Soups
Wild Amaranth & Garlic Soup
traditionally used to clear heat and support the body against bacterial gut infections
Why people make this soup
Wild amaranth is a little-known leafy green with a more fragrant, clean flavour than the cultivated variety — and significantly higher levels of vitamins A, iron, magnesium, zinc, and calcium (reportedly several times more than spinach in some minerals). Paired with garlic, which is traditionally regarded as one of the most potent antibacterial foods, this quick twenty-minute soup is a classic summer household remedy in Cantonese food therapy. Bro Niu recommends brewing a pot for the whole family during warmer months when bacteria multiply rapidly, as a way to help keep everyone’s gut resilient.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- Suitable for the whole family, men, women, children, and elderly
- Those with yin-deficient, heat-prone constitutions who are sensitive to garlic can omit the garlic and simmer wild amaranth with lean pork alone — it still has a clearing effect
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Wild amaranth (ye xian cai): Enters the large intestine, liver, and spleen meridians; traditionally associated with clearing heat, detoxifying, reducing swelling, and promoting urination; notably richer in minerals than regular amaranth or spinach
- Solo garlic (du zi suan): Single-clove garlic is said to contain significantly more allicin than regular garlic; traditionally believed to be effective against a range of bacteria including E. coli and dysentery bacillus; warming in nature, which counterbalances the cooler nature of amaranth
Ingredients (3–4 bowls)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Wild amaranth | ~300 g | Remove roots, wash, cut into sections |
| Solo / single-clove garlic | 3–4 cloves | Or ~8 regular garlic cloves, peeled and sliced |
| Lean pork | ~300 g | Thinly sliced |
| Water | 5 bowls (~1.25 L) |
Method
- Remove the roots from the wild amaranth, wash thoroughly, and cut into sections.
- Peel the garlic (or solo garlic) and slice thinly.
- Slice the lean pork thinly.
- Bring 5 bowls of water to a rolling boil in a pot.
- Add all the ingredients together; simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes.
- Serve the soup and eat the cooked greens and pork together.
Bro Niu’s tips
Wild amaranth is available at Chinese or Asian grocers, or online — look for it in the fresh or dried herb section. If solo garlic is unavailable, use about 8 regular garlic cloves; solo garlic just has a higher allicin content. This soup is suitable for the whole family as a summer preventive, not only when symptoms are already present.
Community questions answered (selected)
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Q (Yan Au): If I cannot find wild amaranth, can I use regular amaranth? Bro Niu: Green amaranth (qing xian cai) works. Wild amaranth or purslane (ma chi xian) would give a more pronounced therapeutic effect, but regular green amaranth is a reasonable substitute.
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Q (Nat): After drinking this soup, both my husband and I felt bloated and gassy. Is that related to the soup? Bro Niu: Garlic can occasionally cause digestive discomfort if used in large amounts. Most people do not have this reaction — you may have added rather a lot of garlic.
Published April 21, 2018 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 2 min read.
