Yin-Nourishing Autumn Soup

Why people make this soup

Autumn brings cooling air but also a certain dryness that can creep into the body — a scratchy throat, lips that peel at the edges, skin that feels tight, or a dry cough that lingers for no obvious reason. In Cantonese food-therapy tradition, this seasonal dryness is addressed by eating and drinking foods that are naturally cool and moistening. Snow pear and water chestnuts are both crisp, juicy ingredients that nourish fluids; combined with ophiopogon root (a widely used Chinese herb for lung and stomach yin) and reed rhizome (good for clearing gentle heat), this simple soup is a staple family brew in Hong Kong households from late September through November. It serves equally well as a clear soup or a light sweet dessert.