​A soup for those who are working 24/7, especially those who does a lot of mental processing. The soups feature lotus seeds that calms the body along with walnuts that nourishes the mind.

Popular dessert soup among Asia. This dessert soup have many variations. This is a common Cantonese style, where the "yin er" or Snow fungus is cooked until its translucent. This sweet delight helps nourish the skin while smoothing the soul.

Ingredients:
500g Chicken Legs (or Chicken Breast)
100g Broad Bean – Roasted
40g Lotus Seeds
20g Walnuts
8g Hawthorne Berries
8 cups of water
Optional: add salt and/or rice wine to taste 

Instructions:
Preparation:

1. Blanch Chicken legs (breast).
2. Soak the dry ingredients overnight.

Cooking Instructions

1. Bring 8 cups of water to boil then add in all the ingredients and chicken.
2. Boil the ingredients for 10 minutes then simmer for 45 minutes.
3. Add salt and/or rice wine to taste

 

​Ingredients: (handful of each ingredients)
Bai He (lily bulb)
Lian Zi (lotus seeds)
1 x Silver Ear (Yin Er) - Snow Fungus
Guo Qi Zi - Gogi Berries
4 cups of water

Instructions:
Preparation:

1. Soak the bai he, lian zi, and silver ears over night with plenty of water in a big bowl.
2. Cut the yellow parts of the silver ear and separate them into smaller pieces

Cooking Instructions:

1. Put all in a pot, put about 4 cups of water
2. Bring to boil then simmer for 30 minutes. Cook longer if prefer softer lotus seeds.
3. Add crystal sugar and/or guo qi zi and cook for further 10 minutes

Ingredients: 
- 1/2 cup (25g) of Dried Shitake Mushrooms 
- 3 Dried Figs
​- Lean meat (preferably pork) 
- 4 Chayote cut into quarters (optional to peel)
- 2-3  thin slices of ginger 
- 10 Cups of Water 

Optional: You can use any seasonal melon, gourds, squash to replace Chayote. For Vegetarians, you can use nuts in place of meat such as peanuts and peanuts.

Preparation: 

1. Wash then soak dried ingredients (mushrooms and figs) for 10-15 minutes before cooking
2. Blanching the meat to clean: bring a pot of water to boil then place the meat in for 1-2 minutes. Take out, rinse and air dry.
3. Cut Chayote into quarters. Peel or Unpeel

*Note:  Peeling Chayote, be aware that the slim from peeling the Chayote skin will make the skins on your hands looks like its peeling. It's like a natural hand mask but difficult to wash off. 

Instructions:

1. Add in ginger, fig and water in cold water 
2. Bring the pot to a boil, add in the meat and chayote.
3. Boil the ingredients for 20 minutes then simmer for 2hours．　　

Ingredients:
- 5 jujube dates
- 5 dried longan fruit
- 5 dried hawthorne berry
- 10 gogi berries
- 2 cups of water

Instructions: 

1. Put all ingredients into a pot (prefer non-metal pot, clay pot is great) then add water
2. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes then simmer for 10 minutes
3. Add brown sugar if desire (*note that dates, longan fruits and gogi berries are sweet)
4. Options: on the least week of your menstrual cycle, poach an egg into the tea for added nutrients.

Health Benefits of Ingredients: 

• Jujube dates tonify and replenish blood great for anyone who has anemic. 
• Longan fruits tonify Yang gives you energy. 
• Goji berries tonify Yin nourish Liver to help blood production. Goji berries also helps with eyes. 
• Hawthorn berries are sweet and sour, great for tonifying the Spleen to improve digestion, clears out bad cholesterol from eating too  much meat.

Savory Pick: Brain Nourishing Soup
​Pairing a popular brain food, walnuts, and a Kidney tonic herb, he shou wu, makes this soup  the best choice for people who are looking for a remedy to turn their hair black (or back to their original color).  This combination is also ideal for pregnant woman, to help nourish the Kidney function. 

Sweet Pick: 8 Treasure Soup
A popular dessert soup made with a mix of legumes, nuts and rice. This dessert soup earns the 8 treasure name because this soup strengthen the body and considered a valued soup for longevity.  Together these ingredients are the "treasures" to optimize health at any stage of your life. 

In Chinese traditions, on the 8th  day of "layue" 臘月 in 12th month of the lunar calendar,  it is customary to have this soup to prepare for the winter season.

Recipe:
​30g He Shou Wu
50g Walnuts
50g Roasted Black Beans
12g 8-10 Dried jujube dates without the pit 
150-350g Lean Meat or Bones  
2 thick slices of Fresh Ginger
1-2 Fresh Carrots diced
12 Cups of water
1 pinch of Salt

Optional: Black Sesame

Preparation Time: 30 Minutes
Cooking Time: 2 Hours 

Preparation: Soaking roasted black beans and walnuts for about 1-2 hours 

Cleaning the Meat or Bones:  

• Bring 3-4 of water to a boil, place the raw meat in the boiling water for 1-2 minutes (until the red meat turn white) then take the meat out and rinse under cold water.

