Chinese Soups for Health

No one takes the phrase “you are what you eat” more seriously than Asians. Chinese foodlore is full of esoteric idioms, riddles and recommendations, while the nutritional value of ingredients are closely scrutinised and categorised according to principles unbeknownst to western cultures.

The concept of yin and yang is one of the pillars of Chinese food medicine, where foods can have either “hot” or “cold” properties, and a balance of the two creates a harmonious and healthy dish. Too much of either can be detrimental to one’s health: that is one reason why pregnant women are told to avoid all sorts of crab during their pregnancy, as their “cooling” properties can lead to miscarriages.

Find out what other foods pregnant women should avoid.

Meanwhile, ingredients that correspond visually to parts of the body are said to be beneficial to the organ which it resembles: so walnuts are good for the brain, cashews for kidneys, bulbous longans for eyes. Soups and tonics, in particular, are a staple when it comes to healthy eating, the combination of herbs, roots, proteins and fungi a result of something akin to delicious alchemy.

As the weather turns from summer to autumn and winter, it seems inevitable that common ailments such as coughs, colds and dry skin are on the cards. Nourishing soups and tonics are generally seen to be the answer to any number of cold weather-related problems so as the weather cools down, we asked several of Hong Kong’s top Chinese restaurants for their healthy Chinese soup secrets.

At One Harbour Road in the Grand Hyatt in Wan Chai, chef Li Shun Tim dedicates a page of his menu to herbal tonic soups, all of which are double-boiled and feature ingredients such as gastrodia, solomon’s seal and American ginseng. His most popular soup, double-boiled pork shank with snow fungus, lily bulbs and solomon’s seal, is a relatively easy introduction to the world of Chinese medicinal tonics, which can sometimes be too overwhelming for the newbie palate. It is listed on the menu as being helpful for those with respiratory problems and chronic cough; the soup has a savoury sweetness with a slight sticky texture thanks to the addition of gelatinous chicken feet, and soothes the throat. Double-boiled fish head with pork, gastrodia and red dates, on the other hand, is a well-known cure for headaches and cooling down “heated” internal organs.

While developing his soup menu, Chef Tim consulted several Chinese doctors for advice. “But some things are quite obvious, at least to me,” he says. “For example, when I had a headache, my mother would make tin ma (gastrodia) and fish head soup. It’s already a recipe that was passed down to us by previous generations.” At the restaurant, this popular soup is not only a well-known cure for headaches, but also one for cooling down “heated” internal organs.

Bringing the body back into balance is extremely important in Chinese food medicine, as it is this foundation that is the best preventative for most ailments. Excessive body “heat” (yang), for example, can lead to dryness, cough, or eczema; on the other end of the scale, an overly “cool”(yin) person will suffer from weakness, lethargy or digestive problems.

“Prevention is better than cure,” asserts chef Lau Yiu Fai, of the InterContinental hotel’s award-winning Yan Toh Heen. “Certain ingredients can help you build up your immune system.” He points out a double-boiled sea cucumber soup with Turkish figs and morels on his menu, which he says is great for many things: the sea cucumber reduces hypertension, the figs are nourishing for the lungs and relieve coughs, while morels are generally good for building up the immune system.

Gesturing towards two trays filled with over a dozen Chinese soup ingredients, he explains the benefits of each. Goji berries, paired with dried Chinese yam, aids digestion; dried longans assist eyesight; dried dates help promote healthy blood production. Mandarin peels, which here are aged for at least 20 years, are excellent for soothing the throat. “I use it in ‘old fire’ simmer soups,” says chef Lau, and chef Tim agrees. “It’s good for the lungs, as well as dispelling mucus in the throat, opening up the voice and curing hoarseness. In this cooler weather, it’s perfect.” At One Harbour Road, pears are poached with mandarin peel and honey, resulting in a tea-coloured elixir ideal for tackling dry, itchy throats.

Likewise, Lei Garden at IFC is widely known for its health-giving soups – so much so that two detailed pages of the menu are dedicated to various tonics, each boasting its various positive effects. Double-boiled chicken with jasmine and tremella “strengthens the mind and eyesight”, “soothes the lungs” and helps with “trauma healing” while double-boiled teal with cordyceps militaris and fish maw “enhances [the] immune system”, “rejuvenates the body”, and “calms the mind”.

“To prevent sickness, people should identify their different weaknesses,” concludes chef Lau. “People with too much yin should drink more soups with yang ingredients such as fresh ginseng and astragalus root to improve blood circulation, energy levels and immunity. Yang individuals will benefit from ingredients such as American ginseng, dried lily bulbs and winter melon.”

Find out what Chinese foods are traditionally suited for hot weather.