At 5:30 in the morning, Aunt Li sighed as she felt another handful of hair fall from her pillow. Her eyelids were swollen and shiny in the mirror, and her finger joints ached painfully when they touched cold water. Her son often said she had a musty smell, which no amount of sunning her bedding could cover up, as the coldness seeped from her bones. The older generation often says, “Keep warm in spring and cool in autumn,” but this damp and chilly late spring weather makes one feel like a soaked black fungus, getting worse the more it is trapped. “If you don’t drink soup before the Rain Water solar term and during the Awakening of Insects, you’ll be sick all year long.” Today, I will teach everyone four traditional soups from the countryside that are more effective than taking ten bottles of calcium supplements.
▌ Wu Hei Soup: Infusing Bones with Ink
In March, black beans are sprouting, and the anthocyanins in the bean skins are twice that of blueberries. Choose plump beans with a white navel, and pair them with aged Huang Jing (Rhizoma Polygonati) slices for a sweet aftertaste like sugarcane. The black goji berries should be from Qinghai, and when thrown into water, they should release purple threads. Soak the black beans for 4 hours, and they should be soft enough to break with a fingernail. In a cold pot, add the black beans and enough well water to cover them, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat. When gray-white foam rises to the surface, skim it off with a wooden spoon. Add Huang Jing and a thumb-sized piece of old ginger, simmer for 40 minutes until the soup color deepens, then add the black goji berries and mulberries, and let it steep for another 10 minutes before turning off the heat. It is crucial to use a clay pot for simmering; an iron pot will make the black sesame oil bitter. Finally, sprinkle some toasted black sesame seeds on top, and the soup will be as dark and shiny as freshly ground ink in an inkstone. Drink it for seven consecutive days, and the moons on your fingernails will sprout two little white tips.
▌ Xiao Huo Xiang Carp Soup: Expelling Dampness from the Bones
The crucian carp before Qingming is the fattest, and the fish gills should be bright red and slimy to avoid a muddy taste. Pair it with aged tofu that can be poked with chopsticks but not crushed. A small pinch of fennel is enough; too much will overpower the flavor. Heat a pan with cold oil, and slide the dried fish into the pan. Once the fish skin is caramelized with brown spots, pour in half a pot of boiling water, and the soup will instantly turn milky white. Cut the tofu into Mahjong-sized pieces and blanch it, then add it to the pot with the fennel seeds. Boil on high for 10 minutes, then reduce to medium heat, ensuring the soup remains bubbling. Avoid eating the fish belly, as the fine bones can get stuck in your throat. For those with spleen and stomach deficiency, add three slices of fresh ginger with skin; after drinking, you will sweat, and your knees will feel warm as if coated with chili oil.
▌ Goji Berry, Pig Liver, and Spinach Soup: Adding a Glass Shield for the Eyes
Choose pig liver that is purple-red and shiny, and soak it in milk for half an hour to remove the odor. Select spinach with red roots and thin stems, as it has 60% less pesticide residue than thick stems. Soak Ningxia goji berries in warm water until they are plump and elastic. Cut the pig liver into coin-thick slices and coat them with sweet potato starch. Boil water and blanch the spinach, then cool it in cold water to retain its vibrant green color. In a new pot of boiling water, slide in the pig liver slices, and when small bubbles appear at the edges of the soup, add the goji berries. As soon as the pig liver changes color, turn off the heat and let it sit in the residual heat until fully cooked; this will make it tender like tofu pudding. Overcooking the pig liver will make it tough and chewy. The spinach must be blanched to remove oxalic acid; otherwise, the soup will taste astringent. Drink this soup twice a week, and your eyes won’t feel dry like sandpaper after long hours of screen time.
▌ Huang Qi and Dang Shen Lean Meat Soup: Reinforcing the Body
Wild Huang Qi (Astragalus membranaceus) has a cross-section resembling a chrysanthemum heart and has a bean-like flavor. Choose Dang Shen (Codonopsis pilosula) from Shanxi, with skin that is wrinkled like an old woman’s hand, indicating its age. Use pig shank meat with tendons, which will not be tough after stewing. Cut the lean meat into chunks and blanch it in cold water with cooking wine to remove the blood foam. Place Huang Qi and Dang Shen in a cloth bag along with two dried longan slices and throw them into a clay pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer on low for 90 minutes until the meat is tender and the tendons are soft. Before serving, sprinkle some Ningxia goji berries, and the soup will be golden with swirling oil. For those with excess heat, use less Huang Qi and add five or six dried Mai Dong (Ophiopogon japonicus) to balance it. After drinking this soup, your hands and feet will feel strong, and you won’t need to hold onto your knees while climbing stairs.
【Tao Tao Says】 Wu Hei Soup nourishes the kidneys, Carp Soup expels dampness, Pig Liver Soup brightens the eyes, and Huang Qi Soup tonifies Qi. Rotate these four soups until the Grain Rain solar term. Note that gout patients should drink less fish soup and replace it with winter melon and coix seed soup.
If you find this useful, share it with your friends who often complain about back pain. On April 17, the Spring Equinox, let’s prepare a pot of good soup and wait for the swallows to return.