Black Garlic Pigeon Soup Recipe: How to cook

Black Garlic Pigeon Soup: The Ultimate Nourishing “Golden Soup” for Autumn and Winter

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Black Garlic Pigeon Soup
Black Garlic Pigeon Soup

In today’s health-conscious world, a good bowl of soup not only warms the body and soul but also serves as excellent nourishment. Black Garlic Pigeon Soup is a perfect example of culinary medicine, combining “black soft gold” black garlic with “animal ginseng” pigeon meat. It’s not only delicious and rich in flavor but also boasts nutritional value far beyond ordinary soups. This article will detail the homemade recipe and amazing benefits of Black Garlic Pigeon Soup, helping you easily prepare this healthy delicacy for your family.

Why is Black Garlic Pigeon Soup a “Golden Combination”? – The Remarkable Benefits of Two Key Ingredients

Before learning how to make it, let’s understand why this soup is so popular. It comes from the powerful combination of black garlic and pigeon.

1. Black Garlic: Nature’s “Antioxidant”

Black garlic isn’t naturally black; it’s made from fresh raw garlic that undergoes a long fermentation and maturation process. This process eliminates the pungent taste, giving it a sweet, sour, and soft texture similar to dried fruit, while multiplying its nutritional value.

  • Boosts Immunity: Rich in allicin and S-allyl cysteine (SAC), it effectively activates immune cells, helping the body fight viruses and bacteria.
  • Powerful Antioxidant: Its antioxidant capacity is more than 10 times that of regular garlic, helping to delay aging and eliminate free radicals.
  • Regulates Three Highs: Helps lower blood sugar, lipids, and blood pressure.
  • Protects the Liver: Promotes liver metabolism and detoxification, repairing liver cells.

2. Pigeon Meat: A High-Quality “Nutrient Bank”

Squab refers to young pigeons within one month of birth. The meat is tender and nutrients are easily absorbed by the human body.

  • High Protein, Low Fat: Protein content is as high as 24%, surpassing pork, beef, and mutton, while fat content is very low, making it an ideal choice for nourishment without gaining weight.
  • Rich in Chondroitin: Helps repair joint cartilage and delays skin aging, making it a beauty-enhancing delicacy.
  • Nourishes Qi and Blood, Heals Wounds: Traditional Chinese medicine believes pigeon meat helps wound healing, making it suitable for post-surgery or postpartum recovery.

Synergistic Effect: The combination of black garlic’s antioxidants and pigeon’s high protein makes this soup particularly effective in boosting immunity, restoring energy, delaying aging, and improving complexion. It’s especially suitable for autumn and winter seasons, for those who are physically weak, often stay up late, or need maintenance.

Homemade Black Garlic Pigeon Soup Recipe (With Detailed Steps)

This soup is very simple to make and requires minimal seasoning, focusing on preserving the original flavors of the ingredients.

[Ingredients] (Serves 2-3)

  • Main Ingredients: 1 squab (pigeon), 3-4 heads of black garlic
  • Supplementary Ingredients: 3-4 slices of ginger, a small handful of goji berries, 5-6 red dates (optional, for added sweetness)
  • Seasonings: 1 tablespoon cooking wine, salt to taste

[Preparation Steps]

  1. Preparation: Clean the squab and cut into pieces (can also be cooked whole). Place in cold water with ginger slices and cooking wine. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, then remove and rinse with warm water. This step (blanching the pigeon) is key to a clear, non-greasy soup.
  2. Combining Ingredients: Place the blanched pigeon pieces, peeled whole black garlic, ginger slices, and washed red dates into a soup pot (or stewing pot).
  3. Adding Water and Simmering: Add enough water at once (try not to add more during cooking). Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer slowly for 1.5 – 2 hours. If using an electric stew pot, select the “soup” mode and stew for about 2.5 hours for better results.
  4. Final Seasoning: When the pigeon meat is tender and the soup has an amber color, add the washed goji berries and simmer for another 5-10 minutes. Finally, add salt to taste (remember to add salt last to prevent the meat from becoming tough).

[Tips] (Enhancing Practicality)

  • Choosing Black Garlic: High-quality black garlic has dry skin, black and shiny flesh, with a soft, sweet, and sour taste.
  • Preparing the Pigeon: Be sure to thoroughly remove the lungs and blood clots from the pigeon, an important step to eliminate gaminess.
  • Keep It Light: This soup emphasizes original flavors; no need to add MSG or other seasonings as the natural flavors of black garlic and pigeon are delicious enough.

Suitable Groups and Precautions for Black Garlic Pigeon Soup

[Most Suitable For]

  • People with low immunity who catch colds easily.
  • Those with high work pressure, often staying up late, or in suboptimal health.
  • Patients recovering post-surgery or postpartum.
  • Middle-aged and elderly people for daily health maintenance.
  • Women with dull complexion seeking beauty and skincare benefits.

[Contraindications]

  • Those with Heat Constitution: If you tend to get heaty easily or have dry mouth, consume in small amounts or reduce the amount of black garlic.
  • During Diarrhea: Black garlic has a laxative effect and should be avoided during diarrhea.
  • Those allergic to garlic should avoid it.