American Ginseng, Solomon's Seal and Dried Conch Soup

Why people make this soup

Work late, sleep too little, and your mouth can turn bitter and dry — what traditional thinking calls yin-deficient heat or excess liver fire. An easy daily fix is American ginseng slices steeped as a tea, with a little chrysanthemum. But if you simmer it with yin-nourishing yu zhu and dried conch, you get a soup that is both delicious and moistening, and is traditionally taken to ease that bitter, dry-mouth feeling.

Method

1. Soak and rinse the yu zhu and dried conch; blanch the pork.
2. First simmer the yu zhu, dried conch and pork in 2.4 L of water down to 1.2 L.
3. Turn off the heat, add the American ginseng slices, cover and steep 5 minutes. Serve.

Nourilo’s Tips

American ginseng contains volatile oils, so add it only after the soup is cooked and the heat is off — otherwise the beneficial compounds simmer away.