritious soup to me as an alternative to the usual lotus root, old cucumber and winter melon soup that I usually prepare for my family. She said that my brother-in-law loves this soup and whenever my mum cook this, he will always finish the whole bowl of soup including the beetroot. 

I did a quick search on beetroot's health benefit on the internet and found out that this is a super nutritious vegetable. 

According to BBC GoodFood website, beetroot helps with liver's detoxification process and the plant pigment, betacyanin may suppress development of some types of cancer e.g.: prostrate cancer although further studies need to be done to suggest a positive correlation (Cytotoxic effect of the red beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) extract compared to doxorubicin (Adriamycin) in the human prostate (PC-3) and breast (MCF-7) cancer cell lines.)

Besides that, its high fibre content helps with bowel stimulation and may assist in preventing constipation. 

And last but not least, its colour is so red and vibrant, my kids love to drink them , referring the soup as "the red soup".

INGREDIENTS:

1. One medium sized beetroot

2. One sweetcorn, remove the skin

3. A few pieces of pork rib bone (for halal version, substitute with chicken meat pieces)

4. One dried scallop (optional)

5. A handful of wolf berries

6. A handful of red dates

Ingredients used

HOW TO CHOOSE BEETROOT?

Choose a beetroot that is firm, smooth, not wrinkled with vibrant red-purple colour. Although beetroot is available all year round, it is the sweetest during its peak season from June to October so now it is a good time to start preparing recipes with beetroot :)

METHODS:

1. Wash the beetroot under running water and scrub the skin gently without peeling off the skin. 

2. Cut the beetroot into quarters.

3. Put all the ingredients into a pot and add 2 bowls of water.

4. Bring to boil and then simmer for 45 minutes. 

5. Remove the skin of beetroot (it will slides off easily once it is cooked) and the soup is ready to be served.

Beetroot after washing and scrubbing

How the inside of beetroot looks like...