Watercress, Carrot and Spare Rib Soup

Why people make this soup

Watercress is a versatile green worth keeping on hand. The tender tops can be blanched and finely chopped for dumpling or wonton filling — far more flavourful than cabbage. The rest goes beautifully into this soup, which has been a Cantonese household staple for generations. Watercress has a naturally cooling, clearing quality that traditional food therapy associates with relieving excess heat in the lungs and stomach: the kind of uncomfortable inner warmth that shows up as a nagging phlegmy cough, dry mouth, or sluggish digestion. Adding figs and carrot softens the cooling effect and broadens the benefits.