Good Healing Soups
For centuries, Chinese people have enjoyed nutritious soups with healing herbs. The people in southern China drank these soups when I was a child, and they still do. I now find them helpful to digestion as well as to flushing the lymphatic system.
We usually do not eat the solid parts of soup but drink only the broth. It soothes the stomach and intestines, especially on days when we have not been eating well. The broth rests the stomach, nourishes and replenishes you.
Tips for a perfect healing soup:
- Put the other ingredients in the pot after the water is boiling. This will prevent them from sticking to the bottom.
- Use clay pots for making soups, as they are best for cooking over low heat for a long time. You can find clay pots at many Asian grocery stores.
- Scald all meat with boiling water before putting it in the pot.
- Avoid adding cold water once the soup is on the stove. Cold water makes hot meat contract and the proteins in the meat harder to digest.
- Use high heat to bring and keep the soup at a boil for half an hour; then simmer over low heat for two to three hours depending on the particular recipe.
- Add salt only after the soup is done. This prevents the proteins from solidifying and ensures good flavor.
Lean Pork Soup with Tomatoes and Potatoes
3/4 lb lean pork (shin), rinsed and scalded with boiling water
1 to 2 medium tomatoes, washed and cut into pieces
3 medium potatoes, peeled, cut into pieces, and rinsed
2 oz goji (lichi or wolfberries)
12 red Chinese dates (seeded)
12 cups water
- Bring water to a boil.
- Put all the ingredients into the clay pot;
- cook over high heat for 20 minutes.
- Reduce heat and cook for 2 hours.
- Season with salt and serve.
Goji or Chinese wolfberries, an ingredient used in many soups and some herbal presciptions, help flush water from the body. They taste almost like raisins. Chinese dates are different from the Middle Eastern dates most Americans are used to have a soothing effect. Both are inexpensive and available in any Chinese grocery store.
