Soups
Chayote, Poria, Job's Tears and Pork Tripe Soup
A spleen-strengthening, damp-draining soup traditionally used to relieve tiredness
Why people make this soup
After a few days of rain and grey skies, it’s easy to feel heavy, tired, and low on energy. That’s when Bro Niu reaches for a spleen-strengthening, damp-draining soup like this one, traditionally associated with relieving fatigue, easing water retention, and helping digestion. Pork tripe takes a little work to clean, but it makes a wonderfully tasty soup and doubles as a dish at the table.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- Good for days when you feel sluggish, heavy with damp, or have a weak digestion
- Bro Niu has noted this soup is fine to drink during menstruation
- Pregnant women: leave out the raw Job’s tears
- For a weak, cold stomach, pork tripe can instead be cooked with peppercorns and preserved mustard greens (a separate variation)
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Chayote (he zhang gua): a mild, clearing melon-vegetable
- Poria (fu ling): traditionally associated with draining damp and strengthening the spleen
- Job’s tears (yi mi): traditionally associated with draining damp and supporting the spleen and lungs; leans slightly cooling
- Hyacinth bean (bian dou): traditionally associated with strengthening the spleen and resolving damp
- Pork tripe (zhu du): by the “like nourishes like” idea, chosen to support a weak stomach
- Ginger, tangerine peel, figs (jiang, chen pi, wu hua guo): warm and round out the flavor and aid digestion
Ingredients (4–5 bowls)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chayote | 2 | Peeled, chunked |
| Poria | ~15 g | Rinsed |
| Raw Job’s tears | ~38 g | Omit if pregnant |
| Hyacinth bean | ~38 g | |
| Fresh ginger | 2 slices | |
| Dried tangerine peel | 1 piece | |
| Figs | 4 | |
| Pork tripe | 1 | Scrubbed clean |
| Pork bones | ~225 g |
Method
- Peel and chunk the chayote. Scrub the pork tripe clean, then blanch it together with the pork bones.
- Rinse and soak the remaining ingredients.
- Put everything in a pot with 8 bowls of water and simmer 2 hours, reducing to 4–5 bowls.
Bro Niu’s tips
Fresh pork tripe makes a far tastier soup than frozen. You must rub it with salt and cornstarch two or three times to scrub away the off-smell. (Frozen pre-cleaned tripe is fine too — just blanch it before use.)
Community questions answered (selected)
-
Q (reader): Can I drink this if I have period pain? Bro Niu: Yes, you can drink this soup during your period.
-
Q (May): I bought all the ingredients but couldn’t find chayote, so I used old cucumber instead — is that okay? I recall you said old cucumber also relieves fatigue. Bro Niu: Old cucumber works too — it does help relieve fatigue.
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Q (May): If a pregnant woman drinks this, should she just leave out the raw Job’s tears? Bro Niu: For a pregnant woman, just omit the raw Job’s tears.
Published May 23, 2011 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 2 min read.
