Hands up, who has ever made Shinbone Traditional Chinese #Soup Base? 
I don’t see too many hands up in Internet Land!
Okay, let’s start from the beginning eh?
I LOVE experiencing all cultural cuisine stores in Adelaide, as they really are a treat!
It must be me, but I always feel so warm and welcomed and all my experiences to date have been positive and some owners are “genuinely surprised” with some of the ingredients I buy and are more than happy to answer my questions. 
While visiting a local shopping center that has a terrific Asian store with a wide variety of ingredients, I stopped at the butcher for some meat.
He asked me what would I like and the first word B-L-U-R-T-E-D out of my mouth was….I would like some shinbone please!
I don’t know WHO was more surprised; him or me!
Mmmmmmmmmmmm, I had never cooked with shinbone before, had limited knowledge about it or let alone recipes to use it; ALL I knew at the moment was I
“wanted some!” 
The owner asked me what did I want to do with it and how BIG did I want it?
I honestly had no clue, but somewhere in my foodie brain, I MUST have thought “one day” I would like to make Shinbone Traditional Chinese #Soup Base.
I DO hope you are laughing with me!
When he brought out this HUGE (and I mean HUGE bone almost a metre; approximately three feet), my FIRST reaction was HOW was I going to get THAT in the stock pot; thankfully I had my verbal filter mode on that day. lol
The owner/butcher suggested he could cut it into pieces….W-H-E-W!!!
This experience was sounding “better and better!”
Are you laughing out loud now as both HE and I were too!
He sliced the bone up which contained the marrow; best part in making Shinbone Traditional Chinese #Soup Base.
He wished me good luck and asked me to let him know how I went on my
next visit!
You think it’s easy going foodie shopping with me?
I have extensive knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine from growing up in New York and in visiting Traditional Chinese Medicine Tea Houses that I was “privileged and honored” to do!
For those of my readers who may not be familiar with Traditional Chinese Medicine, let’s start with some overall basics without overwhelming you or flooding you with too much information.
I don’t know if you are sometimes like me, but sometimes it is a lot easier when people explained things like I was 5 or 3!
Traditional Chinese Medicine began in ancient China thousands of years ago.
Traditional Chinese practitioners use “mind and body practices” (like tai chi and acupuncture) as well as herbal medicines; this being done to “prevent or treat” health problems.
Whether you believe in Traditional Chinese Medicine or not is not important today; today is all about “the process”, experiencing and sharing Shinbone Traditional Chinese #Soup Base with you…okay?
The “beliefs” (simply stated) of Traditional Chinese Medicine is that the body is a small part of the expansive universe.
Most people have heard of the words “yin” and “yang.”
Photo Courtesy of Wiki
If not, yin and yang are two opposing forces and without one, the other wouldn’t exist in harmony.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, having the balance of yin and yang “supports” one’s health; disease results from an imbalance.
Think of it like the scales of life.
When the scales of life mentally, physically and emotionally are in balance, all is well.
When the scales of life are “stressed” based on one of the factors mentioned above, the scales are “out of balance”; hence health difficulties usually exist.
I didn’t mention “health problems,” because I personally believe that one is either part of the “cause” of a problem or they are part of the “solution” of the problem and the choice is always yours.
It is not important today if you don’t believe that too as today is all about making Shinbone Traditional Chinese #Soup Base sharing the “process” and “health benefits” too!
“What is in your Shinbone Traditional Chinese #Soup Base today?,” I “hear” you ask?
Great question and let’s get on with the Shinbone Traditional Chinese
#Soup Base.
— Roasted White Hyacinth Bean
— Roasted Rice Bean
— Common bombax flowers
— Rehmannia Rhizone
— Lotus Seedpot
— Pearl Barley (Dehilled & Polished)
— Dried Smilax Glabra Root
— Dried Alisma Orientale Rhizomes
— Roasted Pearl Barley
— Dried Jancus Effusus
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, different parts of plants, trees, stems, flowers and seeds are used; herbs are combined in formulas to improve health.
I thought I would highlight two of the above to you today:
Dried Smilax Glabra Root — as with any Traditional Chinese Medicine, the root can be cooked, ground into a powder or dried. While it has a wide variety of medicinal uses, it has been used successfully in cancer treatments, rheumatoid arthritis and mercury poisoning i.e. from fish.
Common Bombax flowers – some bombax flower varieties are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for treatment of inflammatory conditions, as well as lessening flu fevers.
“What did it taste like?, I “hear” you say?
While I honestly can’t put it into any particular category or suggest to you it taste like such and such, but next time I think I would add a splash of homemade tamari or sesame sauce; who knows, maybe even a chilli or two.
What I CAN say is you can taste with each spoonful HOW healthy it is!
For those who “might ask” (as I have VERY curious readers JUST like me!), I added 12 cups with the ingredients above in creating Shinbone Traditional Chinese #Soup Base.
I let it simmer for two hours; checking at various intervals and decided to add 4 cups more keeping the Shinbone pieces covered with water and it created the most beautifully delicious, healthy Shinbone Traditional Chinese #Soup Base within another two hours.
As you know by now, I also have a PASSION in minimizing food wastage; so used up what I had on hand today.
Steaming in the Shinbone Traditional Chinese #Soup Base was finely sliced red cabbage, matchstick carrots, matchstick bamboo shoots, finely chopped spring onions
and some Prawn Meat Gzoyas I had STARING at me from the freezer and YELLED, “PICK ME!!! PICK ME!!! ; pan-fried (no oil in my healthy Flavorstone pan) in this Shinbone Traditional Chinese #Soup Base recipe!
“What kind of noodles did you use?, I also “hear” you!
I had QUITE a large variety to choose from and decided on Japanese Shirataki noodles as you know how I previously liked to introduce two cultures to each other like in Viva la France Prawn Croissant and in Queen of the Nile Jeweled Grape Terrine.
Shirataki noodles aka yam noodles are a type of “fiber” that adds low carbohydrates (1 gram protein to 3 grams carbohydrates in a serve such as today) to the Shinbone Traditional Chinese #Soup Base.
Shirataki noodles compliment Traditional Chinese Medicine in helping control blood sugars, weight loss (don’t need that!) and to help cholesterol. (pass on that for me too!)
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Have YOU learned something new today?
All comments brighten my day!
Has this post peeked your curiosity about Traditional Chinese Medicine or medicinal uses for Traditional Chinese Medicine ingredients?
Did you know there are more than 100,000 Traditional Chinese Medicine recipes that have been written about?
Thank you to Queen Lou (from Cambelltown Moonlight Markets 1 and 2 and Conversations over Chivito) for sharing her lovely soup bowl with me today!
I hope you are inspired making Shinbone Traditional Chinese #Soup Base soon!