 
Directions:

1. Wash all the dried ingredients (dates, black beans, he shou wu, walnuts). Tip: Some people wash the walnuts with a pinch a salt to reduce bitterness.
2. Bring 12 cups of water to a boil then add all the ingredients in and simmer for 2-3 hours. Tip: You can try using a slow cooker and leave it on a setting that the water is simmering. I usually use the stove top to bring the ceramic pot to a boil then place it in the slow cooker.
3. Add salt to taste (Everything is edible except the he shou wu)

Suggestions for Long-Boiled Soups:  Prep all the ingredients in the evening and leave it in a slow cooker before sleeping (Soup would be ready to taste in the morning!) OR Prep all the ingredients at night such as cleaning the meat (then store the meat in the fridge unless your home is an igloo), and soaking the beans/nuts overnight.   In the morning, place all the ingredients into a slow cooker (or a regular pot) and let it simmer throughout the day (set the timer and taste when it's done!).

Recipe:
100g Sticky rice
100g Red beans
100g Black beans
100g Peanuts
50g Lotus seeds
30g Dried longan fruits
​30g Jujube dates​
10g Dried Lily bulb (Bai He)
20g Gogi Berries

Optional: Rasins
​
​Preparation Time: 20 Minutes
Cooking Time: 90 Minutes

Preparation: Wash and pre-soak red beans, black beans, peanuts and lotus seeds in cold water for 4 hours or over night

Directions: 

1. Bring 5 bowls of water to boil
2. Add the beans, peanuts, and lotus seeds to water and simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour (depends how soft you like the beans to taste) and stir occasionally
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for another hour, stir occasionally
4. Add crystal sugar to taste

​

One of the favorites among ginger lovers and for those who has a tendency to feel cold. This is a popular dessert soup when there's strong winds because ginger and yam has a Chinese medicinal effect to clear external wind chills. 

​Ingredients: 
- Ginger
- Yam (Purple, Orange, and/or Yellow)
- Brown Sugar
- Water

Preparation: TBA

One of the treasures of the Cantonese household, this Trio Soup is made for any seasonal changes to maintain balance within our body.

Ingredients: 
- Pearl Barely
- Foxnuts
- Yu Zhu
- Dried Red Dates
- Dried Shitake Mushrooms
- Dried Chinese Yam (Bai Shao)
- Water
- Optional: A piece of Pork (or meat or bone of your choice)
​ 
Preparation: TBA

A mix of the favorite Chinese dried fruits in a pot. This is  a commonly seen beauty tea transformed into a dessert soup in a Cantonese kitchen.

Ingredients:
​- Water
- Dried Red Dates
- Gogi Berries
- Long Yan Rou
- Brown Sugar (or Rock Sugar)

Preparation: 
Bring a pot of water to boil and add all the ingredients and let it simmer for 30 minutes. Add brown sugar to taste. Could be served cold or warm.

A popular Chinese soup to boost energy and immunity in the Winter season. A mother's favorite creation, especially  for their children who is under a lot of stress.
​
Ingredients: 
​- Water
- Chicken Breast
- Dried Red Dates
- Gogi Berries
- American Ginseng
- Yu zhu 

Preparation:

Blanch the Chicken Breast: Bring a small pot of water to boil then place the Chicken Breast in for 5 minutes until the water boils. Take out the chicken and rinse with water.

In a separate pot: 
Bring the large pot of water to boil then place all the ingredients in and bring it to a boil. Boil for 20 minutes then turn down the flame and let the ingredients and water simmer for 2-3 hours. Add salt to taste then served it  warm. 

Papaya and Snow Fungus  Dessert Soup*
Cantonese grandmother loves making this dessert soup in preparation for the dry autumn season or to nourish the body during dry seasons.

*also known as the Papaya, Yin Er, Hong Zao, Lian Zi soup
Recipe
Ingredients:

• Papaya 200 g
• Snow Fungus (yin er) 30 g
• Lotus seeds (lian zi) 30 g
• Dried Jujube dates (hong zao) 10 pieces
• Crystal rock sugar (bing tang) 
  
• Water

Preparation and Cooking

1. Papaya, without peels or seeds, are cut into big cubes.
2. Yin Er and Lian Zi and Hong Zao are washed and soaked for 1 hour.
3. Put all ingredients into a pot. Put 2 to 3 times of water compared to the dry ingredients. 
4. Bring to a boil then simmer for 1 hour. Add crystal sugar to taste. Soup can be serve warm or chilled.

