Koh feels that soup should go together with a meal which, he said, would make it easier to swallow the food. There are different soups to suit different purposes, some to warm the body, while others to cool down the body. He explains that the honey date used for the green apple, carrot with chicken soup is to clear the phlegm of those suffering from cold and flu. It also lends a natural sweetness to the soup. The carrot is used for cooling the body system down, he said, while meat is a source of energy.
Herbal soups are double-boiled to preserve most of the ingredients' nutrients.
He explains that most Chinese soups are easy to prepare, although cooking time can take up to three hours. This is, however, a relatively short time, as dry shark's fin soup can take from three to five days to cook. On the other hand, the wet shark's fin soup, a perennial favourite in wedding banquets, takes a whole day to cook. In comparison, Malay and Indian soups are spicier and thicker in consistency. Other specialties of the sup kambing vendors are oxtail soup and torpedo soup.