Chinese Celery, Red Date and Lean Pork Soup

Why people make this soup

Celery is one of those vegetables that has long had a reputation, both in Western nutritional science and Chinese food therapy, for supporting healthy blood pressure. There are two main types: the thick-stalked Western celery found in most supermarkets, and the slender, intensely fragrant Chinese medicinal celery (yao qin) available at Asian grocery stores. The Chinese variety has a far more concentrated flavour and is considered more therapeutically effective in traditional food therapy. Crucially, it is the leaves — often discarded when stir-frying — that contain the highest concentrations of carotene, vitamin C, calcium, iron and potassium. This recipe turns those nutrient-rich leaves into a flavourful broth by pairing them with red dates and lean pork. The result is light, slightly bitter-sweet, and genuinely easy to make on a weeknight.

Method

1. Remove the roots from the celery and wash well. Cut into sections about 5–6 cm long.
2. Pit the red dates.
3. Blanch the lean pork briefly in boiling water, then drain and slice into pieces.
4. Place all ingredients into a pot with 1.8 L of water.
5. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a medium simmer for about 30 minutes until the liquid reduces to about 1.2 L.
6. Serve warm. The soup has a light, naturally savoury flavour.

Nourilo’s Tips

This soup does double duty: alongside its traditional association with blood pressure support, it is also beneficial for those who have iron-deficiency anaemia, thanks to the iron content in both the celery leaves and the lean pork. Those with a cold spleen-stomach constitution should limit this soup, as celery is cooling. People with active skin eruptions should also avoid it.