Photo credit: Tao Kwan

Apple and Pear Meat Broth
One of the popular autumn meat broth in the Cantonese household. Often times, the seasonal fruits and herbs are combined with meat or bones to make a savory broth.

Recipe
Ingredients:

• 3 medium size Fuji apples (suggest using sweet apples such as Red Delicious, Fuji, Gala and etc...)
  
• 2 Asian pears 
• 1 dried honey date
• 10g peeled apricot seeds (1:2 ratio with peeled apricot seeds to north almonds)
• 20g north almonds
• 8g Ophiopogon Tuber (Mai Men Dong--Chinese Medicine Herb for nourishing Yin and for dry coughs)
• ~2-3oz lean pork (or your choice of meat or bone--could be omitted but would not bring out the flavor of other ingredients) -- this is optional
• Water

Preparation 

1. Wash all produce well. (if needed, use salt to scrub off excess wax on the apples) then into quarter pieces, removing the core.
2. Soak apricot seeds, north almonds and Ophiopogon tuber for 20 minutes.
3. Blanch the lean pork (or meat/bone of choice). Prepare a boiling pot of water, place raw meat into boiling water for 5 minutes then rinse in cold water.

Cooking

1. In a large pot, add water then add apricot seed, north almond, ophiopogon tuber and meat. When the water boils, add in the pears and apples. (make sure to have enough water to covers the ingredients--usually 2x more than the ingredients) 
2. Bring to a boil then simmer for about 2 1/2 Hours. (water level will boil down to the level of the ingredients). Soup can be serve warm or cold. 

Green bean (Mung bean) soup is a commonly seen Asian dessert. Mung beans are prized for the summer because of its heat-clearing and detoxing function where it can help reduce acne and gum pain. Today's recipe features a mung bean dessert soup popular in Canton. 

In Hong Kong this Green Bean (Mung Bean) Dessert Soup is often made with a bit of seaweed and Chen Pi (aged tangerine peels). You can serve Green Bean Dessert Soup hot or, Tao's  favorite way, have it cold straight from the fridge. Perfect for a hot summer day!

Recipe for Green Bean Dessert Soup Recipe 綠豆沙

Ingredients

• 1 cup green (mung) beans (200g)
  
• 8 cups water
  
• 1/2 cup rock sugar or raw sugar (115g)
  

Directions:

1. Rinse the green beans. Remove any little rocks. Soak in cool water for 4 hours or in hot water for 20 minutes, then discard soaking water.
2. In a large pot add the water and green beans. When the water boils turn down the heat to a simmer. Cook the beans covered for 30-40 mins or until they are soft. Be sure to keep an eye on the pot and stir the bottom of the pot because the beans will have a tendency to boil over quickly or stick to the bottom of the pot.
3. The soup is ready when the green beans started breaking down.

There are two preferences here: one is a thicker soup with lots of dissolved bean and one is a thinner more liquidy soup. For a thicker soup cook a bit longer. For a thinner soup the soup is ready as soon as the beans are soft.

When you feel the soup is ready, add the sugar to taste and stir until sugar is melted. Serve hot or cold.

Variation:

•  add lotus seeds without the middle green embryo (which is bitter). Soak the lotus seed as the mung beans.
•  add dry or fresh seaweed at the same time as the mung beans
•  add a few chopped up stems of Ruta graveolens (stinky grass) with the mung beans
•  add dry or fresh lily bulb

Five Element Soup is a common Cantonese soup known for its strengthening and detoxing properties. This is a vegetable-based soup that was popularized for its cancer-fighting properties and supporting those who are undergoing cancer treatment. 

Based on the recipe from a Taiwanese author, here's the recipe that he provides.

Recipe for Five Element Soup (aka "Anti-Cancer Soup")

Ingredients: (for 1 serving)

• 1/4 white Turnip (Daikon)
• 1 white Turnip (Daikon) top include stem+leaves
• 1/4 gobo root
• 1/2 carrots 
• 1 dried whole Shitake Mushrooms
• 4  cups water (or until all vegetables are below the water level)

It is common to  make more than 1 serving for each pot. Make sure to have double the amount of carrots as compared to the other root vegetables when multiplying the serving amount.

Directions:
Preparation

1. Rinse and scrub all the root vegetables (note: do not peel the vegetables since we want to keep the peel's nutrient). 
2. Soak the dried Shitake  mushrooms for 15-20 minutes to rehydrate
3. Cut all the root vegetables into 3 inch pieces (no big deal if the pieces are not uniform).  Sandi prefers having cutting the vegetables into big chunks.  
4. Cooking: In a large pot, add water and all the ingredients. When the water boils turn down the heat to a simmer. Cook the soup with the cover on for about 2 hours. 
5. Soup serve warm or cold. 

Variation: 

• Add corn on a cob
• Add barely. For pearl barley soak them like the mung beans.
• Add honey dates (gives the soup a sweeter taste)