Agaricus Mushroom, Adenophora and Polygonatum Lean Pork Soup

Why people make this soup

I picked up a pack of Agaricus blazei mushrooms — they have a wonderfully clean fragrance, and the medium ones with a strong aroma are better than the biggest. This mushroom is traditionally valued for supporting the body broadly, and is often associated with healthy blood sugar, blood lipids and liver function. Here I pair it with adenophora, Solomon’s seal and goji into a soup that suits anyone wanting gentle support for blood sugar and a hard-working liver.

Method

1. Soak and rinse the Agaricus mushroom, keeping the soaking water. Rinse the goji, adenophora and Solomon’s seal.
2. Cut and blanch the pork.
3. Add everything, including the mushroom soaking water, to 2.4 L of water and simmer 1 hour until reduced to about 1.2 L.

Nourilo’s Tips

A lot of the mushroom’s beneficial compounds dissolve into the soaking water, so use that water in the soup. The soup is light and fragrant and is also pleasant in dry weather for a dry, hot cough.