Ginkgo, Almond, Dried Cabbage and Pork Lung Soup

Why people make this soup

Ginkgo nuts are one of Nourilo’s favourite cheap-and-cheerful pantry helpers — humble in price but traditionally prized for steadying the lung qi and quieting a cough with phlegm. In dry autumn-into-winter weather he likes to pair them with apricot kernels in a dried-cabbage-and-pork-lung soup. The broth comes out fresh and naturally sweet, a genuinely good seasonal pot.

Method

1. Shell and core the ginkgo nuts.
2. Soak and wash the dried cabbage well; cut into sections.
3. Rinse the pork lung, cut into pieces, blanch, then optionally dry-pan it in a clean wok.
4. Blanch the pork ribs.
5. Add everything to 2.7–3 L of water and simmer 2 hours down to 1.5–1.8 L. Eat the soup with the ingredients.

Nourilo’s Tips

Cleaning pork lung takes time. Many butchers will rinse it for you for a small fee — then you just cut it, blanch it at home, and you are done. Whatever you do not use freezes well. And do mind the ginkgo limits above.