This soup technique is frequently associated with melting chocolate.
If we try to melt chocolate in a pot over direct heat, the temperature goes up too high and burn the chocolate before melting it properly. The correct way to melt chocolate is to place the pot of chocolate bar or chips over another pot of boiling or hot water where the heat is lower. The chocolate will then melt evenly without burning.
In the same way, to double boil a soup mean to place the soup pot over another pot of boiling water and let everything cook slowly at a lower temperature.
The soup is cooked using the heat from the boiling water and not directly from the original heat source.
The Cantonese likes to double boil their soups and they use a special ceramic pot known as a double boil jar. They believe that this will let the soup ingredients slowly release their nutrients into the soup. They also believe that the nutrients and flavour is "locked" in the soup. Find out more about this ceramic soup jar.
Some of the more popular cantonese double boiled soup include bird's nest soup and white fungus with red dates soup.
If you do not have this ceramic jar, you can still use this technique. Do the following:
- Find a small deep ceramic bowl or pot with a cover or lid
- Place the ingredients into the bowl
- Add sufficient water to cover the ingredients
- Place the cover on and seal with cling wrap
- Place the small bowl into a bigger pot of water for boiling
Unlike simmering soup, it is usually not necessary to parboil the ingredients.
This type of soup making is a fairly long cooking process. The average cooking time ranges from 2 to 4 hours.
Refrain from peeping into the pot to check on the soup as this will bring down the temperature of the soup and affect the cooking. There is little evaporation so the water will not dry out. The heat from the boiling water outside is also not high enough to cause a boil over.
The only thing to check is that there is sufficient water in the outer pot for boiling.
Some soup recipes
Black chicken soup with chinese yam
Black chicken soup with goji berries and chinese yam
Chicken feet soup
Chicken feet soup contains a high level of collagen, which is good for beautiful skin.
Healthy chicken soup
This healthy chicken soup with astragalus is a gentle and nourishing tonic soup.
Double-boiled beef rib soup
A simple beef soup recipe using beef ribs, ginger and cooking wine double-boiled to perfection.
