Gold-Silver Cabbage and Fig Soup

Why people make this soup

Come autumn, the air turns dry and the body can feel it in unexpected ways — a scratchy throat, a stubborn cough, thick phlegm that is hard to shift, or even a sense of pressure in the chest. In traditional Cantonese food therapy, these are signs that the lungs and stomach have accumulated too much “heat.” This soup was designed for exactly those moments. It is light, naturally sweet, and gentle enough for the whole family to enjoy together.

The combination of dried and fresh Chinese cabbage is a traditional trick: drying concentrates the cabbage’s cooling, moistening quality, while the fresh leaves give the broth a clean flavour. Paired with apricot kernels and figs, the result is a soup that is both pleasant to drink and meaningfully nourishing.