Burdock, Green Olive and Radish Lean Pork Soup

Why people make this soup

We have all had that experience of coming home after a meal out — fried chicken, heavy sauces, MSG-laden broths — and noticing that the throat feels thick and slightly sore. Nourilo’s first instinct in that situation is to simmer this soup. The combination of fresh burdock root, green olives, and radish targets exactly that kind of throat discomfort that comes from internal heat and over-indulgence. Green olives have a characteristic astringent, slightly sour taste (and a lingering sweetness after a moment) that cools and soothes; burdock clears heat and moves it outward; radish cuts through heaviness and disperses accumulation in the digestive tract. Together, they make a broth that is genuinely relieving.

Method

1. Scrub the burdock root skin clean (no need to peel entirely), then cut into sections.
2. Rinse the green olives.
3. Peel the green radish and carrot, cut into thick slices.
4. Blanch the lean pork in boiling water, drain, and rinse.
5. Place all ingredients in a pot with 2.4 L of water. Bring to a full boil, then reduce to a medium-low simmer.
6. Cook for about 2 hours until the liquid reduces to roughly 1.2–1.5 L. Serve the broth and eat the solid ingredients alongside.

Nourilo’s Tips

This soup is particularly beneficial for people with diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, or cancer. If you cannot find fresh green olives, substitute a few more dried figs or honey dates and increase the burdock slightly — burdock alone is very effective for the throat. If fresh burdock is unavailable, dried burdock (about 37 g) can be used instead. To ease a dry, ticklish throat on the spot, try steeping half a monk fruit (luo han guo) in boiling water for 10 minutes and sipping slowly.