Burdock Root and Five-Vegetable Soup

Why people make this soup

Burdock root has become one of the most talked-about vegetables in modern Cantonese health cooking, and with good reason. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is prized for clearing heat, dispersing toxins, and supporting the upper and middle zones of the body. It has a long association with cardiovascular health and is a food Nourilo particularly recommends for those who have experienced stroke or who are managing high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes. This particular soup bundles burdock with four other plant-based allies — corn, black wood ear, water chestnuts, and carrot — to create something that is genuinely easy to make, naturally sweet, and satisfying to eat, not just medicinal in intention.

Method

1. Scrub the burdock root thoroughly under running water. Do not peel — the skin contains nutrients. Cut into short segments.
2. Soak the black wood ear mushroom until fully expanded. Remove the tough base stalk; cut the rest into strips.
3. Peel the water chestnuts and carrot; cut into chunks. Remove the corn husks and cut each cob into segments.
4. Place all ingredients into a pot with 2.4 L of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer for about 1 hour until the liquid reduces to 1.2–1.5 L.
5. Serve hot, drinking the broth and eating the vegetables and mushroom. Corn, burdock, carrot, water chestnuts, and wood ear are all worth eating.

Nourilo’s Tips

This soup is clear, naturally sweet, and extremely versatile. It can be cooked purely as a vegetable broth (entirely plant-based, great for those wanting a meat-free option) or with the addition of lean pork for extra body. If you cannot find fresh burdock, dried burdock works too — use about 38 g (38 g) of dried burdock in place of the fresh.

One practical note: if you make this soup the night before and want to reheat it the next day, remove the wood ear mushroom and any other vegetable solids before refrigerating. Vegetables (especially wood ear) left sitting in hot broth for extended periods can develop nitrites, which is not ideal. Store them separately and add back when reheating.

When you add ginger, keep the skin on — ginger skin has a particularly strong wind-dispersing quality, and rinsing it clean is all that is needed.