Calling for Healing Soup Fans

Tao and Sandi has confirmed the first meet up to convene our friends, family and community who are passionate about healing soups on August 22, 2015, 4:00PM.  Seats are limited to 10 people.  You will also find the soup meetup schedule on the right hand column of this page. There are two categories for the meet ups: SOUPInfo and SOUPPow-wow. 

• SOUPInfo features 2 soups for the month that is best for the season.
• SOUPPow-wow: 5 (or more) participates are invited to bring their own healing soups for the meetup and share the origin and story behind them. 

We featured two of our favorites soups: 5 color soup and mung bean dessert. Recipes added below.  Don't forget to join our Facebook group for the latest updates and meetups: www.facebook.com/groups/healingsoup

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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)