Water Chestnut, Dried Fig and Lily Bulb Pork Soup

Why people make this soup

Autumn dryness shows up in familiar ways: a persistent tickle at the back of the throat, a dry cough where the phlegm feels sticky and hard to shift, skin that feels tighter than usual. In years when respiratory illness is circulating, these symptoms can feel more pressing. Cantonese food-therapy has a reliable toolkit for this season, and this soup — water chestnuts, dried figs, lily bulb — is a classic combination. Water chestnuts contain a compound called puchiin (荸荠素) that research has shown to have inhibitory activity against certain bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas. Dried figs soothe and moisten the throat with their natural sweetness and gel-like compounds. Lily bulb is one of the most frequently used herbs for calming a dry, heat-type cough and settling an unsettled mind. Together they make a soup that is both delicious and genuinely suited to the season.

Method

1. Soak the dried lily bulb in cold water for 30 minutes, then drain and discard the soaking water.
2. Peel and rinse the water chestnuts.
3. Rinse the dried figs and cut each in half.
4. Blanch the lean pork slices in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain, and rinse.
5. Place all ingredients in a pot with 2.4 L of water.
6. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a medium-low simmer for 1 hour until the liquid reduces to about 1.2 L.
7. Serve the soup and ingredients together.

Nourilo’s Tips

This soup is naturally sweet and pleasant — the whole family can enjoy it. It is most suitable for heat-type phlegm coughs (sticky, yellow or scant phlegm; dry throat; feeling of heat). Those with cold-type coughs producing clear watery phlegm, or those whose cough worsens in the cold, should not use this soup. If dried lily bulb has a sulfur smell, soak it in cold water for at least an hour, discard the soaking water, and only then add it to the pot.